For almost everyone, the best format is reverse-chronological: your most recent job first, then working backwards. It is what recruiters expect and what applicant tracking systems read best.
Section order
- Name and contact details (phone, email, town or city, LinkedIn)
- Profile: three or four lines on who you are and what you want
- Experience, most recent first, with achievements
- Education and qualifications
- Skills, languages and licences
- References, or “available on request”
Functional and hybrid CVs
A functional CV groups skills instead of jobs. Recruiters often distrust it because it can hide gaps. A hybrid (a short skills summary, then reverse-chronological experience) works well for career changers.
Layout basics
- One clear font at 10–12 pt, with margins around 2 cm.
- Two pages for most people; one page for students and first jobs.
- Save and send as PDF unless the advert asks for Word.
Builder tip: Every Toolzeroo template uses reverse-chronological order and exports a text-based PDF that ATS software can read.
Avoid: photos of whole documents, tables built from text boxes, and fancy layouts that scramble when an ATS reads them.