CV Styles and Layouts - Chronological, Functional or Targeted

There are three main styles to use for a CV. Each one is suited depending on the type of role you are applying for and also what you have done to date. A good trick is to have several versions of your CV, each one using a different style. We shall take a look at each of the styles below.

Chronological

A self explanatory style which is used to show work experience by date relevance. Your latest job roles should be placed towards the top of the CV with older experience following on below.

This type of layout is great at showing a gradual career progression moving towards greater responsibility. It's also great at showing that you have targeted your career path towards a specific field e.g. a career in IT. People with experience working with a large firm with a good reputation will find that the chronological style is the most beneficial.

Remember, when writing your chronological CV it's important to only detail the most recent positions. You should only give minimal details for older job positions.

Focusing on what you achieved rather than what you did is important. Try and show the employer the skills you developed and also facts that prove your proficiency in the role.

To sum it up, the chronological CV is the traditional form of CV.

Functional

The functional style provides much more flexibility. You can choose how to display your CV based on your strengths and skills. This can be easily tailored towards the job role you are applying for.

The functional style is a better choice if:

1. Your career path lends towards different roles which are not related. Or if you want to move into another role which is not related to your current skills.

2. Your experience is limited and you want to focus more on skill sets

3. You have worked as a freelancer for many smaller roles or projects

Targeted

As the name suggests this style is used to target a specific job role or employer. Details about the persons education, work experience and skills are tailored towards the job role.

Changing a CV to be targeted towards a role simply requires that you expand on areas which are related to the skills required. You can decrease the length of other sections which the employer may not be interested in.

The targeted style is a better choice if:

1. You want to target a specific job advert (and are not looking at many others)

2. You want to play on your skills throughout your career history and not just your recent employment