Different types of CV
Here we explain the different types of CV that people use and our preference for a performance reverse chronological CV – the most impactful one.
The ‘Performance Reverse Chronological CV’
Here we explain the how the performance reverse chronological CV (our preferred format) will help you showcase “what’s under the surface” so that your CV stands out from the crowd.
Everyone is different, with different backgrounds and work experiences, and different career aspirations. Some people may have stayed in the career stream for most of their lives, becoming experts in their field, whilst others may have had several careers and developed a variety of different skills and experiences in a varied fields. These days, recruiters and hiring managers tend to look for a single, common format when reviewing CVs.
Our preferred format is the performance reverse chronological CV. However, if desired, we can also develop a functional CV or combined functional/performance reverse chronological CV.
A performance reverse chronological CV focuses on presenting your experience on an employer-by-employer basis, with the posts being listed in reverse chronological order. These CVs also contain a brief personal statement or profile at the front which sets out your key skills and strengths of the candidate. This is the most common type of CV and is preferred by recruiters and hiring mangers alike because they can quickly assimilate a candidates skills, experiences and competencies. As such, we recommend this format and tend to specialist in this type of CV. Generally these CVs are short (no more than 2 pages), punchy and high impact.
Other types of CV
The functional CV focuses on and highlights the skills and achievements that you have gained throughout your whole working career irrespective of where and when you acquired them. This type of CV is useful if you have have gaps in your working career, if want to change career completely, or if you have very little experience but want to demonstrate to a prospective employer that you have the right skills for the role. We do not generally recommend that candidates use this type of CV, however, we will construct one if required.
The Combined performance/functional CV tend to be slightly longer than normal, as they combine functional competencies with the more traditional aspects of a performance CV. These type of CVs should be used when you want to highlight both skills and achievements together with your impressive work history and education. However, as they are longer there is a risk that the reader may lose interest or get bored, and it is for this reason we do not recommend using a combined CV.
