CV vs. Resume: The Difference and When to Use Which CV vs. Resume: The Difference and When to Use Which Google Whatsapp Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Delicious Buffer Ever wondered why a Brit applies with a CV and an American with a resume? And why does an Aussie apply with both? There are a few differences between the two types of application documents and this article will straighten out your queries as well as tell you where in the world you are likely to use which document. Let me kick off the bonanza by introducing the contender in the blue corner… CV: A CV (Curriculum Vitæ, which means course of life in Latin) is an in-depth document that can be laid out over two or more pages and it contains a high level of detail about your achievements, a great deal more than just a career biography. The CV covers your education as well as any other accomplishments like publications, awards, honours etc. The document tends to be organised chronologically and should make it easy to get an overview of an individual’s full working career. A CV is static and doesn’t change for different positions, the difference would be in the cover letter.

RELATED: What Recruiters Really Want to See on Your CV Resume: A resume, or résumé, is a concise document typically not longer than one page as the intended the reader will not dwell on your document for very long. The goal of a resume is to make an individual stand out from the competition. The job seeker should adapt the resume to every position they apply for. It is in the applicant’s interest to change the resume from one job application to another and to tailor it to the needs of the specific post. A resume doesn’t have to be ordered chronologically, doesn’t have to cover your whole career like and is a highly customisable document. RELATED: 7 Resume Mistakes You Probably Didn’t Realize Differences: As stated, three major differences between CVs and resumes are the length, the purpose and the layout. A resume is a brief summary of your skills and experience over one or two pages, a CV is more detailed and can stretch well beyond two pages. The resume will be tailored to each position whereas the CV will stay put and any changes will be in the cover letter. A CV has a clear chronological order listing the whole career of the individual whereas a resume’s information can be shuffled around to best suit the applicant.

I would say the main difference between a resume and a CV is that a CV is intended to be a full record of your career history and a resume is a brief, targeted list of skills and achievements. Let’s revise: CV – long, covers your entire career, static Resume – short, no particular format rule, highly customisable Usage around the world: A resume is the preferred application document in the US and Canada. Americans and Canadians would only use a CV when applying for a job abroad or if searching for an academic or research oriented position. In the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, a CV is used in all contexts and resumes aren’t used at all. The CV prevails in mainland Europe and there is even a European Union CV format available for download. In Germany, the CV is more commonly known as a Lebenslauf (true to the latin origins) and is only one of many application document the poor German job seekers must produce to get an interview. In Australia, India and South Africa, the terms resume and CV are used interchangeably. The term resume is used more for jobs in the private sector and CV is more commonplace when applying for public service positions. Question: So what gives if you apply for an American company in Europe or vice versa?

The jaded folks in HR will accept both types although I would recommend you use the local version. It’s not that hard to convert your document after all and if you hit a brick wall, just ask me for help. Which do you prefer, the CV, the resume, both, none? Please share your experience in the comments below! Purdue OWL: Writing the Curriculum Vitae Writing the Curriculum Vitae This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue ( When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice at bottom. Writing the Curriculum Vitae Summary: This handout provides an overview of strategies for writing an effective curriculum vitae. This topic is particularly important for graduate students who are entering the academic job market for the first time Contributors:Purdue OWL Last Edited: 2013-04-18 07:57:53 This handout provides an overview of strategies for writing an effective curriculum vitae. This topic is particularly important for graduate students who are entering the academic job market for the first time. Although there is some overlap between the two resources, this handout should serve as a supplement to the suggestions available from Purdue's Center for Career Opportunities . What is a Curriculum Vitae?

Also called a CV or vita, the curriculum vitae is, as its name suggests, an overview of your life's accomplishments, most specifically those that are relevant to the academic realm. In the United States, the curriculum vitae is used almost exclusively when one is pursuing an academic job. The curriculum vitae is a living document, which will reflect the developments in a scholar/teacher's career, and thus should be updated frequently. How is a CV different from a resume? The most noticeable difference between most CVs and most resumes is the length. Entry level resumes are usually limited to a page. CVs, however, often run to three or more pages. (Remember, however, that length is not the determinant of a successful CV. You should try to present all the relevant information that you possibly can, but you should also try to present it in as concise a manner as possible.) A more subtle but equally important distinction is that whereas the goal of a resume is to construct a professional identity, the goal of a CV is quite specifically to construct a scholarly identity. Thus, your CV will need to reflect very specifically your abilities as a teacher, researcher, and publishing scholar within your discipline. What should I include?

Your CV should include your name and contact information, an overview of your education, your academic and related employment (especially teaching,editorial, or administrative experience), your research projects (including conference papers and publications), and your departmental and community service. You should also include a reference list, either as part of your CV, or on a separate page. Also, if you have a dossier containing confidential references available, you should mention that on your CV as well. What comes first depends both on your background and on the job for which you are applying. Typically, the first item on a CV for a job candidate directly out of grad school will start with the candidate's education listed in reverse chronological order. Frequently the title and even a brief description of the dissertation will be included in this portion. After that, you will want to determine both what the jobs that you are interested in require and where your strengths lie. When determining what comes after your educational credentials, remember that the earlier in your document a particular block of information comes, the more emphasis you will be placing on that block of information. Thus, the most important information should come first. If you are applying at a research university, research projects, conference presentations, and especially publications become very important.

If you are applying to a liberal arts college or community college that strongly emphasizes teaching, then showing your teaching background is of paramount importance. In any case, you will want to be sure that the information that will be most helpful in determining your qualifications for the job for which you are employing comes before information that will be less helpful. Is there a standard curriculum vitae format? One of the most important things to remember when working on your curriculum vitae is that there is not one standard format. There are different emphases in each discipline, and a good CV is one that emphasizes the points that are considered to be most important in your discipline and conforms to standard conventions within your discipline. So how can you find out what these conventions are? A good place to start is to find as many examples as possible of CVs by people in your discipline who have recently been on the job market. You can find these by asking other grad students and junior faculty in your department if you can have a look at their CV's, and you can also make use of the Internet to find CV samples in your discipline. Resources such as The Curriculum Vitae Handbook by Rebecca Anthony and Gerald Roe (Rudi Publishing: Iowa City, 1994) also include sample CVs for various disciplines.

