Students often wonder: are CV (Curriculum Vitae) and resume the same or different? When should an applicant use CV, and when to submit a resume? The fundamental difference between a CV (Curriculum Vitae) and a Resume is the length. However, candidates use both to apply for jobs. Resume and CV are not the same.
Resumes are skill-based: these are self-marketing documents aimed to demonstrate the candidates’ skills, achievements and experience.
Read More: How to Design Your Resume?
On the other hand, candidates submit curriculum vitae for the posts in academia, scientific studies and medical research. CVs reflect complete credentials of the candidates; they provide a detailed, lengthy and comprehensive description of the candidate’s education, research experiences, certificates, group membership or any other affiliation.
What is a Curriculum Vitae?
A CV (Curriculum Vitae) is a document that contains your abilities and skills. Generally, CVs for the entry-level positions are longer as compared to resumes. The length of the CVs is typically 2-3 pages. Also, CVs that candidates submit for the mid-level positions can be more than 2-3 pages.
Curriculum Vitae carries extensive information regarding your academic history. It also includes your professional details such as teaching experience, diplomas, workshops you attended, publication, and other notable tasks that you have accomplished.
Read More: How Long Should a Resume Be?
In other words, CV is a complete package in which candidates include all the information. If you have conducted any research work, do not forget to mention this in your CV.
What is a CV Summary?
A curriculum vitae (CV) summary is a document of one to two pages. It is a condensed form of the Curriculum Vitae. The CV summary highlights the main points about one’s qualification and skills.
Some big organizations require candidates to submit a one-page summary because they receive a large number of applications.
What to Mention in the Curriculum Vitae?
In the Curriculum Vitae, you need to mention your name, contact details: address, phone numbers (mobile and landline), and email addresses. You must include your skills, complete academic history, professional experience, and your objective. Apart from the basics, you need to state about any licenses, memberships, awards, and achievements.
Candidates should include all the information in an organized form. First, make a complete list of your background information and then arrange that in sections.
What is a Resume?
The resume is the description of your education and work history in a summarized form. You may include your skills and achievements briefly in the document. A resume has some optional sections such as career summary statement and resumes objective.
Typically, companies commonly ask candidates to submit a resume for job applications. You need to keep resume concise; it’s better if you keep the length up to the one-page even though it can be longer than a page.
Mostly, resumes contain the list of bulleted points to represent concise information. There is no standardized format of the resume, but on a 1-2 page, you would highlight all the relevant details about yourself.
Resume and Curriculum Vitae Writing Suggestions
Whether you are drafting a Curriculum Vitae or the resume, you need to keep in mind a few rules. You want to prove to the recruiters that you qualify for the job. Additionally, you should describe how you could contribute to the organization if hired.
Both Resumes and the Curriculum Vitae should be expressive. Your interview chances largely depend upon how you present yourself in your CV or Resume.
Relate your CV or Resume to the job Positon
When you are to submit your resume or CV for a job, carefully read the job requirements. Highlight the points that are relevant to the job posting. Hiring managers prefer candidates whose experience and qualification closely match the job description they have advertised.
For example, if you are applying for a job in education, you would want to highlight your teaching experience at the top of your Curriculum Vitae.
In the resume, you may want to mention your work experience that is relevant to the post you are applying for. If you are submitting a resume, you would want to add the work experience only, which is related to the job.
It is worthwhile that you note keywords from the job description and include that in your CV. This may indicate that you are the right candidate for the job.
Use a Template
Use a template to structure your CV or Resume. In this way, you will organize your document. This will be helpful for the employers to check your experience and your qualifications.
Proofread and Edit
Whether you write a Resume or CV, make sure it is error-free. Carefully proofread all the information that you have written. Check the spelling and grammatical mistakes.
You might want to proofread it multiple times for perfection. Use the same format throughout the document. For instance, if you have used bullet points for one job experience, make sure you use bullet points for the other job experience.
How to Draft a Successful CV?
You should have a clear idea about which format to use and what information to include in your CV. Select an appropriate size. Make sure that your chosen CV format is according to the posting.
In case you are applying for a fellowship position, and you do not need to state personal information that is the part of an international CV.
International CVs and the U.S. CVs
Predominantly, Candidates in the United States use CV for applying for academic jobs, medical, and scientific research-based positions. Candidates also use CVs for international jobs grants and fellowship. For any international job, candidates may have to submit CVs.
In the Middle East, Europe, Africa or different countries of Asia, companies want candidates to present Curriculum Vitae along with a photograph instead of a resume. Nevertheless, international CVs are in the proper format as compared to the CVs of an academic U.S.
The details differ by country.
Final Word
Curriculum Vitae is a detailed and comprehensive description of your academic background, professional experience, memberships, fellowships, licenses and other accomplishments. A resume is a concise summary of your academic qualifications, job experience and other achievements.
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