Functional / Chronological

We often refer to ‘functional CVs’ or ‘chronological CVs’ and many people ask what these mean.

Chronological, in the dictionary, is defined as, ‘arranged in the order in which events happened; according to date’. This is the case for a chronological CV – detailing your employment and academic experiences in the order they happened – starting with the most recent.

Functional, in the dictionary, is defined as ‘designed for or adapted to a function or use’. Functional CVs tend to be used when someone has gaps in employment and / or wants to target a career change. Using a functional CV, allows the candidate to focus purely on relevant details rather than including irrelevant details to keep the CV chornological.