The Chronological CV is the CV as we know it classically. It lists professional experiences one by one, organized according to a date-based classification.

This ranking can present each experience from the most recent, or the oldest, as per the creator's choice.

It is a great asset for some profiles and can do a disservice to others.

Should you opt for the chronological CV? How do you write and organize it? Our thoughts on the Chronological CV.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the chronological CV?

The chronological Curriculum Vitae is one style of CV among others, there is also the combined CVs, and the post-oriented CVs. Also, your choice of CV must depend on your career and the assets that you want to highlight.

What are the advantages of the chronological CV?

The chronological CV serves the profiles that have evolved in the same type of position, in that they show a progression in time: gain of responsibility, evolution in rank, and performance achieved as the years go by. Thus, if you have always evolved in the same trade and obtained promotions and results from year to year, this type of CV is for you.

If you have not evolved within the same type of position, but have accumulated experiences relating to each other that show a real willingness to evolve over time, this CV will also serve your application well.

The purpose of a chronological CV is to demonstrate that there is a common thread in your career evolution and that you are always progressing. It is easier for recruiters to study since it reveals a real common thread throughout your career.

What are the disadvantages of the chronological CV?

However, this type of CV has, on the contrary, some disadvantages for certain profiles.

If you have 'holes' in your career, and have spent one or more years without professional activity, then this type of CV will be a disservice to your cause, since the recruiter will wonder what you have done during this time, and they will highlight this gap. If this is your case, opt for the post-oriented CV.

If you have a 'non-linear' career, you have had professional experience in various fields with no apparent link, and because of this, you have not necessarily achieved much over the years in terms of responsibilities or objectives, then the chronological CV may also be a disservice to you, as it may show ambivalence in your profile, and professional instability.

In this case, also opt for the post-oriented CV or for the combined CV.

How do you write a chronological CV?

• the 'Objective' section: briefly introduces you and defines the challenges in the position for which you are applying. It must show that you know what the job is all about and that this project fits concretely into your field of expertise and your professional career. Do not hesitate to consult our page dedicated to this section « Objective ».


• the 'Education and Training' section lists your academic and educational training courses one by one. It must be comprehensive, to reflect your theoretical knowledge and your ability to analyze and synthesize. If you have completed a professional training course, this section should show that you have the necessary foundation for the accomplishment of your work, and also show that you have some additional value in the labour market through your qualifications. Do not hesitate to consult our page dedicated to this section « Education and Training ».


• the 'Skills' section: must list a summary, one by one, of each of your strongest skills for the job. It must communicate the qualities due to your soft skills(empathy, conflict resolution, smile, etc...), and the qualities due to your hard skills(software management, writing skills, etc...). Do not hesitate to consult our page dedicated to this section « Skills ».

• the 'Professional experience' section: must list in chronological order(from the oldest to the most recent), or in reverse chronological order(from the most recent to the oldest), each of your professional experiences. You need to fill in the names of your positions, the main objectives of each of them, the dates you held them, and the companies you worked for. You can also add your references in this section, or create a small discreet insert in a corner of your CV(bottom left or right) to note the people to contact your recruiter. Do not hesitate to consult our page dedicated to this section « Professional experience ».