What to include in
your CV*
Functional and Targeted CVs share common
elements and common differences. Both highlight your skills,
competencies and expertise, rather than providing a chronological
overview of your work history. The Functional CV covers your entire
career and spans two pages, whereas the Targeted CV shines a
spotlight on certain areas of your career history, and is usually
one page long.
To help illustrate what needs to be included in each, this article
refers to the following online examples:
Profile
Both types of CV start with a Profile. In the case of the Functional
CV, this refers to Christine's background, highlighting specific
skills and achievements, and mentioning her personal qualities. As
you can see, it doesn't refer to a specific industry, as her skills
are transferable. The Targeted CV profile for Christopher Jones does
mention an industrial sector, that of the food industry.
Skills, competencies and expertise (i.e., Functions)
This is where these two CVs are significantly different. The
Functional CV presents your range of abilities in a generalised
fashion, grouped beneath subheadings, starting with the most
important. The functions are presented as bullet points. As you can
see from our example, Christine Jones's functions are all key areas
of her work as a Personnel Officer. Although certain achievements
appear - e.g., "Producing a comprehensive human resources plan for
the company's expansion over the next five years" - they are
presented as abilities that can be carried forward to her next job,
rather than as aspects of experience in a particular job.
In the Targeted CV of Christopher Jones, his specific skills and
competencies are grouped under first Abilities and then
Achievements. In the Abilities section, the functions mentioned are
more specific and reference is made to the industrial sector (food
manufacturing). These are all functions that can be transferred
directly to a new job in the same sector. Under Achievements, clear
evidence of his effectiveness in past roles is highlighted. This is
the only section in which the past tense is used - e.g., "Increased
the acceptance level of finished goods from 97% to 99%…". The
message to the employer is, of course, that Christopher could
achieve similar results for their organisation.
Note that in both CVs, previous employers are not mentioned by name.
This means that voluntary and unpaid work can be included, with
functions presented in just the same fashion. You can also include
skills that you are developing - e.g., if you've had training in an
area, you can include activities you performed whilst on the course.
Experience
This section is brief. Both CVs include a list of employers and
employment dates, with no other information. Inclusive dates are
provided for the period spent with a certain employer, and also for
the period spent in particular roles during that time. This way,
promotion becomes visible.
Other information
Academic and professional qualifications are included under a
Qualifications heading, without further detail. This is where the
Targeted CV concludes. The Functional CV also includes brief
outlines of Christine Jones's Personal Details and Interests.
And finally
To close: you can modify either CV for different employers, altering
your Profile and the order in which you present the functional list
for various vacancies. Do remember, though, that if you omit certain
jobs from your employment history, the person reading your CV may
become suspicious.
|
|
Click here to |
|
|
 |
|
Click here to
|
|
 |
