The different jobs in various specialised areas means that no two applications are the same. Thus there are also differences in the different types of curricula vitae and the corresponding cover letters.

A CV for a position in banking, for example, looks very different than the same document for a job where you have to be creative. 

Another increasingly popular variant is the digital CV, where your specialities, skills and work experiences are processed online into a single whole. Below you will find more information about this online variant: it might be useful for you.

What is an online CV?

For many years paper CV´s were the way to present your skills and other characteristics to a potential new employer. Slowly but surely this is changing, however. A lot of important communication now takes place digitally: why should this be any different with the curriculum vitae? That’s why some applicants are switching over to a digital CV: a contemporary variant that is definitely appreciated by certain employers.

What kinds of online CV´s are there?

If you are planning to develop an online CV, you should know that several forms exist. In any case, we distinguish between the following variants:

  • The digital CV on a specific website
    Some organisations or bodies have the means with which you can easily upload your CV via a platform specially set up for this purpose. Moreover, other possibilities are also often present, such as making a link to your LinkedIn profile and uploading various photos. In this way you develop an online document that the recruiter can access at any time.
  • The digital CV as profile on a website
    In some cases - on this very website, for example - customers get the possibility to develop not a CV but a secure profile containing all the information necessary for an employer. Here you can think of a Facebook-like environment in which you answer a number of questions about yourself.
  • The digital CV on your own website
    This somewhat more advanced option is also called a "digital portfolio". Here you develop your own website on which the potential employer can find all the information that he or she needs.
  • The digital CV in .pdf format
    When you send a digital CV by e-mail, this is often done in .pdf format. Another common extension is .doc, indicating a Microsoft Word document.

What are the parts of an online CV?

A digital CV contains the same information as a regular version. The difference is that here they are subdivided over different pages or page sections. These four parts thus also appear in the digital version:

  • Personal details
  • Education
  • Work experiences
  • Skills

The advantages of an online CV

As mentioned, more and more people are switching over to creating a digital CV. There are several reasons for this. One is that your curriculum vitae isn’t available to just a single other person: instead, any potentially interested party can take a look at your information as well. In addition, it often makes a big impression when you run your own well-maintained website with your qualities on it. A digital version also offers a number of practical advantages: you don´t have to send a CV by post, and the employer can look at the document from any location, whenever he wants.


Learn from Robert Half’s expert recruiters so you can build a talented team of employees or advance your career. Operating in over 300 locations worldwide, with 12 recruiting offices in Belgium and Luxembourg, including our recruitment agency in Diegem, Robert Half can provide you with assistance including Executive Search, where and when you need it.