One caveat to remember regarding examples, however, is that they should never be used as models to be followed in every detail. Instead, they should be used as sources of strategies for how to present your own information most effectively. The most effective formatting for you will likely be distinguishable from the most effective formatting for someone else because your experiences and strengths will be different, and you will thus benefit from formatting adapted specifically to your situation. How should I construct my work description entries? Two common strategies that apply to CVs as well as resumes are gapping and parallelism. Gapping is the use of incomplete sentences in order to present your information as clearly and concisely as possibly. For example, instead of writing, "I taught composition for four years, during which time I planned classes and activities, graded papers, and constructed exams. I also met with students regularly for conferences," you might write, "Composition Instructor (2000-2004). Planned course activities. Graded all assignments. Held regular conferences with students." By using incomplete sentences here, you cut out unnecessary words and allow your reader to see quickly what you have been doing.

Parallelism is also very important to a strong CV Generally, you will want to keep the structure of your phrases and/or sentences consistent throughout your document. Thus, if you use verb phrases in one portion of your CV to describe your duties, try to use them throughout your CV Particularly within entries, make sure that the structure of your phrases is exactly parallel so that your reader can understand what you are communicating easily. One distinction between the work description sections of resumes and CVs is that bullets are very commonly used in resumes and tend to appear somewhat less frequently in CVs. Whether or not you use bullets to separate lines in your CV should depend on how the bullets will affect the appearance of your CV If you have a number of descriptive statements about your work that all run to about a line in length, bullets can be a good way of separating them. If, however, you have a lot of very short phrases, breaking them up into bulleted lists can leave a lot of white space that could be used more efficiently. Remember that the principles guiding any decision you make should be conciseness and ease of readability. How can I improve my CV?

Purdue's Writing Lab provides the opportunity to work with one of our graduate instructors in order to get some assistance with your CV, and many other universities offer similar opportunities through their writing centers. Also, consider showing your CV to your dissertation chair in order to get some feedback from him/her. Finally, many departments have job search or job placement committees that provide you with the opportunity to meet with faculty members in your department for extensive editing. If such a resource is available for you, that may be the best source of advice of all. What other resources are available for help with my curriculum vitae? There are numerous useful resources, both online and in print. Here are a few. The Chronicle of Higher Education's job site features an area called " First Time on the Market? " that may be helpful. The Curriculum Vitae Handbook by Rebecca Anthony and Gerald Roe (Rudi Publishing: Iowa City, 1994) includes sample CV's for various disciplines and tips for how to write CV's in various contexts.

The Academic Job Search Handbook (3rd Edition), by Mary Morris Heiberger and Julia Miller Vick (who are the authors of the Chronicle's "CV Doctor" column) also provides sample cover letters and CV's Curricula Vitae (CVs) versus Resumes - The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill Home » Handouts » Curricula Vitae (CVs) versus Resumes Curricula Vitae (CVs) versus Resumes PDF What this handout is about This handout explains what a curriculum vitae (CV) is, how it differs from a resume, and how you can decide which one to use. It also includes a list of campus resources, helpful online tips, and recommended reference books. (Please note that this handout covers American usage of the terms “CV” and “resume.” The word “resume” may also be spelled “resumé” or “résumé.”) Before you start To decide whether to submit a CV or a resume, you will need to determine which of them most appropriately fits the criteria provided by the employer, grant agency, or scholarship or internship committee who will be reading your application.

Often, the application instructions for a particular position will state whether a CV or resume is requested. If you are unsure, it is worth your time to contact the agency and ask which would be most appropriate for the position. What is the difference between a resume and a CV? What do they typically include? Let’s start with a quick overview of resumes, since they are more familiar to most American writers than CVs. A typical resume is a general and concise introduction of your experiences and skills as they relate to a particular career or position that you are aiming to acquire. As such, a resume may have to be altered for each position that you are applying for so as to emphasize those skills and experiences most relevant to the work. Resumes are usually no more than one page in length. They are often accompanied by cover letters , which provide a permanent written record of the transmittal of the resume (what is being sent, to whom it is being sent, and who sent it). A typical resume will include the following information: Name and Contact Information: your residential address might be most appropriate, especially if you do not want your current employer to know that you are looking for another job! Education: a listing of your degrees or certifications and educational institutions or programs.

Work Experience: names of the companies or organizations that you have worked for, the location of each company, the dates worked, your job title, and duties performed. In contrast, a CV is a fairly detailed overview of your life’s accomplishments, especially those most relevant to the realm of academia. As such, these documents have their greatest utility in the pursuit of a job in academia or research. Because academic researchers are often working on and completing many projects and teaching responsibilities simultaneously, it is wise to think of a CV as a living document that will need to be updated frequently. A typical CV for someone in the beginning stages of his or her graduate school career might only be two or three pages in length, while the number of pages of a more seasoned researcher’s CV may run into the double digits. In both CVs and resumes, information within sections is usually organized chronologically. A typical CV will include the following information: Name and Contact Information: contact information for your current institution or place of employment may work best, unless you do not want your colleagues to know that you are job-hunting. Areas of Interest: a listing of your varied academic interests. Education: a list of your degrees earned or in progress, institutions, and years of graduation.

You may also include the titles of your dissertation or thesis here. Grants, Honors and Awards: a list of grants received, honors bestowed upon you for your work, and awards you may have received for teaching or service. Publications and Presentations: a list of your published articles and books, as well presentations given at conferences. If there are many of both, you might consider having one section for publications and another for presentations. Employment and Experience: this section may include separate lists of teaching experiences, laboratory experiences, field experiences, volunteer work, leadership, or other relevant experiences. Scholarly or Professional Memberships: a listing of the professional organizations of which you are a member. If you have held an office or position in a particular organization, you can either say so here or leave this information for the experience section. References: a list of persons who write letters of recommendations for you, which includes their contact information. Additional considerations Use common sense when formatting There are no universal guidelines for how to format or organize a resume or CV. However, some commonsense guidelines may apply.

