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Types of CV: Reverse Chronological Vs Functional

The two main types of CV in circulation are the reverse chronological and the functional. They can both work extremely well, but which to use when?

One of the more important decisions to make concerning your CV is how to structure the information you want to present. There are many variations on a theme, but the decision really boils down to one of two options. Let's have a quick look at each in turn:

THE REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL CV

This type of CV details your education and the jobs you've held in sequence. The most effective use of a chronological CV is to list your experience in reverse order, i.e. starting with your current or most recent role and then moving back in time, and then treating your education in the same way.

The standard layout would be as follows:

Part One Contact details (name, address, telephone numbers, email)
Part Two Profile statement
Part Three Career history (providing the most detail about your most recent role, with previous roles taking up progressively less space)
Part Four Education and training/professional qualifications (also in reverse chronological order, so that you're emphasising your most recent attainments)
Part Five Interests (try to give examples that suggest a good mixture of positive qualities like leadership, personal fitness, intellectual capability, etc.)
Part Six Personal information (age, marital status, children, etc.). This information is optional, although recruiters seem to prefer to have these details.

The main benefit of a chronological layout is that the first page of your CV features prominently your most recent (and typically most senior) role. Remember, you only have seconds to grab the attention of the person reading your CV, so you want to make sure that you get all your big-hitting points across early.

There are some drawbacks to the chronological CV, however, notably that:

If you're a bit of a job-hopper, this type of CV will display that very graphically.
Any gaps in your career history are likely to stand out.
Your skills and achievements may not be signalled clearly to the reader if they're spread over a number of the roles you've held.
If your most recent role is a different type of role to the one you've applied for, this may instil doubt into the mind of the reader.

That said, the chronological CV is still by far the most widely used format. In fact, it's reckoned that around 80-90% of CVs in circulation follow the chronological format. Moreover, the vast majority of recruitment managers prefer to see a candidate's information in this format.

THE FUNCTIONAL CV

This type of CV is organised by skill rather than job title. It pays no heed to chronology and instead focuses on the individual's skills and abilities that are relevant to the role applied for. Examples of areas that might be relevant are leadership, project management, customer service and so on.

The functional CV can be productive if your most recent career history isn't particularly indicative of future direction. The main drawbacks are that it's more time-consuming to draw up and that people more used to seeing 'traditional' chronological CVs sometimes regard it with a degree of suspicion.

EMPHASISE YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS

Whichever format you decide to go with, make sure you concentrate on what you've achieved in your various roles and where you've made a positive difference. Don't simply produce a series of potted job descriptions. The focus should be less on the nitty-gritty of your job responsibilities and more on your personal impact.


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