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By Winnie Ayero | 22 April 2022
Whether you realise it or not, your CV is a marketing tool; in fact, it is your primary career marketing tool. Contrary to what some people think, there are different kinds of CVs. There are at least four kinds of job CVs: chronological, functional, combination and creative. Academic CVs are in a category of their own, with content that varies quite a bit from regular job CVs. Let us see how these types of CVs differ from each other with samples. Please note that these are only samples for illustration and content, sections, length, etc may vary from one CV to another in practice.
Chronological CV
Chronological CV
Chronology refers to a sequence of events. A chronological CV emphasizes qualifications, job titles and dates starting with the most recent and going backwards in reverse chronological order. It is best suited to people whose education and experience are aligned to the position they are applying for. See a sample chronological CV below.
Functional CV
Also called a skills-based CV, a functional CV emphasizes the skills you have used rather than the jobs in which you have used them or when you used them. It is best suited to people who have changed jobs a lot (some people call them job-hoppers, I do not personally like the term because it sounds derogatory), have career gaps, are seeking a career transition or whose education and experience are not aligned to the position they are applying for. See a sample functional CV below.
Combination CV
A combination CV, also known as a hybrid CV, like the name suggests is a combination of two types of CVs: chronological and functional. It is great for showcasing skills as well as qualifications, job titles and organisations worked in concurrently. See a sample combination CV below.
Creative CV
Creative CVs are popular with people seeking jobs in creative fields like graphics design, marketing, and brand management among others. The appearance of a creative CV is usually a work of art, akin to an infographic, it is designed to showcase the applicant’s creative skills and may include graphs, charts, fancy fonts, images, etc. It is usually colourful. See a sample creative CV below.
Academic CV
Academic CVs like chronological CVs, are written in reverse chronological order but emphasize academic qualifications; research and teaching experience; publications; conferences and invited talks; and academic awards and honours. It is also generally acceptable for academic CVs to be longer than job CVs. It is not unusual for academic CVs to be over 5 pages long depending on a scholar's or academician's credentials and experience. See a sample 2-page academic CV below.
So there you have it, 5 types of CVs. Wondering why you should hire a CV writer rather than use a CV or resume builder website? I'll give you two very good reasons. There two kinds of CV building websites: free and paid.
If you take the trouble to read the terms and conditions of free resume builder websites, you will often find that your information gets shared with third parties, so your privacy is not guaranteed. If you are not paying for the product, you are the product. Remember that.
You get generic, cookie cutter type CVs. Both free and paid sites usually have a limited number of templates that do not give users much room for customization of content, sections, length or template design. So you will find you and 10,000 others or more have the exact same template with similar sections and content. So you end up blending into a sea of similar CVs rather than standout of the crowd.
Happy job searching to you if you are looking, we are rooting for you! If you need our support with CV and Cover Letter writing, LinkedIn profile optimization, interview coaching, bios, portfolios or training on any of these areas, do not hesitate to contact us, details below. Subscribe to our LinkedIn newsletter to receive weekly publications on career related topics, delivered directly to your email.
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This article is also published in the GFI Newsletter on LinkedIn
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