The CV Book, 2nd Edition

Chapter 4

Structure: which type of CV is right for you?

In the previous couple of chapters I have covered general principles which could apply to almost anybody setting out to write a CV. Now we need to make a decision as to what specific structure of CV you should use – and there’s not one, single correct way to do this. Readers of this book will range from school leavers right the way up to senior executives, and the way you structure your CV will depend very much on your own personal circumstances.

First of all, let’s define what are generally seen as the two main types of CV structure that you can use.

Chronological and functional CVs

The two main CV types are: chronological (or reverse chronological, to be precise) and functional.