Previously I have been talking about the more chronological CV split into Education and Work History – the more traditional CV that we use for most Job Applications.
Today I wish to have a closer look at the Hybrid/Skills-Based CV. A lot of people warn against this – but don’t dismiss it yet.
As HR need to know about your experience and grades as well, we can never get away with a completely Skill-Only CV (alarm bells start ringing if you haven’t noted any previous jobs or degree), but a good hybrid, brings together the best of both worlds, all the necessary information, but includes your good selling points – it focuses mainly on what skills you have to offer the employer.
Personally, I took on the style of listing my key “professional skills” as bullet points at the top of the page and then expanded further down the page under categories chosen to reflect the job such as time management, communication skills, team-working or whatever the job in question was asking for. Another excellent reason to keep a note of skills in a progress journal or career log, and note what similar jobs are asking for, (how do you demonstrate these skills?).
The skills are what set you apart from the crowd- these can come from jobs, life experience, volunteering…
The important thing is, don’t limit yourself.