If you are concerned that your resume or CV might appear too busy or misaligned, click on Print Preview in your word processing program and evaluate the consistency of your use of space in the document. Fonts and font sizes: go with the flow It is a good idea to stick to commonly used fonts such as Times New Roman or Arial when creating a resume or CV. Fonts such as Bauhaus or Old English Text might have their place in other writing projects, but these might distract the reader and pull their attention away from the content you want them to read. Perhaps with the exception of your name, the use of a uniform font size throughout the document will also keep the reader focused on your accomplishments. Seek and evaluate examples Many professors and professionals have posted their CVs and resumes to online faculty web pages, bulletin boards, and employee profile pages on corporate websites. These documents, often posted as Adobe PDF files, are useful templates for designing your own CV or resume. It is best to search for a CV or resume of an individual who shares your field, discipline, or interests, as it will provide you with a model that most closely approximates what your final document might look like.

Campus resources at UNC University Career Services (careers.unc.edu) At University Career Services, located on the second floor of Hanes Hall, you will find a friendly staff and a thorough assortment of resources for creating and sharpening your CV or resume. Individual appointments and resume clinics are also available. In addition, the Career Services website includes an online resume creation tool (Optimal Resume™) that allows you to save a resume draft to work on over time at your convenience, and a number of handouts on job search strategies and writing CVs and resumes that are accessible by logging in with your UNC PID UNC General Alumni Association (alumni.unc.edu) Do you expect to graduate in the foreseeable future? In addition to making an appointment with University Career Services before throwing your cap in the air, a visit to the Career Services branch of the UNC General Alumni Association in the George Watts Hill Alumni Center might turn into a wise career move. After graduation, members of the GAA are eligible to receive resume tips and samples, as well as to take advantage of their resume posting service.

Links to additional online sources The Chronicle of Higher Education Jobs Site (chronicle.com/jobs) In addition to a ‘CV Doctor,’ this site provides some helpful tips for converting your CV into a resume. The Online Writing Lab at Purdue (The Owl) (owl.english.purdue.edu/owl) “The Owl,” as it is known in Writing Center circles, has many useful tips for writing both CVs and resumes in the handouts section of their site. Works consulted We consulted these works while writing the original version of this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find the latest publications on this topic. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . Jackson, Acy and Kathleen Geckeis. to Prepare Your Curriculum Vitae. 3rd edition. Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Rosenburg, Arthur D. Resume Handbook: How to Write Outstanding Resumes and Cover Letters for Every Situation. 5th edition.

Cincinnati, OH: Adams Media, 2007. Thompson, Mary Anne. The Global Resume and CV Guide. Ridgewood, NJ: Wiley Press, 2008. Vick, Julia Miller and Jennifer S. Furlong. . The Academic Job Search Handbook. 4th ed. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License . You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout (just click print) and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill How to Write a Curriculum Vitae (CV) for a Job How to Write a Curriculum Vitae (CV) for a Job Search the site By Alison Doyle Updated October 14, 2016 Are you working on a curriculum vitae ? Not sure what to include? Here's why, when, and how to use a CV, when to use a resume vs. a curriculum vitae, CV writing and formatting guidelines and examples. When to Use a Curriculum Vitae When should job seekers use a curriculum vitae, commonly referred to as a CV, rather than a resume ?

In the United States, a curriculum vitae is used primarily when applying for academic, education, scientific, or research positions. It is also applicable when applying for fellowships or grants. When seeking a job in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, or Asia, expect to submit a CV rather than a resume. Keep in mind that overseas employers often expect to read the type of personal information on a curriculum vitae that would never be included on an American resume , such as date of birth, nationality, and place of birth. United States law on what information job applicants can be asked to provide does not apply outside the country. What to Include in a CV There are several differences between a curriculum vitae and a resume. A curriculum vitae is a longer (up to two or more pages), more detailed synopsis of your background and skills. A CV includes a summary of your educational and academic backgrounds as well as teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details. As with a resume, you may need different versions of a CV for different types of positions. Like a resume, a curriculum vitae should include your name, contact information, education, skills and experience.

In addition to the basics, a CV includes research and teaching experience, publications, grants and fellowships, professional associations and licenses, awards, and other information relevant to the position you are applying for. Start by making a list of all your background information, then organize it into categories. Make sure you include dates on all the publications you include. Personal Information to Include in an International CV Marital Status All education including high school / secondary school Photos are also recommended (professional headshot is best) Date of Birth on CVs Some countries outside the United States expect you to include your date of birth on your CV. If you are applying to a foreign job, research the particular country’s protocol for job applications. If you are using a curriculum vitae (CV) or resume to apply for a job in the United States, due to current laws regarding age discrimination, you cannot be required to include your date of birth on your curriculum vitae. Customize Your Curriculum Vitae Once you have made a list of the information you want to include, it's a good idea to create a custom curriculum vitae that specifically highlights the experience you have that is relevant to the job you are applying for.

It takes more time to write a custom CV, but, it's worth the effort especially when you are applying for jobs that are a good match for your skills and experience. Use accomplishment oriented bullets that start with an action version and include a result. Start with a Professional Profile (also called a Summary) that highlights the best of what the candidate is offering. Edit content to include those areas of expertise, skills, and knowledge that match the job, not all the details of your education and employment history (work, research, fellowships, etc.) Tips for Getting Your CV Noticed Here are some tips on how to get your CV noticed in a crowded job market. Consider a Combination CV If you are looking for an academia position - consider a combination CV which includes a summary, job descriptions and accomplishments like a regular resume, along with all the additional information (such as presentations, publications, education, membership, certifications) in traditional CV's. This is a much more powerful presentation which will allow you to show how you add value and will stand out from the crowd.

