CV vs Resume: What is the Difference Between a Curriculum Vitae and a Resume?

Many people think a resume and a CV are the same. However, some companies require a resume and some ask for a CV to employ candidates. So CV vs resume — what’s actually the difference?

In fact, they are quite similar. But where are they different? By following the tips that you’ll find below, you’ll be able to decide what type of document best suits your needs and write a perfect one.

In just 7 minutes, you’ll learn the following:

• CV vs. resume difference
• The definition of a resume
• What key points should be highlighted in your resume
• A CV (Curriculum Vitae) definition
• What key points should be presented in your CV
  

Let’s see what differences there are between a CV and a resume.

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CV vs Resume difference: Why it’s important to differentiate

To begin with, let’s analyze the difference between a CV and a resume. There are some peculiarities of both formats. To get more interviews from employers, you need to choose the proper one. It is important because a CV and a resume are different in:

• Length
• Style
• Format
• Purpose
• The presentation of data
• Function
• What accomplishments are described
  

Another CV vs resume difference lies in their usage. Still hesitating about which document type to use? The position and the job responsibilities description will tell you what type of document to prepare.

To work in academic schools, especially as a teaching assistant at a university or college or a research assistant, you can send a CV. In other cases, a short resume with basic and relevant information will be the best choice.

What is a CV [ With Example ]

It’s highly important to know the definition and use cases of a CV to prepare the right document according to your purposes. Remember that a CV is typically used during a job search for academic or scientific positions.

If you prepare a CV instead of a resume, you can fail to get the desired position as employers pay great attention to such things.

All information you provide should be structured and written so that it may be used by a company’s applicant tracking system. Below, there are CV vs resume examples to better understand the difference between these documents.

Take a look at how a CV is defined below.

What is a Curriculum Vitae?

A CV is a complete summary of your workplaces. It is a descriptive document submitted before a job interview. You can include as many details as you like. 

For instance, you can mention various development activities like courses, conferences, or seminars in the block about additional education. 

You can also specify the original data of diplomas, certificates (when received, by whom issued, what certifies). Here you can also mention the online seminars and webinars that you attended. So the list can be very impressive, and for CVs this is normal.

Now you know what a CV is. To see what a typical CV should look like, see the CV example below.

Curriculum Vitae Sample

Want to save time and effort and get a perfectly formatted and structured CV. Our professional service provides 20+ templates and Curriculum Vitae samples to help you create your own. 

Apart from getting CV examples, you can use our CV builder to write your CV. Just fill in the blanks with all the necessary information like education, experience, skills, qualifications, etc., and download it to use for job interviews.

With great curriculum vitae samples provided by our service, you’ll know what information to include in a CV and how to structure the document properly. When you learn more about each of the formats, you’ll understand the CV and resume differences.

What to Include in a CV

So let’s see what sections to include on a CV. The main sections are:

• name
• contact details
• hard skills
• soft skills
• work experience
• qualifications and education
• referees
• objective
• achievements
• interests
• job-specific information
  

Our CV examples contain all the necessary sections. So you can rely on them to have a perfectly written and effective curriculum vitae to attach to your job application. The main resume vs. CV difference is that each of them highlights different information and presents it in a different way. 

We’ll come back to the comparison between a CV and a resume. And now let’s see the full list of sections that you should put in your CV to make it impressive and effective.

CV Example [ Text version ]

Need to get professional help? See what a CV looks like and find out the differences between a CV and a resume.

Emily Smith

Desired position: Journalist

Location: Philadelphia, PA 19254, USA

Ready for business trips. Ready to move.

Contact Information:

Phone: +283-821-1417

E-mail: emily_smith@gmai.com

LinkedIn profile: linkedin.com/in/emilysmith

Key knowledge and skills

• Writing journalistic materials of different genres (news, reviews, articles, interviews, etc.);
• Skill in working with large amounts of information;
• Sociability, ability to accommodate the interlocutor;
• Creativity, responsibility, efficiency.
  

Education

2000-08 - 2005-05

The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Department of Modern Languages

Academic achievements

• Dean’s List 2005

• Awarded “Best Thesis” 2003

Experience

2014-07-present

Professor of English

University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, US

Responsibilities:

• tutoring
• maintaining class records
• academic counseling of students
• assessing student coursework
• collaborating with colleagues during research work
  

Achievements

Taught a total of 20 undergraduate and 7 postgraduate courses

Main focus: contemporary conceptual drama and performative arts, experimental poetry and fiction.

