It is crucial to know the difference between a CV and a resume, especially in countries like the United Kingdom and the United States where the terms are frequently used. This article will briefly explain what a curriculum vitae (CV) is, and the difference between it and a resume.
Content Outline
What Is The Difference Between A CV And A Resume?
In the United States, the most significant difference between a CV and a resume is the format. A CV is a detailed description of an individual and their suitability for the job. Its length is not restricted to providing as much information as possible about the candidate. A resume can be written in one of three ways, but a CV is not limited to any format.
On the other hand, a U.S. resume is a brief, one or two-page description of a job applicant’s qualifications. The main distinction between a resume and a CV is that the resume mainly includes information about the employment history, skills, and education. However, a CV may include several other sections that may be required for the position applied for.
Are CVs The Same As Resumes?
No, they’re not. In a world where CVs and resumes are critical when it comes to searching for employment, it is not very strange to see the two being confused due to the similarity in their roles. While both documents outline a candidate and his or her experience in a particular job position, there is a difference between the two because of their purpose.
International Differences: CV vs Resumes
In the U.K. and some countries in Europe and Asia, the term CV is exactly the same as the term resume and it is the primary document used for application to any job.
What Is A CV?
Curriculum vitae abbreviated as CV is a term that originated from the Latin language translating to ‘course of life’. A CV is a highly detailed document aimed at presenting the entire career path of a candidate. It is a document that people revise periodically over their lifetime, and may include items like research projects, educational or professional trips, presentations, experiments, publications, memberships, and more.
Who Uses a CV vs a Resume?
CVs are preferred where a job entails specific skills and proficiency and where the employer has to make a profound decision. People in such careers as medical, legal, academia, and scientific field use the CV rather than the resume.
What Information Should be Included in a CV?
Some sections have to be included in every CV and those that are optional depending on the candidate’s experience and the position he or she is applying for.
First, let’s take a glance at what you need to include in a CV.
- Your contact details.
- A professional summary.
- Thorough work experience.
- Educational background.
- Professional competencies.
After the basic information is included, you could include the following information on a CV vs. resume:
- Research
- Educational or instructional experience
- Published works
- Presentations and public speaking events
- Language proficiency
- Accolades and recognitions
- Credentials
- Credentials or permits
- Grants, sponsorships, and educational awards
- Affiliations and memberships in professional organizations
- Community service
- Applicable pastimes and leisure activities
- Professional recommendations.
Many organizations use applicant tracking systems to screen out 75% of the applicants before a hiring manager reads the cover letter, the resume, or the CV.
What Does A CV Format Look Like?
CV does not have a standard structure while resume has a structure but not a fixed format. The structure of CV depends on numerous factors including the job description, number of years working, and specialty. For example, if the specific job candidate is a medical student, their CV will likely focus on clinical training and skills as the primary accomplishments, while an attorney’s CV will probably stress work experience and writing ability. Such templates of CVs provided below will assist you in regarding how you could organize your qualifications in relation to your needs.
Pre-built CV templates like this one are useful in organizing your CV to make it presentable and easily readable. Use one with our CV maker to write a CV that will attract the attention of any employer within the shortest time possible.
While it is quite normal for CVs to be longer than three pages, it is better to be concise. Ensure that you use bullet points to divide all the sections of your CV to make it easy to read through.
When Should You Use A CV?
Use a CV when the job advertized requires it to be submitted instead of a resume. While searching for employment in various countries, a CV is usually the standard document to use for the purpose. The length of the CV can also therefore depend on the field you are in since you may find that some fields only allow for two pages.
Besides that, CVs are used when searching for a job in a specific field but also when applying for a fellowship, research position, postdoctoral position and other academic activities.
Whether your goal is to move up the corporate ladder or to apply for a academic position, it is always advisable to check with the employer or the educational institution of your intended choice to establish the exact requirements for the position.
What Is A Resume?
Resumé is a professional document that provides a brief overview of an individual’s fitness for a certain job. They present a shortened course of job-related certifications and are recognized by employers throughout the United States.
Who Should Use A Resume Vs. A CV?
In the United States, for instance, it is common that a candidate submits a resume and a cover letter to market himself or herself for a job. However, those who are affiliated with academic, medical, legal or scientific institutions may use CV over resume. A CV offers more explicit information regarding lectures given, articles produced, and memberships and associations in professional organizations.
To secure an interview, it is recommended to include numerical statistics of your accomplishments on a resume and CV, this boosts the probability by 40%.
What Kind of Information Is Included in a Resume?
