There are different formats available for job seekers to adopt while drafting the resume. The most common ones are chronological, functional, combination and target resume formats. One can select the ideal format depending upon the prospective job profile and the work history of the applicant. Each format would have different chronology depending upon the sections that one wishes to highlight in the resume. Nevertheless, here is an attempt at giving you the apt chronological order of a resume that is commonly followed and universally accepted.
Header
This section includes the name and the contact details of the job seeker. Ideally, a resume should start with the job seeker's name, written in bold font on the top. Below that write the contact details like address, telephone number and email id in regular font. One can align these details to the left or center as per your choice. Avoid giving a title to the document as 'resume'
Objectives
The objective is a one statement section that talks about the career plans of the job seeker. It is used to catch hold of the employer's attention positively by stating the applicant's key strengths and his capacity to contribute towards the organization at the beginning of the resume.
Summary
A functional, combination and target resume requires a summary below the objectives section. It is a section that summarizes the key skills, major experiences and main qualifications of the job seeker in few sentences. It is used to divert the employer's attention from experiences (if it is unimpressive) section.
Job History
The work history should include the designation, duration and the responsibilities handled by the applicant. Describe each responsibility in bullet format with an action verb that emphasizes on the effort and contributions made by you in order to complete the work. Either write this section in reverse chronological order or categorize them under suitable headings, depending upon the resume type.
Areas of Interest
This section stresses on the area within the work field, the applicant is competent to perform the best in. Any applicant would have knowledge and experience of working on different areas within that job profile. Yet, the work the applicant loved to do the most or has expert knowledge about should be specified in this section.
Educational Qualifications
Use sentence formation, tabular or bullet format to fill up this section. Write details of the qualification gained and the awarding body under this section. In case you have very impressive qualifications, put this section before experience section.
Achievements
Include not more than 4 accomplishments within this section, preferably the professional ones. This section helps you prove your merit and your capacities of putting your knowledge into practice. Include details of the awards won, innovations introduced, and the targets achieved/exceeded or any other instance that talks of your exceptional talents within this section.
Personal Details
This section includes details like age, marital status, family background, date of birth, hobbies of the applicant, etc. Now days, the employer is restricted from asking the applicants any of their personal details and so the trend of including this section is slowly receding. Yet, if you wish to include theses details, write them one after the other without bullets or numbering.
References
This section always comes last and should have name, designation, organization name, telephone number and email id of the referee. However, the current trend asks applicants to conclude this section with one statement, 'available upon request'. It is recommended to avoid writing references and their contact details within the resume and be given on separate sheet of paper only when asked.
The apt chronological order of a resume is given here. You are free to draft the resume as per your resume format that suits both the applicant and the employer.