Additional information

• Foreign languages: Geman — advanced level (c2), French — basic level (A1)
• PC skills: confident user of MS Office. High typing speed (250 characters/minute)
  

Soft skills

• Ability to solve complex problems
• Creativity
• Critical thinking
• Flexibility
• Friendliness
• Leadership skills
• Punctuality
• Sociability
  

Recommendations are available upon request.

What is a Resume  [ + Example ]

Below, you’ll find the definition of what a resume is and why it’s important to understand what it implies. After reading this part of the article you’ll better see the difference between what is a CV vs a resume, know what should be included in both of these types of documents, and how information should be presented. 

To get more interviews from companies, you need a well-structured resume. By understanding what a resume should look like, you’ll be able to:

• Present the necessary information correctly
• Choose what should be highlighted in the document
• Not confuse it with a curriculum vitae
  

In the article, there are CV vs resume examples to see how they differ and decide when you need to use what.

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What is a Resume

So what is a resume? This is a short and concise document that includes information about education, skills, experience, employment history, and other relevant data that is required for a job seeker to be considered for employment.

A well-written resume will allow you to:

• Outline your skills and experience
• Display the benefits employers can get from hiring you
• Grab the attention of employers
• Match you to the position
  

What is the difference between a resume and a CV? What to include on a resume? Let’s find answers to these questions.

There are some things that differentiate a resume from a CV. But the main point is that a CV is a rather long document describing your education, places of work, experience, skills, achievements — everything about you. 

A resume is a much shorter document. It usually consists of one or two pages. You can adjust it according to the job position you’re hired to. That means you can only enlist experiences, skills, and achievements relevant to the desired job position and to the industry you’re going to work in.

Below, we’ll dive deep into what information your resume should contain. Remember this information because you can greatly invest in your career by writing a good resume.

What to include on a resume

So what to include on a resume to make it impressive, catchy, and the one leading to an interview and getting a dream job.

A good resume should contain the following information:

• Contact information so that recruiters can email, phone, or message you to schedule an interview
• Objective statement to state the purpose
• Summary statement to highlight your qualifications
• Education to show where you studied and when
• Employment history to present your work experience
  

As you see, a resume vs a CV differs in these terms. For a CV, you should write all this information while for a resume you can choose only the most appropriate facts about you.

Choosing between and writing a CV vs a resume is a difficult, time-consuming, and challenging process. But our service can help you. Take a look at how professional CVs and resumes look like.

We’ve got multiple templates and examples to help you write your own document. Take them as a basis. If your CV or resume is written well it will be parsed by applicant tracking systems correctly. This increases your chances to be invited to an interview and choose the best option from various career resources.

Now let’s see the difference between a CV and a resume as considered in different countries.

CV and Resume Differ Based on the Country

In different countries, a resume and a CV are different things. So what to choose — a CV or a resume? And what to include in a CV or a resume? We have researched this information and want to share it with you. 

Resumes are most commonly used in the US, while in other countries, employers may ask you for a CV. Take a look at the table below and see how CV vs. resume requirements differ from country to country.

Keep in mind that the provided information is a general overview of requirements based on countries. So before submitting your resume or CV check the data and ensure to update your document according to these requirements if necessary.

CV vs. Resume - What’s the Difference in a Nutshell

As you see, a resume and a CV are different things. Let’s summarize all the information we’ve shared in the article and see the resume vs. CV difference in a nutshell. When you’re employed, you should choose whatever is the best option for you depending on your purpose and the requirements of the company. Look at the table below.

Key Takeaway for the Difference Between a Resume and a CV

Now that we’ve covered all aspects concerning a curriculum vitae and a resume, we are ready to state the difference between a CV and a resume. It’s important to know how to write an effective document about your skills and experiences to develop your career.

The basic CV vs resume difference lies in the following facts:

• They have different styles — a CV looks like an autobiography and a resume can be submitted in 4 formats
• They have different lengths — a CV is a long document while a resume is usually and one- or two-page document
• They have different functions — a CV shows your whole past experience and a resume shows only relevant skills and experience
  

If someone asks you “What’s the difference between a CV and a resume?” you’ll be able to answer this question. Because now you know the difference. Use our helpful tips to write your perfect resume or CV.

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