Preparing your CV

Step 2 – CV Styles

• The Chronological CV lists all the positions you held by date beginning with the most recent and working back to include all the positions you held. The emphasis is generally placed on your more recent experience i.e. the last 5 - 7. The advantage of this style is that it is conventional and is what employers are used to seeing. The disadvantage is that employment gaps are obvious and it may be difficult to extract what you key skills and characteristics are
• The Functional CV is presented in terms of specific job function rather than in chronological order. The advantage for you is that you can group skills and experience gained from several positions under one job function so it is easier for an employer to assess if you are right for their job function. The disadvantage is that the style may be confusing in that it doesn't plot the career progression of the writer in a conventional way.