What is the difference between CV and Resume?

CVs or Curriculum Vitae are usually used to apply for academic positions, grants, fellowships, and jobs mainly in European Union and the United Kingdom. Resumes are prepared as per the requirement of each job and are most often used to apply for jobs in the U.S. Resume is typically a short document detailing relevant experience and skills for a specific job, on the other hand, a CV is a longer document that provides a comprehensive overview. Thus a CV is a very in-depth document that describes one’s career journey step-by-step, including personal information as well. It is a comprehensive description of everything done and achieved. CV needs upgradation every time one accomplishes something on academic or professional front. Curriculum Vitae can extend from two to eight pages.

Key Differences between CV and Resume

• Regarding Academic and Professional Experience:
  Resumes just mention professional experience in elaborative manner and according to the requirements of the job application. It could be utilized to apply for jobs in both public and private sector. Curriculum vitae highlights academic as well as work history for both academic or research positions. CV is usually sent to apply for higher education, research or teaching jobs.
  
• Length of the document:
  Length is a major difference between a resume and a CV, as a CV is typically much longer than a resume. CV could also include publications, grants, research, awards and teaching experience. Resume is limited to one to two pages long and mainly includes skills, experiences only.
  
• Geographical Significance:
  In India, South Africa, Australia, resume and curriculum vitae are often interchangeable and could be utilized in each other’s place as far as they serve the purpose. In U.S. these two are different styles of document for different job application scenarios. In UK, New Zealand and parts of Europe, an employer may refer to both resume and CV as separate documents at the same time.
  

What is a resume?

This term originates from the French word resume, which means “abstract”, or “summary”. A brief, straight to the point document, that is created for applying to the specific job is a resume. It could be extended up to maximum of two pages. A resume doesn’t require an image of applicant unless specifically requested. Work-experience should be listed in reverse-chronological order, beginning with the recent position. In terms of resume, experience is meant more important than the qualifications. Although other than professional experiences, educational track is certainly mentioned as well as professional associations, volunteer work, relevant internships, apprenticeships, personal passion projects. Resume could be considered as a tool for marketing oneself. For a good resume, everything should be organized, experience should be enlisted in such a way that an employer can easily see how they can help their company. The resume is mainly accompanied by the submission of a cover letter that states intent for applying to the job. It builds upon the skills and experience touched upon in the resume, describing how will they assist in excelling at the job.

Format of a resume: Resume has three basic formats according to job requirements

• Chronological- It is ideal for applicants with at least one year of consistent work experience.
  
• Functional- This format is useful for candidates who have lengthy career and diverse work experience with some gaps within.
  
• Combination- These formats could be combined to enlist more than 10 years of experience, where candidates could showcase their skills and job history.

Points to be included in the resume:

• Full Name
  
• Job title, name of the position
  
• Contact Information
  
• Objective
  
• Work experience
  
• Education
  
• Relevant skills
  
• Languages and proficiency
  
• Accomplishments and interests

What is a CV or Curriculum Vitae?

CV is an abbreviation for the Latin word Curriculum Vitae meaning “course of life”. It is a comprehensive document listing one’s academic and professional qualifications, experiences and accomplishments. It is used when applying for internships, academic programs or jobs in European Union. CVs are mostly written in chronological order, starting from after the school completes. CVs usually don’t have any pdf upload limit and so, the more the accomplishments or experiences, the more pages could be added to it. Recruiters can better understand one’s job history and skill development in a descriptive kind of CV. As there are no length restrictions for CV, it could range from three to ten pages or more if required. An engaging CV is important to assist prospective employers as CV is a bit like an autobiography to tell one’s story in an interesting, and relevant manner.

Format of CV or Curriculum Vitae:

A CV doesn’t adhere to any particular format as its layout depends on applicant’s work history and past experiences. There could be a legal CV that will highlight a candidate’s skills attained at law firms and on the other hand a Scientific CV will focus more on one’s research and published work. CV needs to be comprehensively updated when any new skill or target is achieved.

Points to be included in a CV or Curriculum vitae:

• Full Name
  
• Contact Information
  
• Title and Objective
  
• Research interests
  
• Education
  
• Publications
  
• Teaching experience
  
• Work experience
  
• Conferences and courses
  
• Skills
  
• Certificates
  
• Languages
  
• Grants of fellowships
  
• References

Conclusion
To sum up it all, a CV is more in-depth and lengthy as compared to resume because it gives a more thorough summary of a candidate’s career. A resume is more of a “snapshot” of a candidate’s professional history and skills relevant to the potential employer. CVs are commonly used in UK, Australia, and New Zealand and are less common in U.S., unless a candidate is applying for medical, science, law or academic jobs.