Robin Schlinger, RobinResumes.com, CARW, CFRW, CPRW Target Your CV to Your Audience While the CV isn't a resume, it still should be carefully targeted and organized to best represent you in the light of your audience. First step here is, of course, careful study of the opening description. Second, find out who will be making the final candidate decision, and learn as much background information on each of these people as possible. That probably means networking your way to future peers, and finding out, if possible, what got them there. Be sure to ask questions about the culture; it'll give you clues in how to present your CV. Arrange the CV contents and organize your facts in accordance with what you've learned. For example, if a new post at a major university places particular emphasis on publishing, highlight your credits early, and include a bibliography listing of articles from most recent to oldest. Sandra E. Lamb, SandraLamb.com, author of How to Write It and Personal Notes Review CV Samples and Tips It's often helpful to take a look at a sample or two before you start writing.

Here are a selection of sample CVs, including versions for academia and for international employment, to review: Writing a Curriculum Vitae | Center for Academic Writing Center for Academic Writing Writing a Curriculum Vitae Purpose A curriculum vitae or résumé* presents the achievements of your professional and academic life in such a way that anyone who reads it will quickly and easily be able to find the information they want. Think of your CV as an advertising brochure that sells a product, and the product is you. We presume that you are a good product that employers would want to buy you if they realised how good you are; unfortunately, employers, like the rest of us, often buy the best marketed product, not the best product. Your CV is the one chance you have to persuade that employer or PhD program that you are the right person for them.This page provides guidelines and suggestions to help you use that chance effectively. At the end you will also find a practice activity where you can identify the errors of a bad CV, and two examples of 'good' CVs. For more examples of CVs and further useful tips and suggestions, take a look at the Student Services 'Career and Study Abroad' manual.

*In the US, a curriculum vitae is usually a document for academic purposes. A similar document which focuses on getting a job is called a résumé. In Britain, the term résumé is not usually used, and if it is, it is a synonym for CV. Ultimately, what matters is less what you call your document and more whether it has the appropriate content and presentation. On this page, much of the time, except where indicated, the terms are used as synonyms. Audience You may be writing a CV either to get a study place, or a job. Whichever it is, certain things will be the same, but there will be important differences. For this reason, it is better to avoid the 'one-size-fits-all' approach to CV writing. Either keep two versions available, for example one for study and one for jobs, or better still, revise and reorganize your CV for each job or study place you apply for. When you send in your CV, be it for a job or a study place, it will be just one of hundreds.

The person reading these CVs will not give more than one or two minutes to each one, and will expect you to present the information in a way that is easy for them to access - they will want to see the stuff that matters most to them first, not have to wade through information that is important to you but not to them. Throughout the process of writing your CV/résumé keep this person in mind and try to imagine what you would want to see if you were in their position. The Study CV When applying for a study place, it will be important to emphasize your academic abilities. Your education will take pride of place, and summer schools, conferences (especially if you have presented), publications and awards or scholarships should be listed. Employment should also appear, especially any work which is connected in any way with your field of research interest, though small, irrelevant jobs like working evenings in a restaurant are of no interest and should be left out. The Work CV (Résumé) When you apply for a job, your prospective employer is going to be most interested in your previous work experience and what you have learnt from it, so it will probably want to come first, before your education. Education will also be important, but details will not.

What courses you took or what you wrote your thesis about are unlikely to interest an employer unless they are directly related to the work. Education should be a short section and the main space will be devoted to your employment. Scholarships, conferences and so on can usually be left out, and unless they are directly relevant to the job, as can publications. In a résumé it is particularly important to emphasise the skills that you gained from a particular job. This is done in a list of bullet points usually set in under the job title & employer (see below). Content Decisions about what to put in and in how much detail are to an extent determined by audience and purpose, but there are two further principles that can guide you in writing a good CV: selective truth and less is more. Truth The first thing to be said is that you should never lie on a CV. Having said that, an employer, unlike a court of law, does not require you to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We all have failures in our lives, whether they are failed exams or jobs where we didn't get on. There is no need to mention your failures in your CV.

If at school you took three exams and failed one, don't say you failed one, just mention the two you passed. If you started a job, really hated it, argued with your boss and left after 2 months, don't put it on the CV. If someone asks, of course, you will have to tell the truth, but you are under no obligation to present yourself in a bad light from the outset. There is of course a limit to how much you can sweep under the carpet. If you failed a whole 3 year degree, you may have a hard time leaving it out altogether, but you can perhaps mention it as 'other studies'. It doesn't look particularly good, but you should have thought of that when you were out drinking instead of revising for your final exams. Less is more The length of a CV is partly determined by cultural factors - a good Australian CV will be at least 5 pages, a British CV maximum 2- and partly by how long your life has been, but as a rule, it is worth remembering that in whatever situation you send a CV, yours will be just one amongst many.

Employers and selectors may have to read a large number of CVs, and if a document does not give them the information they need within 1-2 minutes, they are likely to reject it without looking any further. If you can keep to one page without selling yourself short, do. What to include a) Personal Details Your name should be instantly visible, which means it should be bigger and clearer than the rest of the personal details text. Either you can put it on the same line as the words 'Curriculum Vitae', or on a separate line beneath but in the same size type. It is also fine to put only your name at the top and omit the words 'curriculum vitae'. Other usual details are your nationality (and citizenship if it is different, and important for the employer to know for technical reasons). Whether to include date of birth or marital status is a cultural issue. The Americans don't put them in, the British usually do. If you have a recognizable European given name like Mariana or Stefan, you don't need to indicate your sex, but if you have a name like Priit or Marzhan which is unlikely to enable people outside your own country to guess, it is helpful to say.

No information about your parents should be included. b) Contact Address Traditionally comes near the top, though there is actually no reason why it should, other than it's where people expect it. Only include a current address and a permanent address if there is a chance the person you are writing to will need to contact you again after you have left CEU. Addresses are necessary but they are boring and take up valuable space. c) Objective Your objective is something that only appears on US job résumés. An objective, like a cover letter, should always be exactly tailored to the employer that the résumé is going to. In order to formulate your objective clearly, ask yourself why you are applying to this particular company. If your answer is because you want to get an entry level position (first job) and the company is in the business of international marketing, then your objective is: An entry level position in an international marketing company Easy, huh? It may seem obvious to you that if you are applying to a marketing company, you want to work for a marketing company, but it never hurts to make the obvious explicit. c) Education The first question is the order in which to put your different studies - chronological or reverse (most recent first).

