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Key Differences Between a CV & a Resume

Understanding the Differences Between a CV and a Resume

When it comes to job applications, you might have heard of both a CV and a resume. While they might seem similar, they serve different purposes and are used in different contexts. Let’s break down the main differences between these two important documents.

What is a CV?

A CV, or Curriculum Vitae, is a detailed document that outlines your entire academic and professional history. It includes:

  • Personal Information: Your name, contact details, and sometimes a photo.
  • Education: Detailed information about your educational background, including schools attended, degrees earned, and any honors or awards.
  • Work Experience: A comprehensive list of all your jobs, including job titles, responsibilities, and achievements.
  • Skills: A list of your skills, both technical and soft skills.
  • Publications and Research: If applicable, a list of any research papers, articles, or books you have published.
  • Professional Memberships: Any professional organizations you belong to.
  • References: Contact information for people who can vouch for your qualifications and character.

A CV is typically used for academic, research, and scientific positions. It can be several pages long because it includes a lot of detail.

What is a Resume?

A resume is a shorter document that highlights your most relevant skills and experiences for a specific job. It includes:

  • Contact Information: Your name, phone number, email address, and sometimes your LinkedIn profile.
  • Summary or Objective: A brief statement about your career goals and what you bring to the job.
  • Work Experience: A concise list of your most recent and relevant jobs, focusing on your achievements and responsibilities.
  • Education: A brief overview of your educational background.
  • Skills: A list of key skills that are relevant to the job you are applying for.

Resumes are typically one to two pages long and are used for most job applications in the business, industry, and non-profit sectors.

Key Differences

  1. Length: CVs are longer and more detailed, while resumes are shorter and more concise.
  2. Purpose: CVs are used for academic and research positions, while resumes are used for most other job applications.
  3. Content: CVs include a comprehensive history of your academic and professional life, while resumes focus on the most relevant experiences and skills for a specific job.

Understanding these differences can help you choose the right document for your job application and increase your chances of success. Whether you need a detailed CV or a concise resume, make sure to tailor it to the job you are applying for and highlight your most relevant qualifications.

Freelance Writing Careers

              Freelancing is one of the most profitable and secure industries in which one can earn a living from writing, but, the field of freelancing, barring a basic definition, is somewhat obscure. So what do freelancers actually do? And how does one start a career as a freelancer?

              Freelancing, at its most basic, is writing for a brand or an individual on a typically short-term contract. Within the broad industry of freelancing, there are a few subfields that are worth mentioning. Copywriting, largely the most profitable subfield of freelance, is broadly understood as writing for commercial publications. This could mean simply writing descriptions of products in an exciting way, or writing articles for brands that point customers to a certain solution: your product. For those looking to enter the field, copywriting is not only the most lucrative, it also seems to be the most accessible.

              Journalistic writing, in comparison to copy writing, demands extensive experience as a writer and typically a background in writing (English majors, this is your time to shine!). As a freelance journalistic writer, one can find themselves writing for trade magazines and newspapers. This article in the NYT, titles “Why Settle for Boring Glassware?,”  for example, was written by a freelancer. Journalistic freelance has a reputation for paying less than copywriting; however, it is also known to be simply more fun. Most journalistic copywriters focus on a specific niche that they find especially enjoyable, and spend their professional time researching and writing about this niche.

              Creative freelance writing is the final broad sub-category of the industry and can see freelancers do anything from writing for short-story competitions to garnering their own blog, which they sponsor through ad revenue. Compared to the other forms of freelancing, creative is arguably more difficult, as the market is smaller, and it can time to foster a personal brand.

Once you’ve found a subfield that you’re interested in, you might be wondering what you need to do to break into freelancing, and, unfortunately, it isn’t for the faint of heart. As a freelancer, you must be comfortable with rejection. Companies will reject your contract offers thousands of times and they may even reject your writing after they have given you the contract. You must also be comfortable with instability, as the availability of jobs changes from month to month. Yet, if you remained undeterred, there are a few things you can do to soften your entrance into the industry.

  1. Consider your work as that of a business and not of an individual.

If you want to work as a freelancer, it is imperative that you consider your operations to be those of a professional business. Those who casually approach freelancing often undervalue their work and they skimp on the necessary strategic planning that would allow them to find success.

  • Enter the field with a strong network.

If possible, it is ideal to enter the field with a strong network of individuals who are already familiar with some element of your abilities to write/work. This reality often gives professionals transitioning from a parallel industry a leg-up; however, the ability to largely skip the difficult stage of building one’s reputation and list of contacts through cold calls and writing portfolios can make a huge difference.

