Difference Between Resume vs Cover Letter

When you are going for a job interview, it is important that you dress properly so you make a great first impression. But even more important than that is the need to have a well-prepared document that can tell your potential employee who you are, what you can do, and what qualifies you as suitable for the position you are applying for.

In this post, we will take a look at resume vs cover letter to see how these two differ. From basic knowledge, you probably know that both types of documents describe the personality and qualifications of a job applicant, but there are other things about them that make them different from one another. Knowing these differences as a job seeker will help you prepare better for any and every interview that comes your way.

Definition of Resume

A resume is defined as a summary of a job applicant with contents that focus on specific information like your name, contacts, educational history, applicable skills, work experience, a summary of qualifications, and professional membership.

It is usually very well-arranged in legible and easy to read sections that can sell the strengths of the candidate to the interviewer in the shortest time possible.

The goal of this document is to introduce a job seeker as a legible candidate for a particular position in an itemized, informative, and short manner. There are different formats for writing this job application document.

One outstanding difference between cover letter and resume is that the latter is a direct statement of a candidate’s career history and qualifications while the latter is more like a business letter.

Definition of Cover Letter

A cover letter is a business letter written by a job applicant telling an interviewer why he or she should be employed. It typically comes with the resume underneath and the letter above so that the HR can take a look at it first before looking at the documents that follow.

When it is well-crafted, it gives a candidate more leverage and a better chance of being employed. It encourages HR to take his or her time to go through the resume to learn more about the applicant.

One difference between resume and cover letter that we would like to point out is how the latter provides the former with an opportunity to express himself or herself, unlike in the case of the former where job applicants do not get such opportunities.

Note that this is a business letter and anything that must be discussed throughout the letter has to do with specific items listed in the job description.

Main Differences Between Resume vs Cover Letter

At this point, you should have an idea of the basic difference between these two different types of job application documents. In this section, we would take a look at some other factors that differentiate them and their properties.

Basis of Comparison	Resume	Cover Letter
Definition	A summary of a job applicant, shedding light on factors like your name, contacts, educational history, applicable skills, work experience, summary of qualifications, and professional membership	A business letter written by a job applicant, telling an interviewer why he or she should be employed
Purpose	A summary of your work history and qualifications	A selling strategy that explains why and how an applicant would be a great fit
Format	Written in specific sections with a subheading for each section and bullet points showing more information	Typical letter format with at least three paragraphs divided into opening, body, and closing
Tone	More professional toned letter usually written in the third person	Professional with a touch of personality usually written in the first person

Difference Between Resume and Cover Letter: Conclusion

With these few points, we hope you can now tell the differences between cover letter vs resume. Before we call it a wrap, here are some similarities between these two.

Except when stated, applicants are expected to present any of these documents in an A4 size paper. Also, you are expected to send it in a pdf format. If you are sending it as an email, your cover letter should be the cover of your email.