The argument in favor of chronological order is that people can see how your career develops. Proponents of reverse order argue that your most recent achievements will be your most impressive and most relevant and therefore need to catch the reader's eye first. This argument is particularly strong the older and more experienced you are, and when you are applying for jobs where your recent experience is relevant. If you only have 2 or 3 items it probably doesn't matter much, but be consistent: do both Education and Employment in the same order. The second question is the order in which to put the infomation within each entry. Here opinions differ as to whether dates, degree title or instituion should come first, but whichever order you choose, make sure you are consistent, and that you use the same order for your employment section. Dates Whichever order you use, do give dates. In the case of a degree, this usually means the date of graduation. If you give a graduation date for your studies at CEU, it will obviously be in the future. It is therefore not really necessary to embellish it with explanations that this will be your expected graduation date if all goes well and you manage to pass your exams.

You can give dates to the nearest month, but for a degree, just the year is probably enough. People know that most universities run from October to June. Title Limit your degree name to the title (e.g. MA) and the subject. You may well have done your thesis on changes in family structures in late eighteenth century rural Lithuania, but "History" is enough. You will only need to provide details of courses or your thesis title if you are writing an academic CV. Even here, if your past studies are not relevant to your future plans (e.g. you want to switch from Economics to Medieval History) there is probably little point in mentioning too many details. Only an overall final grade is needed. A detailed breakdown of grades is unnecessary. Name of Institution Again, keep it simple if possible. The name of your alma mater may be 'The Basil Tlostanov University of Vladivostok, School of Social and Cultural Anthropology of European Races' but 'Vladivostok University' is all anyone needs to know. British Style In British style, dates come on the left, and the headings and the text are both flush (level) with the left margin.

Education 2007 - 2011 BA Honours, Economics, University of Leeds 2011 - 2012 MA Economics, University of Edinburgh American Style In the US, it is often the case that where you studied matters more than what you studies, so the name of the university comes first, then degree inset underneath, and date on the right. University of Wisconsin Superior 2004 - 2008 BA Honours, Economics Brattlebro University, Vermont 2008 - 2010 Master of Business Administration d) Employment Much of what is said above goes for Employment as well. Dates should always be included, accurate to the month, not the day. Job title and employer's name should also be there, though opinions differ over which should come first. It is generally no longer considered necessary to give the employer's address, but it is good to mention the city or the country to give an idea where it happened. Also be aware of the level of knowledge of your reader. If you worked in Moscow, most people know Moscow is in Russia and you don't need to say so.

If you worked in Pisek, on the hand, beautiful as it is, few people will know where is, and you may want to tell them. Particularly in a job CV, your prospective employer will want to know what you have learnt from your work experience. It is therefore a important to list as bullet points under each job the principal duties you were involved in and the things you achieved. Commercial CV companies particularly emphasise the importance of stressing your achievements. For example, instead of "helped organise conference" you might say "successfully organised major conference". e) Awards and Scholarships These are only necessary in a study CV, and should be kept brief. The date, the funding body and the name of the sources of study is enough. f) Conferences attended Unless you are desperate for something to fill up space, it is probably only worth to mentioning conferences where you have presented. Include the date, title of conference, location, and the title of your presentation. Only needed in academic CVs. g) Publications Again, these are principally for academic CVs, unless it is relevant to your professional job.

Date, title of paper and of the journal (including volume number) is enough, or date, title and publisher in the case of a book. h) Other At the end of your CV come the smaller categories of minor but useful skills such as languages, computing skills, driving license etc. For language, stick to simple scale of ability such as fluent/good/fair/basic. Languages you only have a very limited command of and which are not relevant to the job are probably not worth including. Hobbies and interests are not necessary on a study CV. There are some experts who say that if you include your hobbies on a work résumé it will give the employer the impression you are a balanced person. On the other hand, the same people point out all the prejudices employers may have against certain hobbies (stamp-collecting = boring; protecting the environment or wildlife = politically dangerous, and so on). Decide for yourself, but remember it is the least important part of the CV. Appearance Few documents require such care in their design and such skill with word processing software as a curriculum vitae. Even the best CV can be ruined by cramped, fussy or untidy presentation.

In laying out your CV, there are three basic principles that should be born in mind: consistency, clarity and simplicity. Consistency When you choose the font, style (bold, italic etc.) or point size for a given type of information, such as job dates, stick to it. Make sure if one section heading is Arial 12 pt bold, all section headings are Arial 12 pt bold and that none of them is underlined or italic. If the dates under Education are 11 pt, make sure that under Employment they are not 10 pt. If one entry has a bullet point, put bullet points on all. If you use paragraph spacing, make sure that you have the same space after or before each paragraph of the same type. Clarity The information on your CV should stand out. This means that it should not be too small nor too cramped. White space is very powerful in design because it gives power to the little that is there. Packing your page as full as possible makes it visually unattractive and hard to read.

Below are some guidelines: Ensure your margins are 2.5 cm minimum all round (NB: send Page Setup to A4 - the MS Word default is US Letter, which will give you uneven margins on European A4 paper.) Spread out the information. If what you have to say doesn't fill the page, don't leave all the white space at the bottom; put empty lines between sections to separate them more clearly. If you have to have two pages, don't just put the last five lines on page two, spread the sections out a bit - and make sure a section is not split over two pages. Use the width of the page. Few lines of a CV will take the width of the page. If all lines are short, the text will all sit on the left and the result will be unbalanced. If this is the case, allow bigger margins. Do, whenever possible, however, make sure that title lines (such as date, job title, employer) do not wrap (i.e. go onto a second line). This can be achieved either by setting your margins to your longest line or reducing the number of words in that line.

