Chronological CV: Format, Templates & Examples

The chronological CV is the most common type of CV used by job seekers. It includes standard CV headings and a traditional structure and presents your employment history and qualifications in reverse chronological order, so employers can evaluate your most recent and relevant experience. But how do you create a chronological CV?

Chronological CV format

A chronological CV is a traditional CV structure that presents your work experience and education in reverse-chronological order. This means it starts with your current, or most recent experience, and works back from there. By adopting this order, you present your most recent and relevant experiences first, to help the reader more easily assess your skills and suitability for the role. This CV format is also sometimes called a 'reverse-chronological CV'.

Using a Chronological CV format means including each of the standard CV sections in a traditional order and layout. This CV style gives the most prominence to work experience. For most roles requiring experience, this tends to be the information employers are most interested in.

The key sections of a chronological CV, and their order, are as follows:

This CV order is ideal if you have built up some work experience and want to present your skills and achievements in the context of your career to date. Following this CV presentation also helps to keep your application simple, straightforward and easy to read for employers.

Chronological CV templates

Using a chronological CV template to create your CV can be useful, as it helps you include all the relevant information in a clear structure and a professional layout. A pre-designed template can also take the pressure off you to design a visually appealing CV, doing the hard work for you so you can concentrate on nailing the content.

Take a look at the templates offered by Jobseeker below. Each template offers a different visual style, to suit the type of role you're applying for, while the CV builder also allows you to customise each CV design to suit your personal style and preferences.

When to use a chronological CV

If you've been working for some time, and you have experience that's relevant to the role you're applying for, a chronological CV is usually the best option for your job application. Research from Jobseeker suggests 44% of HR professionals prefer chronological CVs to other CV structures. However, if you're unsure whether to use a chronological CV, or whether it's better to opt for a different format, such as a functional CV or a hybrid CV, follow this simple advice:

Students/graduates

If you're a student or a graduate looking for entry-level positions, these are the factors to consider:

• When applying for roles with a particular emphasis on your qualifications (where there is a minimal eligibility requirement, or you need a certain professional qualification/certification), use a chronological CV.
• When applying for roles with minimal, or general, educational requirements, consider using a functional CV to place greater emphasis on your skills.

Experienced professionals

Once you've built up some relevant work experience in your chosen field or industry, this is the best advice for your CV format:

• If you've worked extensively in the field you're applying to, or in similar roles for the majority of your career, use a chronological CV to showcase your suitability.
• When you've had roles in various jobs or industry sectors, a hybrid CV can be valuable as it helps you show relevant experience, while still providing the opportunity to showcase transferable skills and achievements.

Senior/executive candidates

If you have extensive industry experience or you're applying for a managerial or leadership position, this is the best approach for your CV:

• A chronological CV is ideal, because it focuses on your work experience and gives you the chance to emphasise your expertise, industry knowledge and the impact you've had in previous roles.
• Alternatively, an academic-style CV can be useful for senior positions. This is based on the chronological CV format, but includes a more comprehensive career timeline and adds extensive optional sections, including publications, professional memberships, awards, teaching experience, conference appearances and other sections that might be useful for executive roles.

Career changers

Changing careers can raise some tricky questions about how to present your previous experience. a chronological CV may not always be the best approach, as it can draw attention to your lack of relevant work experience. Follow this advice when creating your CV:

• A functional CV (also called 'skills-based') can be more effective than a chronological CV. This layout gives priority to your skills and qualifications, and gives you a better chance to show employers that you have the necessary skills, and you've applied them to positive effect in your career to date.
• Alternatively, a hybrid CV can be effective for career changers with extensive experience in other fields. This gives you the chance to show you're an experienced professional with transferable skills that you can apply in the role or industry you're applying to.

Employment gaps

If you have gaps in your career timeline, or you're not currently employed and are looking to return to the workforce, consider the following when deciding how to approach your CV:

• If you want to emphasise your skills, so your career gaps don't show prominently on your CV, a functional CV layout is ideal.
• Employers won't want you to hide information, lie or mislead with your CV. As such, you may prefer to stick with a chronological CV and offer a brief explanation of your career gaps, either in your CV summary, between your work experience entries, or in your cover letter.

