Difference Between CV and Resume

Each person takes a different approach to hiring. In some cases, the approach depends on the employee’s nationality; in other cases, it is a matter of preference. Mr. A may want to be thorough and detailed before accepting someone to work for his company, while Mr. B may want to be thorough but go straight to the point without too many details. So, it all depends on the situation. This is exactly the case with the difference between CV and resume.

If you are a job seeker, and you are not sure which of these two documents you should use when looking for a job opportunity, then you are not alone. The best thing is to always have both at hand and use the one that is required when necessary. But you have to know the difference between resume and CV so you can easily provide all the information requested.

We’ll go ahead to explain both processes and their differences, but before we do, here is a piece of advice – be smart! Do not rely entirely on a ghostwriter to do the job for you, because they may miss important facts. You should at least know what to expect, so you don’t just accept whatever your ghostwriter spills on you without worrying about whether the format, information, and other details are complete and in order.

Definition of CV

A CV is a detailed documentation based on academic qualifications, work experience, training, and other relevant details on a person who is seeking for an employment opportunity. The acronym stands for Curriculum Vitae, a Latin expression for “course of life”. According to the meaning of this term, it is obvious that you should summarize “the story of your life” in at least 2 pages. This is the CV and resume difference that summarizes what a curriculum vitae is all about.

What are some of the characteristics of a good CV?

Contains comprehensive and detailed data about a person’s career life and more. It talks about one’s experience (especially with academics) and how such experiences can be of benefit to an organization.
Fits into 2 pages at least, and 20 pages at most (except stated otherwise). This means you need to elaborate on every point you make, tell a story if you have to, but make sure it’s captivating, detailed, and on point.
Requires the inclusion of references from respectable people who can attest to your professionalism, competence, and credibility. This will allow your future bosses to learn more about you from other’s point of view.
Emphasis on special skills, experiences, and expertise that make you stand out from the rest. They do not have to be related to the job, so don’t be scared to tell it all.

Talking about the difference between CV and resume you can make use of one CV for the rest of your career life. You can include updates as you go on, or change it completely if you like, but no one will reprimand you if you choose not to.

What should you include in your CV?

You can employ your creative abilities and give your copy whatever twist you want, but here is some basic information it must contain.

Your name should be the first thing on the first page of your document, followed by your title and contact details. This serves as the title; nothing else is good enough.
A profile of your person and profession. This should contain your personal statement, career objectives, and professional aspiration.
Employment history and experience should follow right after. This is another way of saying “what have you been doing with your life?”
Educational qualifications come last. It should be listed in reverse chronological order.
Additional sections to demonstrate your key skills, hobbies, references, etc.

Your name should be the first thing on the first page of your document, followed by your title and contact details. This serves as the title; nothing else is good enough.
A profile of your person and profession. This should contain your personal statement, career objectives, and professional aspiration.
Employment history and experience should follow right after. This is another way of saying “what have you been doing with your life?”
Educational qualifications come last. It should be listed in reverse chronological order.
Additional sections to demonstrate your key skills, hobbies, references, etc.

Depending on your or the employee’s nationality, you may need to include a photo of your head, marital status, date of birth, and age. These differences between CV and resume vary from one to another. So, you may need to look into that to understand what needs to be included.

Definition of Resume

A resume is a straight-to-the-point documentation of education, career history, and skills of a person seeking employment. It is more like a summary of what qualifies you or makes you stand out from other job seekers in the same category. In answering the question – what is the difference between CV and resume? – note that everything you have to put on this document should not exceed 2 pages, except stated otherwise.

What are some of the characteristics of a good resume?

Short and concise sentences that are straight to the point without too many details
Should not be more than 2 pages at most
Must not have references
Emphasis on educational history

These points pretty much answer the question – what’s the difference between a CV and a resume? Everything should be brief and straight to the point.

What should you include in your resume?

It is always advisable to have your document in the following order:

Name, address, and phone number
The objective with regards to what you desire career-wise
A profile containing a summary of your goals, experiences, and skills
Educational qualifications
Employment history
References (optional)

These points summarize the difference between a CV and resume. Remember to always get to the point in as few but professional sentences as possible.

CV vs Resume Comparison Table

Basis of Comparison	CV	Resume
Definition	A detailed documentation based on academic qualifications, work experience, training, and other relevant details about a person who is seeking for an employment opportunity	A straight-to-the-point documentation of education, career history, and skills of a person seeking employment
Nature of document	Comprehensive and detailed	Concise and straight to the point
Focus	Expertise and knowledge	Past results in a similar situation
Centers on	Academic qualifications	Non-academic qualifications
References	Must be included	May be included
Length	At least 2 pages, and 20 pages at most	Between 1 to 2 pages
Modification	Can be used for different job opportunities	Can be used for a particular job opportunity

Hopefully, this table did justice to the question – what is the difference between resume and cv? It can serve as an easy guide to help you while writing either of them.

Conclusion of the Main Difference Between CV and Resume

The disparities between these documents are quite obvious. They follow unique procedures and are affected by different factors. It is always advisable to find out which of these are acceptable in the organization you are applying to. Just to be on the safer side, you can choose to have both of them ready at all time. In some countries, the candidates are expected to submit both documents during the screening process.

Basically, to answer the question – what is the difference between CV and resume? – the first thing that comes to mind is the length. This also clearly shows how long it takes to develop them. You can easily prepare a 2-page description of your career life, but when it takes about 20 pages, you really need to prepare well in advance.