Types of Curriculum Vitae: which CV model suits me?

There are different types of Curriculum Vitae that will help us to demonstrate the strengths we have: our experience, our academic level, the languages ​​we speak, and so on. When we are looking for work, the CV will be ours presentation letter, that is, our ad so that the company we want to work for is interested in our profile.

So it is not a waste of time to focus our efforts on making the CV impeccable.

The different types of resume

In each of the types of curriculum, the same informationcan be arranged in very different ways. Depending on the structure, we will give more importance to some aspects and not to others, and we can benefit from the different types of curriculum to show what interests us the most.

In our article “10 tips to improve your CV”We already gave information on how to develop a successful curriculum vitae. Next, we present the different types of curriculum that, depending on the way the information is organized, you can use when preparing your CV.

4 CV classes: how do I know which one should I use?

Let's start with the first CV (and also the most commonly used): the Chronological CV.

1. Chronological curriculum

This type of curriculum is the most traditional and used, since it highlights the professional career in an organized way. It is used to emphasize that progress has been made in a given field and shows the order that has been followed throughout the professional and educational trajectory. Therefore, the information is organized starting from the oldest achievements and working up to the most recent ones. Unlike the other types of resumes, highlights stability and the upward evolution of the career, and highlights the promotion, the increase in tasks or the ascents in the professional ladder.

Strengths of the chronological CV

The chronological resume should be used in the following situations:

• If progress has been made in a field of employment in a logical order and they are looking for promotion or an improvement in working conditions.
• If you have had a stable professional career, without long stops that make the recruiter question the motivation for the position.
• If you have had few jobs, but one wide experience in that field.
• If you do not want to change the line of work.
• If you do not have more achievements than having worked in a highly prestigious company.

Disadvantages of the chronological CV

On the other hand, this resume also has its drawbacks:

• Highlight job changes as well as lack of promotions or changes in responsibility.
• Shows the periods of inactivity.
• It can show the lack of recycling or the lack of training update.

This type of resume highlight skills, and it is useful if one has had different experiences in fields that show important competencies. Therefore, unlike the chronological CV, it does not present the time of permanence in the company, but the variety of functions that have been performed.

In this kind of CV, three to six functional areas are indicated in which work has been done. For example, if a person applies for a receptionist position at a hotel, the different functional titles on his resume may be: tour guide, customer service (having worked in a customer service office in a shopping center) and teacher of Languages. This informs the recruiter that he may be a good candidate for the position: he speaks languages, has worked in the public eye and has worked in the tourism environment.

Strengths of the functional CV

The functional resume should be used in the following situations:

• If you want to put emphasis on skills necessary to carry out a specific job and there is no experience in that sector.
• If a person has been freelance and she wants to go back to work for someone.
• If you want camouflage blank periods or inactivity.
• If you want to suppress dates and show adaptability to jobs before stability.
• If you are looking for the first job or if you have a short work experience.
• If one thinks that the age it can be a barrier.

Disadvantages of functional CV

The disadvantages of this curriculum format are:

• It is not the usual presentation format, so recruiters they can perceive that information is being hidden.
• It does not give importance to the period of time that has been in each position or to the name of the company.

3. Mixed curriculum (or combined)

The mixed curriculum or combined is a mixture of the two types of curriculum above. It usually begins with a functional description of the competencies or abilities, followed by a chronological order of the individual's trajectory. Therefore, format combines the strengths of the two types of CV above.

Strengths of the mixed CV

The blended resume should be used when desired highlight experience and skills presented by the candidate based on the position for which he is applying. In addition, this CV model is not perceived negatively by some recruiters, as it shows periods of inactivity.

Disadvantages of mixed CV

Like the other types of CV, mixed CV also presents drawbacks:

• Needed a different resume for each position you apply for.
• Not suitable for filing when asking for standard forms.
• By adding the chronological order, the moments of inactivity will also be shown.

In addition to these types of resumes based on the organization of information, the resume can be presented, for example, with an artistic touch (if applied for a work related to art) or more formal (if applied for a work in a office). Today, even use is made of the video resume instead of the paper format.

4. The video curriculum

The video resume shows the candidate in a recording that it is not recommended that it be longer than one minute (It is not advisable that it lasts more than two minutes). This format is ideal for displaying communication skills or active personality and dynamic, and opens communication channels such as visual, which are not present in the written format. In addition, the video resume can incorporate creative elements, such as completed projects, photographs, etc.

It also allows you to demonstrate professional skills, such as mastery of languages ​​or some talent, or good appearance or image. The video curriculum is an original way to present the application, although not all companies allow this format. Even so, it is widely accepted in the audiovisual world or marketing.