Do You Need More Than One Style of CV?

Is one CV enough for an entire career, or do you need different styles for different situations? Short answer, you probably need more than one.

I’ve spent fifteen years at CV & Interview Advisors. My day job is talking thousands of times a year with candidates, their competitors, recruiters, hiring managers, HR and anyone involved in talent decisions. What follows works globally, proven across more than seventy countries, with minor tweaking as needed.

The chronological CV, and why it still wins

If you are going for permanent roles, fixed term contracts, inside IR35 contracts, or internal applications, the traditional chronological CV is your friend. It is typically three pages, sometimes four, because modern filtering systems like content. Cramming ten years or more into one or two pages means missing important information.

In this style, your career history sits lower on page one than most people place it. The first half of page one is reserved for the sections that actually win interviews:

• A tailored profile or summary.

• A tailored key skills section.

• Three career highlights, written as evidence.

Get those right and you make the long list, if not the short list. Lead with your most recent job instead and you risk instant irrelevance.

Make it modular, not painful

Tailoring is only hard if the CV is badly structured. Build a master, modular CV with more content than you need, then lift and shift the right modules each time. Start by identifying the overarching reason the job exists and the top three requirements. Use the hiring organisation’s terminology, not yours, and reverse engineer their language into your document.

Claims are not evidence. Use features and benefits, FAB. It is fine to state a skill, but always link it to the benefit that accrues. That is how you win interviews.

Case study CV for contractors, consultants and interims

If you are running a business and selling your services, say so. Mention the business, your status, and write as a business, not a job seeker. For freelancers, consultants, interims and those operating outside IR35, a different style works brilliantly, a case study CV.

Keep the tailored positioning text and key skills, then fill the document with evidence. Provide multiple case studies, eight in total, that prove delivery in the precise areas the client needs. Think of it as a proof of delivery CV.

The two-page exception

If a role mandates a two-page CV, adhere to it. It is rare, but it happens. You can produce an effective two-pager, although it needs careful editing. Keep the tailored intro and evidence, just be ruthless.

Non-Executive Director paths

If you already have NED experience and want more, surface that NED experience immediately after your positioning. Put it first. If you are breaking into your first NED role, use the chronological style but position cleverly. Non-execs provide oversight, not sleeves-rolled-up delivery, so draw on experiences that show advisory capability. School governor experience is a common denominator and belongs later in the document.

The one-page networking or exec bio

For senior networking and speculative outreach, a one-page exec bio is a game changer. It is less assumptive than a full CV and perfect when you do not know if there is a vacancy. Include an introductory summary, a brief career narrative and timeline, and crucially, evidence. If you know an organisation’s current challenges, use your highlights to hook interest. It is a numbers game, so expect to send many.

The five jobs of your introductory text

Every version above uses an intro that does five things quickly:

1. Clearly state what you are in terms your audience cares about.

2. Explain why you exist professionally.

3. Hint at strengths that are directly relevant to the target role.

4. Link features to benefits, FAB.

5. Focus on technical and functional skills, not soft behavioural traits.

For example, if targeting security officer roles, say so precisely, then connect protection capabilities to business continuity and peace of mind. Align strengths to the role specification, not random preferences.

Key skills and hard evidence on page one

Follow the intro with a table of 12 to 18 relevant skills in the employer’s language. Then add evidence, the career highlights or notable assignments. Use narrative marketing because stories land. Humans are wired for it and it drives trust and decision making. Build each case study using STAR, situation, task, actions, result, and keep them aligned to the job’s key requirements. We have put page-one case studies on CVs for years and they are genuinely game changing.

How to know your CV is broken

Apply to ten roles you can perform. If you get zero interviews and zero feedback, your CV is the problem. Fix it yourself or get professional help.

ATS basics that move the needle

You cannot guarantee passage through every system, but you can improve your odds:

• Put the target job title after your name, so humans and machines recognise fit.

• Use obvious section headings that signpost content.

• Send a Word document. PDF is second best.

• Be consistent with dates and formatting.

• Match key skills to the advertisement or specification.

• Include short recommendations as testimonial evidence, ideally already on LinkedIn.

• Add a geographic reference so systems can do the distance maths.

LinkedIn is your online, visual CV

Change the banner to reflect your capabilities. Use a professional head and shoulders photo with a neutral background and complementary colours. Do not waste the headline on job title and employer. Make it a compelling benefit-led message. The About section is not a copy and paste of your tailored CV intro. You only get one LinkedIn profile, so cover your range of capabilities. We use a Who-Sees formula to structure it, and there should be a decent amount of text.

The final word

It is not just having a CV, it is the way you construct it that matters. Get the content engineered properly, pick the right style for the job, and you will get more interviews. I cannot give a 100% guarantee, but change your CV and you will almost certainly improve your results. More interviews lead to more offers, which leads to better choice.

FAQ

Which style should I use?
Chronological for permanent roles, fixed term contracts, inside IR35 and internal moves. Case study style for freelancers, consultants, interims and those operating outside IR35. A one-page exec bio for networking and speculative approaches.

How long should my CV be?
Typically three pages, sometimes four. Two pages only if the application requires it, which is rare. Modern systems like content, so do not starve it.

What should sit at the top of page one?
A tailored profile, tailored key skills, and three tailored career highlights. Push the career history further down page one.

How do I tailor quickly without rewriting everything?
Maintain a master, modular CV. Lift and shift pre-prepared modules that match the role’s overarching purpose and top three requirements. Use the employer’s terminology.

How do I improve ATS success?
Use the target title after your name, obvious headings, Word format, consistent dates, matched key skills, short recommendations and a geographic reference.