What is the difference between a resume writing and a CV?
You have probably come across the word "CV" many times. It stands for Curriculum Vitae ("Course of Life"). Most often, this phrase can be found when it comes to a resume and it seems as if it's the same thing. If you read about the real meaning of the CV, you will see that these are two separate documents.
So what's the truth?
Are resumes and CVs the same thing? Or are these different concepts and then, in what specific cases should each of them be used?
What is a CV?
Based on the terminology of the regions, where CV and resume are different concepts, the CV describes the history of their higher education and academic activities, supplementing the information with facts about published works, awards and merits. The CV format is most often used by scholars to describe their career history.
Also, the CV describes the experience in chronological order. Attention is paid to each point, describing as much as possible all the details of previous professional activity. And although a CV can be created for any profession, this format is most often used by journalists, medical professionals, scientists, etc., to describe in detail their entire career: training, practice, internships, research, publications and achievements.
What is the ideal document size?
There is no clearly defined amount of CV. A person with many years of experience and a large number of published works can have a CV that can reach even five or more pages.
What is a resume?
You use a resume to provide a summary of your work experience, skills, achievements and education. A resume is needed to give the recruiter and employer an overview of your work experience. Depending on which resume format you choose, you will describe information about work experience in reverse chronology, ie from the most extreme to the first place of work. And if you have little or no work experience, you will write about your education, practice and internship.
In addition to the experience section, the resume consists of many other important sections that describe basic information about you.
CV and Summary: main differences
Responding to the vacancy, you can send both a resume and a CV. Both options are suitable. However, there are some clear differences between them. You need to be aware of, especially if you are looking for a job in countries where these concepts differ. Still wondering which document to send to the vacancy? The position you have chosen, as well as the job description, will tell you which document you need to use. To work in academia, especially as a researcher, teaching assistant, or university or college lecturer, you can submit a CV. In other cases, the most brief summary with the basic and relevant to the vacancy information is more often used. If the choice is still not quite obvious, it is convenient to prepare 2 ready-made documents at once. You can always start by sending a short resume, and if you are asked for a more advanced version, you will send your CV.
Do I need to add a photo to my resume or CV?
It is very likely that you will face the question of the need to place a photo in the resume and CV editing. Why do you need a photo and how to choose the right photo?
Do the same rules apply to photos in resumes and CVs?
If you are considering a vacancy in the UK, US and Canada - it is perfectly normal NOT to add your photo. In most European countries, on the contrary, the photo is desirable and its presence in your document will be perceived positively. And yet, this is not a prerequisite as long as it is not written in the vacancy. The only exceptions will be media professions: actor, model, etc.
In order to understand this issue in more detail, we have prepared a useful article about the role of photography in the resume. In this article, we talk about the key task of photography in the resume, in which cases you need or do not need to add a photo.
Conclusions
The main differences between a resume and a CV are the purposes for which they are used, the content and the scope of the document.
The size of the CV has no generally accepted restrictions. You can describe all your achievements and experiences, so the size can go beyond even 3 pages. The resume usually consists of a maximum of 2 pages.
In the CV, we describe in detail information about education and academic activities (if any), as well as work experience, skills, achievements, awards and certificates. The resume also consists of brief facts about your previous jobs, basic skills, achievements, and additional information relevant to the vacancy. CVs are usually sent to academic positions, and resumes to all other areas of activity. These differences occur in countries such as the United States and Canada.
At the same time, in European countries, the UK, CV is used to denote the same as the resume in the United States. That is, in these countries, the term CV is used to describe brief information about your professional experience. The word "resume" is rarely used. To avoid confusion, the easiest way is to carefully study the job description to see if there are specific requirements for the document format. If you still do not understand what format is expected of you - it does not hurt to prepare both options. Most often, CVs are used for professions related to scientific, medical, journalistic activities, for writers. In all other cases, use the usual summary for us.
If you need to have two of these documents, we recommend that you first compile a quality CV, and in the resume summarize all the information written in the CV, which must be adapted to each vacancy for which you will send your resume.
When you are looking for your ideal job or planning to move up the career ladder, be sure that you have all the necessary documents for this. Having a well-prepared resume and CV means that you are ready to quickly provide all the key information about yourself as a good and qualified professional.