  • Build your presence online.

Essential for freelance writers, especially those starting out, is some form of online presence that allows interested clients to learn more about your writing ability and your personal style. Such a presence often takes the form of a blog, which houses a series of blog posts, or a freelancing website, which houses a portfolio of your best work. An online presence alone is not enough to find clients; however, when paired with cold calls and other forms of networking, a website adds legitimacy and transparency to one’s freelancing business.

  • Find your niche.

It is important to specialize as a freelance writer. In the field of freelancing, generalists rarely stand a chance against competition that has written about a relatively narrow topic for a long period of time. Thus, it is important to find a niche category of work that is both large enough to be profitable, and interesting enough to occupy the majority of the freelancer’s professional time.

Freelance writing is a truly fascinating industry that provides engaging work for thousands of writers. Yet, as has been hopefully conveyed above, it is a field that requires a strong entrepreneurial skillset and thick skin, in addition to excellent writing skills. If you are truly interested in freelancing as a career, I recommend the blog of “Come Write With Us,” a company started by experienced freelancer Kristan Wong.

Jonathan Hogan

Jonathan is a Second Year German and Government major. He works as a Career Peer Educator to assist students in the CJW and GLI career communities. In addition to professional development, Jonathan is interested in the cultural construction of the modern nation-state, normative constraints on rational behavior, and all things German. You can schedule an appointment with him here to improve your resume, learn more about the CJW and GLI career opportunities, and to work on anything else professional development-related.

A Career as a Book Editor

Outside of working as an author, few careers are more ideal for lovers of books than that of a book editor. Book editors work within the broader publishing industry and are tasked with acquiring and editing books.  Within any given editorial department, there are various editorial positions. For the sake of efficiency, this article will discuss two broad categories: assistant/associate editors and editors. Assistant editors dedicate the majority of their time doing what their title implies—editing. Granting insight into the nature of assistant editing, Corley Miller, an intern at a major publishing house, insisted that “you have to love reading… and proofreading”. For lower-ranking employees and interns reading and rereading and rereading is the order of the day. Yet, reading and editing books is not just confined to the offices. Miller reports that during breaks, coworkers would talk books as well. In fact, after a day of reading, it is not uncommon in the industry for assistant editors to go home and cozy up to a nice book of their choice.

The nature of work for fully-fledged editors is slightly different. Editors spend the majority of their days meeting with authors and coworkers to discuss ongoing projects—their actual editing is often done after-hours or over the weekend. Editors are tasked with selecting a publishing house’s books, collaborating with authors throughout the editing process, and coordinating with other departments to bring the best out of a book. Yet, despite the corporate implication of a day of meetings, the work of fully-fledged editors still requires and feeds off of a deep passion for books. Catharine Bleeke, an editor for Flatiron Books (which is indeed located in the beautiful Flatiron building in downtown New York), goes as far as to describe the experience of finding an author whose book she would like to publish as “falling in love,” and states that as an editor “You’re the main supporter of this book. You’re the book’s person. There are a lot of people involved, but the first job of the editor is to make your own enthusiasm contagious. You want to get everybody just as excited as you are”

Assistant editors and editors, with their passion for good books, function as the backbone of the publishing industry. Yet, the publishing industry is much more than editors. For a broad overview of the publishing industry, its different departments, its big firms, and its broader work culture keep an eye out for the next edition of the CJW newsletter.   

Jonathan Hogan

Jonathan is a Second Year German and Government major. He works as a Career Peer Educator to assist students in the CJW and GLI career communities. In addition to professional development, Jonathan is interested in the cultural construction of the modern nation-state, normative constraints on rational behavior, and all things German. You can schedule an appointment with him here to improve your resume, learn more about the CJW and GLI career opportunities, and work on anything else professional development-related.

Works Cited

Bourne, Michael. “A Day in the Life of a Book Editor: Caroline Bleeke of Flatiron Books.” Poets & Writers, 19 Sept. 2018, www.pw.org/content/a_day_in_the_life_of_a_book_editor_caroline_bleeke_of_flatiron_books.

Miller, Corley. “What It’s like to Work in Publishing.” The Tab US, thetab.com/us/2016/06/07/like-work-publishing-15073.

Peterson, Valerie. “Major Departments in a Publishing House and What They Do.” The Balance Careers, 21 Oct. 2019, www.thebalancecareers.com/major-departments-in-a-publishing-house-2800046.

