Difference Between CV and Resume

Starting a career is an excellent leap in anyone’s life; full of aspirations, boosted confidence, self-aligned, and self-discipline are a few words that can define their enthusiasm.

Stepping into the world of opportunities is not just about grabbing a handsome salary package but also about the self-reconciliation of dreams of attaining something in life.

One has to do many things when exploring new job opportunities, such as identifying the respective organization to which one wants to apply, connecting with new people, improving social circles, etc.

But there is one step that no one can miss and is imperative before they start the search process, i.e. creating an impressive personal portfolio that is often referred to as CV and Resume.

Key Takeaways

1. CVs (Curriculum Vitae) provide a comprehensive overview of one’s professional and academic accomplishments, including publications, presentations, and awards.
2. Resumes are concise documents highlighting relevant skills and experiences tailored to a specific job application.
3. CVs are commonly used in academia and European job markets, while resumes are standard in the United States and Canada.

CV vs Resume

A CV (Curriculum vitae) is a detailed document that lists a candidate’s educational background, work experience, research, publications, and other professional accomplishments. It is used primarily in academic and research fields and is generally longer and more in-depth than a resume. A resume is a brief and concise summary of a candidate’s work experience, education, and skills, typically no longer than one or two pages.

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Comparison Table

Parameter of Comparison	CV	Resume
Definition	CV, i.e. curriculum vitae, shows a detailed overview of one’s career in chronological order.	A resume is a concise and crisp document focusing on the essential professional skills of the person.
Focus Is On	The main focus of a CV is to capture everything related to one’s career, i.e. a whole career journey.	The main focus of a Resume lies in spotting the professional skills and knowledge specific to the job or industry type.
Prioritization of Skills	In chronological order.	The skill with utmost proficiency will be mentioned first.
Contact Detail	One can specify multiple ways through which he/she is contacted.	Only Email id and phone number.
Length of the Document	It is a lengthy document, as all details are mentioned.	It is concise, with a maximum of up to two pages.
Cover Letter	Included	Not necessary; professional mail can work.
Contents	1  Cover letter 2 Contact Details 3 Educational Background 4 Work Experience 5 Critical Projects Undertaken 6 Awards, Honors, Grants, Fellowships, 7 Professional Memberships 8 Publications or Presentations 9 References	1  Summary Statement 2 Contact Details 3 Education Background 4 Certifications 5 Key Skills & Technologies 6 Work Experience

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What is CV?

Curriculum Vitae (CV) represents a detailed summary of one’s education, skills, and experience.

It is a lengthy document where everything is mentioned in a descriptive format related to academic background, degrees, work experience, research, grants, awards, licenses, presentations, publications, and other achievements.

CV is well-suited for people looking for job opportunities in the academic field or people looking for top-level management positions that require tremendous skills, experience, and knowledge.

Everything in the CV should be in chronological order, i.e. mentioning them in the order they happened. CV is a little snapshot of one’s course of life.

Contents of CV are:

1. Full name
2. Contact information
3. Professional title with summary or objective
4. Education
5. Research interests
6. Publications (academic papers as well as books)
7. Work experience (Teaching or lecturing experience as well)
8. Skills
9. Certificates
10. Conferences and courses
11. Languages Known
12. Grants of fellowships
13. References

 

What is Resume?

A resume is a short, crisp, and straight-to-the-point document created for specific job roles, skills, or industries. It is generally a one- or two-page document with concise information related to essential skills.

A resume highlights relevant skills and experiences and showcases the contributions that are useful for the job role for which an individual is applying.

The chronological order of the information in the Resume is not necessary; the skills and knowledge take precedence. A cover letter is essential with Resume as it defines the intent of your application.

Contents of Resume are:

1. Full name
2. Current job title or position that one is holding
3. Contact information
4. Profile Summary or Career Objective
5. Work experience
6. Education
7. Relevant technical as well as non-technical skills
8. Languages with a proficiency level
9. Relevant certifications or interests, if any

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Main Differences Between CV and Resume

1. CV is a lengthy document capturing every person’s detail, whereas the Resume is a short document representing only essential skills necessary for job roles.
2. CVs always need to be in chronological order, whereas chronological order is not necessary for Resume; here, priority is the skills.
3. Including a cover letter with a CV is unnecessary, whereas it is a must with a Resume.
4. A CV shows a comprehensive overview of the individual’s life, whereas a resume shows a functional overview.

References

1. https://www.nature.com/ni/journal/v14/n1/abs/ni.2453.html
2. https://www.ajronline.org/doi/pdf/10.2214/ajr.171.4.9762969
3. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4939-0647-5_1
4. https://journals.lww.com/jnnonline/Citation/1984/04000/The_Curriculum_Vitae_and_the_Resume__Contrasts,.10.aspx