Descriptions of duties and skills can wrap if necessary, but make sure that you do not end up with an isolated word or two on a new line. Use (shift+enter) to split the sentence in the place you want without starting a new paragraph. Simplicity A CV is a professional document; its appearance should be serious and businesslike, without clutter. The following guidelines can help make sure your CV looks neat and serious: Do not use more than a maximum of two different fonts, and these should be standard fonts like Garamond (serif) or Century Gothic (sans serif). Unless you are applying to be a hairdresser or a beautician, avoid decorative fonts. There is a convention that where two fonts are used, headings should be sans serif (e.g. Century Gothic) and text should be serif (e.g. Times or Garamond). However, some CV agencies now suggest you use one sans serif font only, especially if you may be faxing your CV, as serif fonts are harder to read on a poorly printed fax. Avoid mixing too many different styles such as bold, italics or underlining.

Bold or small caps (small letters replaced by small capitals) can be used for headings, but All Caps (all capital letters), popular in the days of typewriters when all letters were the same size, is now rather clumsy looking. Avoid too wide a variety of point sizes. A good range to use might be 11 pt for basic text, and 12 pt for headings, or if you have a lot to fit in, 11 pt and 10 pt. Don't go below 10 pt. Avoid boxes and lines around text areas as these make the page look cluttered. The Technical Stuff All the above assumes that you are going to write your CV in MS Word or another similar word-processing program. Some peole would like to make better use of multimedia possibilities, using html code or other file types. Bear in mind, however, that not all employers may have the software to read some multimedia files, and even if they do, they may find such an approach pretentious and unnecessary. A traditional text document is a safer bet. It has been suggested that some employers may be afraid of Word attachments, believing that these contain viruses. This can of course be true.

The sure way to avoid this risk is by sending your CV as an .rtf or .pdf file (both types are safe against viruses) but the technology-shy employer may not know this. Some agencies now suggest you paste your CV into the body of an e-mail. If you do this, bear in mind that you will need to sacrifice a lot of detail and keep things very clear and simple as you will not have any of the advantages of style, format or font at your disposal. Below are some brief guidelines for using MS Word to write your CV. You can always convert the file into .pdf later and maintain the format and layout. Spaces, tabs and tables The thing that marks you out as a real computer illiterate is positioning text with the space bar. OK, so you don't do that. The next really amateur thing is positioning with tab stops. Professionals use styles and tables to lay out information neatly. Styles MS Word has a sophisticated style facility that you may have used for headings in written assignments.

The 'Style…' command in the Tool menu allows you to create and edit styles so that, for example, all your headings look the same, all your title lines look the same, and you can change the appearance of all of them at once. You can even arrange styles so that when you press return at the end of a section heading, you automatically get the style you need for the first line under that heading. Use MS Word Help to get more information on using Styles. Tables Particularly if you have two columns on the page, a table can be a big help in lining things up. It can also mean that you don't have to go tabbing across the page when you have text on the right and none on the left. Never use visible lines in a table though, as they clutter the page and make it look full. and finally Peer Evaluation & Revision Before you send off your CV, make sure you get a friend to look at it and see what they think. Better still, bring it to the Center for Academic Writing for a consultation. It is often said that a single spelling mistake can lead to a CV being rejected. It is hard to say if this is true, but it is a theory that you will probably not want to test.

Purpose A curriculum vitae or résumé* presents the achievements of your professional and academic life in such a way that anyone who reads it will quickly and easily be able to find the information they want. Think of your CV as an advertising brochure that sells a product, and the product is you. We presume that you are a good product that employers would want to buy you if they realised how good you are; unfortunately, employers, like the rest of us, often buy the best marketed product, not the best product. Your CV is the one chance you have to persuade that employer or PhD program that you are the right person for them.This page provides guidelines and suggestions to help you use that chance effectively. At the end you will also find a practice activity where you can identify the errors of a bad CV, and two examples of 'good' CVs . For more examples of CVs and further useful tips and suggestions, take a look at the Student Services 'Career and Study Abroad' manual. *In the US, a curriculum vitae is usually a document for academic purposes. A similar document which focuses on getting a job is called a résumé.

In Britain, the term résumé is not usually used, and if it is, it is a synonym for CV. Ultimately, what matters is less what you call your document and more whether it has the appropriate content and presentation. On this page, much of the time, except where indicated, the terms are used as synonyms. Audience You may be writing a CV either to get a study place, or a job. Whichever it is, certain things will be the same, but there will be important differences. For this reason, it is better to avoid the 'one-size-fits-all' approach to CV writing. Either keep two versions available, for example one for study and one for jobs, or better still, revise and reorganize your CV for each job or study place you apply for. When you send in your CV, be it for a job or a study place, it will be just one of hundreds.

The person reading these CVs will not give more than one or two minutes to each one, and will expect you to present the information in a way that is easy for them to access - they will want to see the stuff that matters most to them first, not have to wade through information that is important to you but not to them. Throughout the process of writing your CV/résumé keep this person in mind and try to imagine what you would want to see if you were in their position. The Study CV When applying for a study place, it will be important to emphasize your academic abilities. Your education will take pride of place, and summer schools, conferences (especially if you have presented), publications and awards or scholarships should be listed. Employment should also appear, especially any work which is connected in any way with your field of research interest, though small, irrelevant jobs like working evenings in a restaurant are of no interest and should be left out. The Work CV (Résumé) When you apply for a job, your prospective employer is going to be most interested in your previous work experience and what you have learnt from it, so it will probably want to come first, before your education. Education will also be important, but details will not.

What courses you took or what you wrote your thesis about are unlikely to interest an employer unless they are directly related to the work. Education should be a short section and the main space will be devoted to your employment. Scholarships, conferences and so on can usually be left out, and unless they are directly relevant to the job, as can publications. In a résumé it is particularly important to emphasise the skills that you gained from a particular job. This is done in a list of bullet points usually set in under the job title & employer (see below). Content Decisions about what to put in and in how much detail are to an extent determined by audience and purpose, but there are two further principles that can guide you in writing a good CV: selective truth and less is more. Truth The first thing to be said is that you should never lie on a CV. Having said that, an employer, unlike a court of law, does not require you to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We all have failures in our lives, whether they are failed exams or jobs where we didn't get on. There is no need to mention your failures in your CV.