USAJOBS Tutorial

USAJOBS Tutorial

              For those that are hoping to assume a position within the federal bureaucracy at some point in their career, USAJOBS is an invaluable resource. Similar to Handshake for on campus jobs, nearly all job postings for federal governmental positions can be found on USAJOBS. Yet, for many, the prospect of creating an account on, and navigating through a federal website is somewhat intimidating. But fear not! USAJOBS is a surprisingly accessible and easy to use website, and, with the help of this article, which will take you through the basics of creating an account and navigating the site, you’ll be acquainted with the best resource for federal jobs in no time!

Step 1 – Create an account

  1. Once reaching the USAJOBS website, you’ll want to navigate to the upper right corner and select the “sign-in” tab.
  2. After selecting “sign-in” you’ll be asked to sign in or to create an account. For those without an account, select “create an account.”
  3. Here, you will be asked for your language preference, and for your desired method of two-step authentication. Using your phone number to receive a security code may be the most convenient, if not the most secure manner to satisfy USAJOBS’ security requirements.
  4. On the following page, you will be asked to select groups that apply to you (example above). These groups will come in handy once you begin your job search on USAJOBS, as they help filter out any jobs that are not available to you.
  5. You will then be asked to enter your address, and whether you are registered for selective service (only males who are citizens are required to be registered.) Finally, you be asked for your level of education. Unless you have completed your degree at Lawrence, you should not enter your education at Lawrence, as USAJOBS is concerned with completed degrees. By selecting “student” in step “3” it will be apparent that you are working towards your bachelor’s degree.  

Step 2 – Enhance your account

  1. At this point, you will have successfully created your account! Now, you may choose to enhance your account by adding additional information. If you wish to do this later, you may simply login to USAJOBS, click on your account in the top right corner, and click on the “profile” tab across the ribbon.
  2. To enhance your profile, you can choose to add information in the following categories: citizenship, hiring paths, experience (federal service, work experience, federal service,) education, demographics, languages, organizations, references. Many of these topics are either self-explanatory or have already been addressed in “step-2,” thus, I will address “experience,” “languages,” and “organizations.”
  3. Under the experience section, you will be asked to enter work experiences, federal-service, and military service. Under work experience, it is wise to include recent work experience to strengthen your application. Nonetheless, this section must not be exhaustive. Jobs that will not strengthen your application meaningfully (note here that “meaningfully” is subjective) can be excluded.
  4. Under the languages section, it is important to note that you may specify your strength of competency in any given language. Thus, if you have four-years of Spanish in high school, yet are not fluent, it is still wise to include Spanish in your profile.
  5. Under “organizations” you will be asked to list organizations with which you have been involved. Similar to the “experience” section, this section must be by no means exhaustive. Including only those organizations that you believe will strengthen a given application is sufficient.

Step 3 – documents

  1. In the documents section, you may upload up to five resumes. It is very wise to upload a resume into this section, as, after uploading a resume and selecting “searchable” beneath your recently uploaded resume, you make your account and resume searchable to potential government employers. Given that you can only make one resume searchable to employers, it is wise to upload a resume that is broadly tailored to the type of positions that you hope to achieve. If, for example, you are interested in getting an internship with the Foreign Service, it would be wise to upload a resume that highlights your experience with foreign cultures etc.
  2. Within the “documents” section, you may also upload up to ten additional documents. USAJOBS highlights government forms and transcripts as examples of what to upload in this section.

Step 4 – Utilizing USAJOBS

  1. After creating an extensive account, it is time to use the platform to find government jobs. In this regard, USAJOBS is surprisingly straightforward. You may search jobs by title, department, agency, series, or occupation. Furthermore, you may search jobs by location.
  2. Once you search for a job, preferences that you may have already specified in your profile will ensure that results are tailored. You may, however, further tailor these results by selecting filters to the top and right of your search results.
  3. If you find a job that you like, you may easily save the position by selecting save. This position will now appear on your USAJOBS homepage under the “home” tab.
  4. Especially relevant for students and recent graduates is the “Pathways” internship series, which consists of internships that are specifically for students and recent graduates. To find Pathways opportunities, simply enter “Pathways” into the search engine, or select the “students and recent graduates” badge.

– Jonathan Hogan

Jonathan is a Second Year German and Government major. He works as a Career Peer Educator to assist students in the CJW and GLI career communities. In addition to professional development, Jonathan is interested in the cultural construction of the modern nation-state, normative constraints on rational behavior, and all things German. You can schedule an appointment with him here to improve your resume, learn more about the CJW and GLI career opportunities, and work on anything else professional development-related.

