Choosing your CV - Main Types

The choice of CV will invariably determine the structure and layout of a CV.  Therefore, it is important to choose the most appropriated CV according to inidividual circumstances.  The most popular CV used is the Chronological CV showing career history in 'reverse-chronological' order (i.e. most recent first).  A variant of the Chronological CV is the Performance CV, which essentially highlights a summary of main achievements towards the begining of the CV.

Other CV Types (1)

Other CV types are used less frequently but are equally important.  For instance, a Functional CV is important for highlighting key competencies, strengths, skills and qualities.  This tends to be used where individuals are highly skilled (i.e. engineers and IT, etc) or where there has been difficulites with redundancy and gaps in employment, etc.

Other CV Types (2)

A Specific or Targeted CV aims to clearly target a specific role or career.  This emphasises a relevant and detailed skills profile as well as aggregating experience over an number of different roles.  There is also Creative CV, usually involving a portfolio presenting evidence of previous work in a single document (Please note:  Winning CV does not offer a creative CV service).

                                                                                                            

Most recent experiences tend to be most relevant to job applications.
Most common & preferred CV format. Mainly highlights career history.

Includes a summary of major achievements towards the beginning of the CV.
Shows career highlights, continuity, progression & track record over a period of time.
It can be used if your application is directly relevant to previous experiences.
You can also use it to focus on a particular time with a major employer.

Useful for targeting more technical or specialised roles like IT & engineering, etc.
Relevant for those seeking a change in career direction or have had a varied career history.
Can conceal employment gaps for those with inconsistent employment records.
Groups together competencies, key strengths, skills & abilities.
Aggregating experience across a number of previous roles.

Targeting a specific job role or career by empathising relevant skills, qualities & capabilities.
Can be used when applying for specialised roles or changing career priorities / directions.
Aggregating experience across a number of previous roles.

Opportunities to show skills & qualities through visual representation techniques.
For creative professions - graphic designers, writing, public relations, IT professionals,
fashion, advertising, music industry, copywriting, photography, etc.
May include portfolios or an email presentation, etc.

NB: Winning CV does not offer a creative service.   

                                            
                

Beat the competition! - Make sure your CV stands out from the crowd & win an interview!