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Job seeking as a mature graduate - live discussion 1-3pm today http://t.co/7XKPfE06 via @guardian

Posted on: 16/05/2012 11:05.
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Types of CV

There are a variety of CVs used in the UK today and whilst it’s true that you can have different formats of CV, you also need to think about the type of job you are applying for, the organisation’s culture, your experience and how you wish to “sell” yourself to the employer.

It is always better to produce a revised and focused CV for each application than have a standard CV template which might miss out specific information.   Just don’t forget which version you have sent to whom!

  • Chronological: structures and details education and work history in reverse date order.
  • Skills based: emphasises the skills you have developed throughout your employment, education, voluntary activities etc. In this type of CV, details about your employment and education are usually kept to a minimum with the focus on a skills section which details the transferable skills you have to offer, along with evidence to back these up.
  • Hybrid: recently there has been an increase in CVs which combine the above two styles i.e. they tend to have skills with evidence but rather than being listed in a separate section the information appears in several sections.
  • Academic: most commonly used in postgraduate applications for research based or lecturing positions.  This format places greater emphasis on the subjects you have studied, projects or dissertations undertaken and areas of academic interest and research.  Post-doctoral CVs also need to include a summary of research expertise together with a list of publications and conferences attended (if applicable).

For certain sectors there may also be differences in how you present your information to a prospective employer.  An example of this is for “creative” CVs which often require a more individual approach.

What style of CV you choose is up to you and may even be a combination of the types of CV outlined above.You can check out samples of various types of CV to give you inspiration!



Back to CV index