If at school you took three exams and failed one, don't say you failed one, just mention the two you passed. If you started a job, really hated it, argued with your boss and left after 2 months, don't put it on the CV. If someone asks, of course, you will have to tell the truth, but you are under no obligation to present yourself in a bad light from the outset. There is of course a limit to how much you can sweep under the carpet. If you failed a whole 3 year degree, you may have a hard time leaving it out altogether, but you can perhaps mention it as 'other studies'. It doesn't look particularly good, but you should have thought of that when you were out drinking instead of revising for your final exams. Less is more The length of a CV is partly determined by cultural factors - a good Australian CV will be at least 5 pages, a British CV maximum 2- and partly by how long your life has been, but as a rule, it is worth remembering that in whatever situation you send a CV, yours will be just one amongst many.

Employers and selectors may have to read a large number of CVs, and if a document does not give them the information they need within 1-2 minutes, they are likely to reject it without looking any further. If you can keep to one page without selling yourself short, do. What to include a) Personal Details Your name should be instantly visible, which means it should be bigger and clearer than the rest of the personal details text. Either you can put it on the same line as the words 'Curriculum Vitae', or on a separate line beneath but in the same size type. It is also fine to put only your name at the top and omit the words 'curriculum vitae'. Other usual details are your nationality (and citizenship if it is different, and important for the employer to know for technical reasons). Whether to include date of birth or marital status is a cultural issue. The Americans don't put them in, the British usually do. If you have a recognizable European given name like Mariana or Stefan, you don't need to indicate your sex, but if you have a name like Priit or Marzhan which is unlikely to enable people outside your own country to guess, it is helpful to say.

No information about your parents should be included. b) Contact Address Traditionally comes near the top, though there is actually no reason why it should, other than it's where people expect it. Only include a current address and a permanent address if there is a chance the person you are writing to will need to contact you again after you have left CEU. Addresses are necessary but they are boring and take up valuable space. c) Objective Your objective is something that only appears on US job résumés. An objective, like a cover letter, should always be exactly tailored to the employer that the résumé is going to. In order to formulate your objective clearly, ask yourself why you are applying to this particular company. If your answer is because you want to get an entry level position (first job) and the company is in the business of international marketing, then your objective is: An entry level position in an international marketing company Easy, huh? It may seem obvious to you that if you are applying to a marketing company, you want to work for a marketing company, but it never hurts to make the obvious explicit. c) Education The first question is the order in which to put your different studies - chronological or reverse (most recent first).

The argument in favor of chronological order is that people can see how your career develops. Proponents of reverse order argue that your most recent achievements will be your most impressive and most relevant and therefore need to catch the reader's eye first. This argument is particularly strong the older and more experienced you are, and when you are applying for jobs where your recent experience is relevant. If you only have 2 or 3 items it probably doesn't matter much, but be consistent: do both Education and Employment in the same order. The second question is the order in which to put the infomation within each entry. Here opinions differ as to whether dates, degree title or instituion should come first, but whichever order you choose, make sure you are consistent, and that you use the same order for your employment section. Dates Whichever order you use, do give dates. In the case of a degree, this usually means the date of graduation. If you give a graduation date for your studies at CEU, it will obviously be in the future. It is therefore not really necessary to embellish it with explanations that this will be your expected graduation date if all goes well and you manage to pass your exams.

You can give dates to the nearest month, but for a degree, just the year is probably enough. People know that most universities run from October to June. Title Limit your degree name to the title (e.g. MA) and the subject. You may well have done your thesis on changes in family structures in late eighteenth century rural Lithuania, but "History" is enough. You will only need to provide details of courses or your thesis title if you are writing an academic CV. Even here, if your past studies are not relevant to your future plans (e.g. you want to switch from Economics to Medieval History) there is probably little point in mentioning too many details. Only an overall final grade is needed. A detailed breakdown of grades is unnecessary. Name of Institution Again, keep it simple if possible. The name of your alma mater may be 'The Basil Tlostanov University of Vladivostok, School of Social and Cultural Anthropology of European Races' but 'Vladivostok University' is all anyone needs to know. British Style In British style, dates come on the left, and the headings and the text are both flush (level) with the left margin.

Education The Difference Between a Resume and a Curriculum Vitae Updated November 08, 2016 What is the difference between a resume and a CV? The primary differences between a resume and a curriculum vitae (CV) are length, what is included, and what each is used for. While both are used in job applications, a resume and a CV are not always interchangeable. What is a Curriculum Vitae? Like a resume, a curriculum vitae (CV) provides a summary of one’s experience and skills. Typically, CVs are longer than resumes - at least two or three pages. CVs include information on one’s academic background, including teaching experience, degrees, research, awards, publications, presentations, and other achievements. CVs are thus much longer than resumes, and include more information, particularly related to academic background. A curriculum vitae summary is a one-to-two-page, condensed version of a full curriculum vitae. A CV summary is a way to quickly and concisely convey one’s skills and qualifications. Sometimes large organizations will ask for a one-page CV summary when they expect a large pool of applicants. What is a Resume? A resume provides a summary of your education, work history, credentials, and other accomplishments and skills.

There are also optional sections, including a resume objective and career summary statement . Resumes are the most common document requested of applicants in job applications. A resume should be as concise as possible. Typically, a resume is one page long , although sometimes it can be as long as two pages. Often resumes include bulleted lists to keep information concise. Resumes come in a few types, including chronological , functional , and combination formats. Select a format that best fits the type of job you are applying for. When to Use a CV CVs are used almost exclusively in countries outside of the United States. In Europe, the Middle East, Africa, or Asia, employers may expect to receive a curriculum vitae. Within the United States, people in academia and medicine tend to use CVs rather than resumes. CVs are thus used primarily when applying for international , academic , education, scientific, medical or research positions or when applying for fellowships or grants. What to Include in Your Curriculum Vitae Like a resume, your curriculum vitae should include your name, contact information, education, skills and experience.