It is recommended that all resumes should include a header section that provides the candidate’s contact information, resume skills section that offers a combination of both the hard and soft skills, the work experience section which should provide 3-5 achievements for every job listed as well as the education section. Certain candidates may also include extra categories such as Awards and Volunteers Services.
How Does A Resume Look Like?
As it was highlighted earlier, the reverse chronological resume format was the most preferred one in 2023 because of the reasons such as, the format is suitable for the individuals who have at least one year of work experience and is easy to read. Though the reverse chronological resume format is ideal, for those writing their first resume or those who have been out of work for a while, the functional resume format is most suitable. Candidates in their workplace for more than ten years or those who have career changes are encouraged to adopt the hybrid or combination mode of resume writing.
If one wants to avoid any appearance of professionalism then they should use standard font format and the margins at the sides of the document should also be standard. Other features that are also beneficial for the resume include consistent line spacing, having sufficient white space between the sections, and making the resume length to be one to two pages at most.
Key Differences Between CV vs Resume
Now, you can distinguish a CV from a resume! However, to make sure you do not forget the above tips, the following are the considerations to make:
- The only major distinction between a CV and a resume is the format. There are three standard formats of a resume that can be used, yet when it comes to writing a CV, you have to organize the information depending on the job.
- In the United States, CVs can be used in academic institutions, medical and law professions. Resumes should be used for any job or any industry.
- The standard document for job applications in most European countries and some Asian nations is a CV.
- If there is space on one or two pages, resumes can include up to four optional sections, while a CV will contain many sections depending on profession and requirements of the specific job.
According to the research, 41% of job seekers copy their resumes into the cover letters and this is a big mistake. Your cover letter should be a good continuation of your resume and not a copy of it.
How FastLane Group Can Help?
FastLane recruitment service can guide you every step of the way to land your dream job. Our expert team will help you craft the perfect CV or resume, tailored to your career goals and industry standards. Contact us today and take the first step toward a successful career!
Frequently Answered Questions
There is no difficulty in identifying between a resume and a CV if you follow the job advertisement description. Employers, sometimes, will emphasize one or the other depending on what is relevant to the job.
If you are working in the academic, medical, legal, or scientific fields or if the job you are applying for involves publications, speaking, or lectures, then that is where you will use a CV.
If you want to find a job in another country, a CV is frequently used as an application. But other countries also accept resumes and FastLane can assist you in that.
In the United States of America, a CV is different from a resume.
- While a resume is a brief one-page document with some key sections, a CV is a detailed document that encompasses a complete job applicant’s career.
- The structure of a CV is determined by the job and the candidate’s experience while a resume has only a few standard structures.
- A resume is used for any job while a CV is preferably used for academic, science, law, and medicine positions.
However, a CV is the same as a resume in parts of Europe and Asia.
The order of sections in a CV is usually determined by your occupation and the position you are applying for; nonetheless, your contact information and the professional profile must be at the beginning of the CV.
You can follow these tips to write a CV with no work experience:
- Ensure that the profile is interesting while showing confidence and energy to perform the task at hand.
- Provide your profile with your academic achievements, any recognitions that you have received, academic grants, fellowships, etc.
- Make a very attractive skills section that entails different skills and talents.
- Make the employer impressed with your co-curricular and professional achievements, papers, thesis, and community/involuntary services to prove your capability to do the work.
The first rule is to submit the file type that the given employer specified in the job advertisement. If the format is not defined, it is recommended to send your CV or resume in Adobe PDF. Use Word. doc file to send your documents either via email or post.
The concept of CV resume difference does not apply to the guidelines of formatting. This is a guide on how to get it right every time you format your paper.
- All margins must be set to 1 inch on all sides of the page.
- Ensure that you use the standard font such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Helvetica.
- It is recommended that the font size of the body should range between 10-12, while section headings should be between 14-16.
- Format your font as per your document. To make your CV or resume shorter in length, you can decrease the size of the paper or use a different font size as long as the text is still easily readable.
- It is advised to use single or 1.5-line spacing.
- Format your resume to be in Adobe PDF or. doc or in .txt format and the name should be given professionally.
- We recommend this formula to save your file
“Your-Name_Target Job Title_Resume_Date. FileType.”
For example “Jane-Doe_Resume-Writer_Resume. doc”
- We recommend this formula to save your file
Yes, a cover letter for a CV and a resume is required. Cover letters are important because they enable you to give more details, such as employment history change, gaps in employment, and highlights of the career and activities that cannot be captured in the CV or resume.
Besides, cover letters allow you to be yourself, make an impression on the hiring manager, and demonstrate your research competencies by enabling you to showcase your knowledge about the company, organization, or institution of interest and how you can be an asset to it.
