Do you know which one you need for applying to a job or to graduate school in your field? Do you know the difference? Are you reading this and thinking “what the heck is a curriculum vitae?”
It is understandable if you are. I have spent the past three years working at the Career Center and have seen a CV once… in a book. This is because for the majority of your college career you will not need a CV. Traditionally CVs are required for positions in higher education and research. As such, they have earned the name “academic resume.” Today, while that stereotype still holds true, they are also being use when applying for graduate school in certain fields – particularly for PhD programs.
The main difference between a resume and CV is generally the amount of information included. In the United States, resumes are typically one page, and no more than two pages, in length. They are tailored toward a specific position and include only the most important and relevant information for the job (see the Career Center website for information on how to write a resume).
CVs on the other hand will be as long as necessary in order to include all of your achievements. They include detailed information regarding one’s academic coursework, professional experience, publications, presentations, awards, etc. If you are applying to graduate school or plan on going into an academic field, I would recommend looking into whether or not you will need a CV. If so, begin compiling your achievement into one cohesive document ASAP. Below is a list of resources at the Career Center that will help you format a CV and which provide sample CVs to reference.
As a final note, it is important to mention that some organizations, especially overseas, call standard resumes “CVs” when all they want is the standard 1-2 page tailored document. If you are applying to positions internationally, or find yourself being asked for a CV in a non-academic field, it would be worth your while to check with the company which document they want.
Career Center Resources:
The Curriculum Vitae Handbook: Using your CV to Present and Promote Your Academic Career (By Rebecca Anthony and Gerald Roe)
How to Prepare Your Curriculum Vitae (By Acy L. Jackson and C. Kathleen Geckeis)
Tags: curriculum vitae, resumes
I strongly support your opinion, in normal cases we use resume, in case if we have any specialized demand then CV is used. You have very effectively elaborated your opinion, thanks for sharing with us.
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Oh i thought both are same things.
Thanks for providing insight on resume and CV.
Terrific summary of the differences. Pay close attention to the last point about applying to positions internationally. It does make a difference in most organizations.
Great post. I’d like to add that a lot of the confusion between the terms ‘Resume’ or ‘CV’, comes down to difference in geographic location. North America is typically the only region in the world that uses the word “resume”. Outside of North America (with the acceptation of some parts of India and expats of course) they call a “resume” a “CV”, it’s one in the same thing – irrespective if it’s for an academic position or not. When non-US companies ask for a CV they are not asking for what we Americans class as an academic CV, they are simply asking for your resume. For academic positions a “CV” is still asked for, however the expectation is that it is extremely detailed (as per our understanding of the word CV). Hope this is of some help to those applying for international positions. Another thing to note is that with the acceptation of North America, the standard page size of a Resume/CV is A4 as opposed to letter size, keep this in mind as it can change your formatting considerably if the recruiter chooses to print your resume. Good luck, Fleur Wiig
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