How to write a chronological CV step-by-step

A chronological CV is typically between one and two pages long in the UK, depending on your experience levels. Aim to make your CV as concise and impactful as possible, to make a strong first impression. Follow this guide to give yourself the best chance of progressing to the interview stage:

Step 1: Create a header

Your CV header contains all your relevant contact information. It's also one of the elements that can help establish the design and visual identify of your application. As such, you can use the header to add colour and other design elements that could help your application stand out.

Step 2: Add your contact details

In your CV header, add the following details:

• Full name (first name and last name)
• Email address
• Phone number
• Location (there's no need to add our full address)

If you have a LinkedIn profile, consider adding this as well, though only do so if you keep it up-to-date. Avoid adding a photo or other personal details, such as your age, gender, nationality or marital status, as including them can leave you to open to hiring bias, and these characteristics are protected under UK anti-discrimination law.

Another thing you may wish to add to your CV header is a CV title or headline. Either can help your CV to pass the ATS stage and give the reader an immediate impression of your strengths and suitability.

Step 3: Write a concise personal statement

Your personal statement, sometimes called a 'personal profile', 'CV summary' or 'CV objective' is an introductory paragraph that showcases your experience and several key skills, to hook the reader and encourage them to read your CV in more detail. Aim for a length of two or three sentences and include the following:

• An impactful opening sentence that introduces a key personal quality, and references your experience level.
• A brief summary of your key skills and achievements. Aim to include one or two of your key skills and support them with evidence of a key career achievement.
• A concise explanation of your career objectives, or reasons for applying for this role.

Here's an example:

Step 4: Present your work experience in reverse chronological order

The work experience is the most important, and usually the largest, section of a chronological CV. In it, you present all your most relevant and impactful work experience in reverse-chronological order, relating each previous role to the job you're applying for. Start with your current or most recent relevant role and work backwards from there, listing:

• Job title
• Employer/organisation
• Location
• Dates of employment

For each entry, add several bullet points to show the skills you used in the role, and your key achievements. Make sure each bullet points relates to the position, using keywords that match the job description, action verbs that show the impact you had and evidence of the value you added for the organisation. In a chronological CV, mention your most impactful details and impressive achievements in your most recent roles, to show the employer your career progression.

Step 5: Add education (reverse chronological)

After your work experience, list your highest, most relevant qualifications. List these in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent. If you have any certifications or licences that are critical for the job, you may also wish to include these in this section (otherwise you can add these in a separate certifications section).

For each entry, include:

• Course name/degree title
• Institution
• Location (if necessary)
• Graduation date

If your qualifications are particularly critical for the role or if you don't have much work experience, you can add bullet points under each entry in this section. These could show the skills you learned, or the specialist subjects you studied. Mentioning modules, dissertation titles or awards can all help you make a positive impression.

Step 6: Include a focused skills section

The ‘Skills’ section of your CV lets recruiters quickly determine whether you have the qualities and abilities required for the role. List some of your strongest skills as bullet points and add sub-bullet points of examples to demonstrate how you acquired or developed those skills. Ensure the skills you mention match the skills listed in the job description.

Step 7: Add optional sections

After including all the core sections of a CV mentioned above, you can choose to add optional sections, if these help you showcase skills and experience required for the role. If you can show the necessary skills for the job through your work experience and education, then it might not be necessary to add these sections. Some of the sections you can include are:

• Certifications/licences/training
• Languages
• Volunteering
• Hobbies and interests

For more experienced and senior candidates, optional sections can provide extra evidence of your credentials and expertise in your chosen field, such as:

• Projects/achievements
• Publications
• Awards
• Professional memberships

Example of a chronological CV

Below you can see a chronological CV example, created using the guidance above. Use it as a guide for how to structure your own chronological CV.

Key takeaways for a perfect chronological CV

To make the best impression with your chronological CV, follow these key tips:

Creating your chronological CV with Jobseeker's online CV builder, with its CV and cover letter templates, can help you ensure you include all the necessary information and present it in a professional, eye-catching and easy-to-read format. Use Jobseeker's CV tools and resources to learn everything you need to make a success of your next job application. Sign up today to get started.