We all have come across people using CV and resume interchangeably, but do you know the difference between the two? Or their correct usage? Read on to clear your understanding so that next time you know the exact term to be used.
Curriculum Vitae or CV as we generally call it is an in-depth document that can cover two or more pages.
It should have all your achievements in detail. Apart from education, the CV also covers your other accomplishments like awards, honours, publications etc, as it is intended to be the full record of your career history.
You should list all the details in a chronological order, making it easy to get an over view of a person’s full working career.
CV is a static document that does not change for different jobs; it is only the cover letter that is changed according to the position applied for.
It is mainly preferred in UK for jobs and official purposes.
Resume on the other hand is a concise document, which is generally not longer than one page.
The resume is made in such a manner that it makes you stand out from the rest of the applicants.
It should be tailored to suit each position, which you apply for. It may not be chronologically ordered and is highly customisable.
Usage:
The people in US and Canada while applying for a job usually prefer resume.
They use CV only while applying for a job abroad or when searching for an academic or research position.
In the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, a CV is used in all contexts and resumes are just not used.
You might have noticed the difference in spellings of “favourite” and “favorite”, it is primarily because of the usages in different regions. Similarly in India also both the terms – “CV” and “resume” are used depending on the convenience and familiarity.
Be smart, act smart and know the difference to bag the job of your choice.