In addition to the basics, a CV includes research and teaching experience, publications, grants and fellowships, professional associations and licenses, awards and other information relevant to the position you are applying for. Start by making a list of all your background information, and then organize it into categories. CV and Resume Writing Tips Whether you are writing a CV or a resume, there are a few helpful rules you should follow. Match your resume or CV to the position. This is most important when writing a resume, but it applies to a CV too. Make sure that you highlight your education, work experience, and skills as they relate to the particular industry or job. In a CV, for example, if you are applying for a job in education, you might want to put your teaching experience at the top of your CV. In a resume, you might include only the work experience that relates directly to the job you’re applying for. You can also include keywords from the job description in your resume or CV. This will show the employer that you are an ideal fit for the position. Here's how to match your qualifications to a job . Use a template. You may want to use a template to structure your resume or CV .

This will give your application a clear organization, which will help the employer quickly see your qualifications and experience. Edit, edit, edit. No matter whether you use a CV or resume, you need to thoroughly edit your document . Make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors. Also make sure your format is uniform – for example, if you use bullet points in one job description, use bullet points in all your job descriptions. How to Write a Successful Resume Below are useful sources to help you write a strong resume. » European CV vs. U.S. Resume & CV Differences Curriculum Vitae Pro – CV Resume – How to Write a CV Curriculum Vitae Tips → European CV vs. U.S. Resume & CV Differences Posted: December 11, 2011 | Author: Astrid Martinez | Filed under: Curriculum Vitae Writing | Tags: CV Writing , How to Write a CV , How to Write a Resume | Comments Off on European CV vs. U.S. Resume & CV Differences It’s important to understand that the CV acronym, which refers to the professional document more formally known as the curriculum vitae, and has a very different meaning in the United States than it does in Europe.

In this article, we’re going to look at the European CV vs. the U.S. resume and CV, noting some of the big differences along the way. A U.S. CV is often a detailed document used to apply to academic, medical, research, and teaching positions. It is much more comprehensive than a U.S. resume, which is almost always one page long. The U.S. resume is used by most American job seekers. This can all get confusing because the European CV is not quite like either the U.S. CV or the American resume . Additionally, sometimes Europeans will refer to the European CV as a resume, but the document they are talking about is not really the same as a U.S. resume. Before we look at the differences between these documents, keep in mind that we are using the term “European” in an intentionally generic sense to refer to the shared business norms among primarily Western European countries. We do not mean to imply that the CV is exactly the same across Europe or that European countries are culturally alike. The term “European” is being used for simplicity’s sake to present a snapshot of what CV expectations generally are like in this region.

Now, here are 5 of the differences that stand out the most when considering the European CV vs. U.S. resume vs. U.S. CV: 1. Length. According to Expect Talent, a U.K.-based recruitment company, the “ideal length” for a European CV is 2 to 3 pages. This is the length an applicant will get if they use the EU administration’s Europass CV. An American resume , on the other hand, is usually a single page document. A U.S. CV starts at 3 pages—20 pages would not be inappropriate for a seasoned professional! 2. Paper size for printed versions. The European CV should always be printed on ISO A4 paper, the standard paper size used for many different types of business correspondence in most of the world. ISO A4 paper measures about 8.27 × 11.69 inches. The U.S. resume and U.S. CV, on the other hand, should always be printed on American “letter size” paper. In the U.S., “letter size” paper is 8.5 × 11 inches.

The exception would be an American acting resume, which is always printed on, or attached to the back of, a professional 8” x 10” headshot. 3. Personal information. It is acceptable, although increasingly optional, to include some personal information on a European CV. According to Alison Doyle, author of Alison Doyle’s Job Search Guidebook, many European CVs start off with the following types of information. Marital Status Number of children (ages optional) Personal Interests Nationality and gender are also commonly mentioned on a European CV. On the other hand, sharing any type of personal information on a resume, CV, or cover letter is considered very unprofessional in the US. The one exception may be gender, since it’s not uncommon for a person with a gender-neutral name such as Jessie, Dominique, or Casey to put the “Mr.” or “Ms.” honorific on their resume or CV to indicate their gender. But, this is always optional. Now, some American resumes and CVs still mention personal interests or hobbies, but this is usually considered outdated in today’s highly competitive job market, unless the applicant’s hobbies are exceptionally relevant to the position for which they are applying.

The EU administration’s suggested Europass CV format is designed so that an applicant can put their nationality and date of birth just below their contact information. 4. High school information. A European CV is always expected to contain some secondary school information, even if the applicant has an advanced college degree. On the other hand, a U.S. CV does not contain this information. A U.S. resume may contain this information, but only if the applicant has not completed any college courses. Even this is sometimes considered optional. When it is included, it’s usually just the basics, in a format like this: High School Name, City, U.S. State (Year of Graduation) On a European CV, the type of high school information included varies by country. On a U.K. CV, the focus is on A Levels and O Levels, which are tests taken in secondary school that cover proficiencies in specific subjects. The EU administration’s recommended Europass CV format is intentionally flexible when it comes to this section. 5. Photo. A European CV will, in some countries, contain a photo, usually a professional-looking headshot. However, the European administration’s recommended Europass CV format doesn’t include this, which may be a sign that it is being phased out.

A U.S. resume or U.S. CV will almost never include a photo. Acting resumes and modeling resumes are exceptions. Final thoughts on the European CV vs. U.S. resume vs. U.S. CV… This is all kind of like how “football” in the U.S. refers to a sport with a lot of passing, catching, and tackling, while “football” in Europe refers to what would be called “soccer” in the U.S., a sport with a lot of kicking and running where no one but the goalie touches the ball. An American could end up feeling very embarrassed if they went to watch a “football match” at a party in England wearing a National Football League jersey and matching sweatpants! It’s important not to assume that English words will have the same meaning across English-speaking countries. Stay tuned, as our next articles will cover how to work with various types of CV and resume formats.

Question: What do the Americans call what we call a curriculum vitae?
Answer: RESUMÉ