Social Media PR as a Profession

By Jonathan Hogan

For many (especially the social media inclined), working as a social media specialist—that is, someone who designs content for and represents the company on social media platforms—can seem like a dream job. Yet, just like any professional position, there is a lot more to working as a social media specialist than meets the eye…

Posting

As already mentioned, social media specialists primarily create content and interact with companies’ customers/fans; however, most content posted by a social media specialists has been reviewed by multiple supervisors and has been patiently waiting in an automated calendar for months before it is released. Considering that social media specialists often create posts that are viewed by thousands of potential customers, such caution is to be expected. Yet, there is another reason for such a regimented timeframe: most posts are designed with a specific strategy and objective in mind and subsequently analyzed with the help of data analytics software. Just as any marketing department’s content, social media content receives considerable time and attention before and after the release of the content to ensure that the individual or team is working as efficiently as possible to meet broader company objectives.

Customer Services and Engaging with Fans

Contrasting with the lack of spontaneity in a social media specialists’ content creation process is the second most important element of a social media specialists’ job: responding to customers online. Most social media specialists pride themselves on their ability to make real, human connections with individuals engaging with their company. To accomplish this successfully, social media specialists are called to respond to queries or complaints with authenticity and promptness. Many social media specialists find this to be the most exciting part of their job; however, they also add that it comes with the stress of representing an entire brand in a public and unregulated fashion. For many, it takes months to work spontaneously without frequent emails to supervisors to ensure that responses are appropriate for the brand’s image.

Daily Schedule

Outside of creating and scheduling content for release and responding to customers, social media specialists engage with a wide variety of activities throughout their workdays. Brian Peters, a social media specialist at Buffer neatly presented his schedule on Buffer’s website:

MorningAfternoonEvening
7-7:30am: Breakfast & coffee12-12:30pm: Lunch5:30-6:45pm: Gym
7:30-8:30am: Email & voicemail12:30-1pm: Emails and voicemails6:45-8pm: Dinner with my wife
8:30-9am: Check-in on all social media platforms1-1:30pm: Respond and engage with community8-9pm: Learn (programming, video making, etc.)
9-9:30am: Measure social results and add to spreadsheets1:30-2:00pm: Curate content9-10pm: Relax and watch TV
9:30-10am: Respond and engage with community2-2:30pm: Read and learn10-10:30pm: Read
10-10:30am: Schedule new content to Buffer2:30-2:45: Break10:30pm: Sleep and repeat!
10:30-10:45am: Break & more coffee (much needed!)2:45-3pm: Schedule content to Buffer 
10:45-11am: Read and learn3-4:30pm: Content creation (video, graphics) 
11am-12pm: Content creation (podcast, writing)4:30-5pm: Emails and voicemails 
 5-5:30pm: Check Buffer queue 

As is evident in Brian Peter’s schedule, working as a social media specialist is a demanding job, which often requires constant availability and the agility to address urgent issues, trending content, and algorithmic changes to social media platforms at the drop of a hat. Because of this intensity, many social media specialists have mentioned having difficulty separating work from down-time, and social media from work.

For those dedicated individuals with a penchant for social media, design, community engagement, and strategizing, social media PR may be a field for you. But be aware, the field is rigorous and often demands much more than a typical 8 eight-hour workday.  

Jonathan is a Second Year German and Government major. He works as a Career Peer Educator to assist students in the CJW and GLI career communities. In addition to professional development, Jonathan is interested in the cultural construction of the modern nation-state, normative constraints on rational behavior, and all things German. You can schedule an appointment with him here to improve your resume, learn more about the CJW and GLI career opportunities, and work on anything else professional development-related.

Works Cited

Booz, Nicole. “What It Is Really Like to Work in Social Media.” GenTwenty, 4 Oct. 2015, gentwenty.com/what-it-is-really-like-to-work-in-social-media/.

Doyle, Alison. “Best Social Media Career Options to Consider.” The Balance Careers, 17 Sept. 2020, www.thebalancecareers.com/social-media-job-titles-2061507.

Kearl, Mary. Noodle, 17 Oct. 2019, www.noodle.com/articles/the-pros-and-cons-of-becoming-a-social-media-manager.

Morgan, Brittney. “7 Social Media Pros On What They Love (and Hate) About Their Jobs.” Business News Daily, 9 Sept. 2015, www.businessnewsdaily.com/8359-social-media-career-pros-cons.html.

Peters, Brian. “A Day in the Life of a Social Media Manager: How to Maximize Your Time on Social Media in 2017.” Buffer Library, Buffer Library, 30 June 2020, buffer.com/library/social-media-manager-checklist/.

Samuels, Rachael. “9 Skills Every Social Media Manager Must Have.” Sprout Social, 7 May 2020, sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-skills/.