When applying for a job….Resume or CV? The most noticeable difference I we have noticed throughout my experience is the country. The majority of individuals from the United States have referred to a job submission as a resume when applying for a job and areas like Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia – have referred to applying for a job as their CV. So what is the difference? When applying for a job, which document should you submit? There are differences that separate the two types of application documents and I will explain.
A resume is an application for employment. The job seeker’s sole purpose is to secure a career. When developing a resume, you want to tailor it to the position of interest, while providing information about your knowledge, skills, and abilities. Within the resume, you need to annotate your education history, job related training, and you want to provide additional information that doesn’t quite fit into your resume – such as: computer skills, project development, and any experience you accomplished prior to 10 years, or maybe a short explanation about why you have gaps in your resume (appropriately and professionally. Ex. Gaps in employment due to completing degree). CV stands for Curriculum Vitae, which means course of life. A CV is an in-depth document and contains details of achievements in a biography format. It covers education, accomplishments like published work, awards, honors, etc.
Simply put, a CV is more personal, the goal is to include: nationality, personal interest/hobbies, education, a headshot, birthdate (some) and marital status (optional). The resume is concerned with your work history. A CV is a full record, while a resume is a brief overview. In the United States, CVs are commonly utilized for academia and medicine; applying for a specialized school or field of medicine.
The most important decision to make when considering resume or CV is to choose the right format that meets your objective. Resumes come in various formats: professional, federal, standard – depending on your career level and industry of interest, functional, chronological, or a combination of the two. In any case, edit-edit-edit. It is important to stay up-to-date with your career/experience progression. Also, you do not want to disqualify yourself for a minor mistake. For assistance with your resume, please contact us.
