Increasingly organisations are using computerised methods to process CVs so you may find that your paper CV is converted to an electronic version by scanning or you may be asked to submit an electronic version by e-mail or via an organisation’s web based system. For organisations handling a large number of CVs - large corporations or recruitment companies - electronic systems offer a huge cost and time saving. CV management systems can scan 30,000 CVs in as little as 6 seconds!

Many people think that with the advancement of scanning, CV management systems, and keyword searching on the Internet that you must develop a different CV from the one you have prepared to send to contacts via traditional methods. This is not true! You are not creating a different CV, you are merely altering the presentation format for the Internet.

Sometimes it seems like the hardest part of writing a CV is collecting the information in the first place - what’s needed and how much? Here’s a start with the main headings and a brief description of the level of detail needed…

Personal Data

Include name, address. E-mail and, if appropriate, home, office and mobile telephone numbers on the front page.

Profile or Summary

Only include one if you are sure it adds to your CV.

Dates of Employment

Normally the year is enough, for less experienced individuals, it may be appropriate to include the month. Any gaps in employment need to be explained, otherwise recruiters and even CV scanning systems will assume the worst.

Job Titles

State title and clarify ambiguities.

Career History

Try to substantiate your work experience with specific achievements and benefits. Highlight your strengths through carefully chosen examples.

Click the link below to download a Free CV Template in the Chronological CV format (Microsoft Word Format).

MS Word Chronological CV Template

Remember also to review our Overview of the Chronological CV to help you fully understand when you should be using this type of CV.

YOUR NAME
Home address including postcode
Telephone number: with STD (area) dialling code
(Work number, mobile number, e-mail address (if appropriate))

SUMMARY
A two to three line statement that describes your experience and your major skills and / or achievements. If you wish to continue working in the same field as you have worked in then mention the industry and professional sector.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Name of present/last Company - Job Title - Date in years
A brief description of the company, what they do any your role within the organisation. Only include your job title if it would mean the same to a new employer as it did to your current/previous one.

This is often the most widely used format of CV and is classed by some as being a more traditional and widely used approach to CV writing.

It places an emphasis on your employment history, where you worked and for how long. Your job titles, accomplishmetns and the results that you attained whilst being in this position.

Your jobs are listed in reverse chronological order so make sure you put your most recent job first.

Use the chronological style of CV when:

You are looking for work in the same type of field as you are currently working in.

You are transferring your current skills and experiece to the same or similar industry.

Your work history identifies significant career growth with increasing responsibility.

Click the link below to download a Free CV Template in the functional CV format

Functional CV Template

YOUR NAME
Home address including postcode
Telephone number: with STD (area) dialing code
(Work number, mobile number, e-mail address (if appropriate))

SUMMARY
Describe yourself in terms of your work strengths and experience in a two to three line statement Make sure with this statement you are emphasising words which will capture attention and allow the reader to envisage you in terms of their own requirements.

MAJOR STRENGTHS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Skills Area
Choose four or file key skill areas in which you achieved a great deal. Under the heading for each skill detail your achievements, emphasise the contribution you made to resolving a problem or creating a new business opportunity.

Quote examples
Figures to illustrate success should be used and written in numbers and percentages (e.g.. 10% 1,2,3,4). Figures in words are more difficult to read when buried in text and take up valuable space.

This type of CV is designed to emphasise your main skills, competencies or expertise that you may have in a specific area (e.g. IT, Finance, Project Management) rather than concentrating on employers and dates. In a lot of cases it would be used to demonstrate your expertise in a particular skill, functional area or field of business.

Functional CVs are a lot more adaptable to certain circumstances, such as a lack of specific experience in a particular field, or gaps in between job changes which you may find difficult to explain. You need to be aware however that because of these reasons functional CVs are often viewed with suspicion by many recruitment personnel because they often appear to hind some information which often has the effect of making them difficult to follow.

Sometimes, when you are writing your CV, your covering letter or accomplishment statements you might find yourself having difficulty with descriptive words and at the end of the day there are only so many times you can say ’successfully achieved’, here are a few more words to fill the gaps… (more…)

Some companies will research anything these days!

Recent research has been done in relation to the things people post on their CV and as a direct result employers are being warned to be on their guard as most people actually lie when they apply for jobs (Now theres a surprise he says sarcastically!)

The research shows two-thirds of more than 3,000 CVs submitted by applicants contained inaccuracies.

They ranged from gaps in employment to outright lies about qualifications and fraud committed against past bosses.

Women in their early 30s were the worst offenders with 77% of CVs showing discrepancies, while men in their early 20s were the most honest group.

However, on even the “most honest” CVs, half of those checked had mistakes.

High-profile cases

Corporate investigations agency The Risk Advisory Group said the problem is worsening, with 2003 figures up 16% on the previous year.