Are you one of those who gets confused with resume and curriculum vitae? Well, you are not alone with this issue.

Most of the time, resume and curriculum vitae are being interchanged. But, you can still expect that there are some differences between the two. Although sometimes understanding the difference between resume and curriculum vitae can be a little bit confusing, still, you have to understand that these two are completely different documents. These require different writing styles, format and technique and each has to be intended for specific industry and type of job.

Features of Resume

The resume is best described to be shorter than a curriculum vitae and has more focus on achievements and relevant skills. Generally, the content of a resume need not exceed a single page in length. Also, it will be safer for you if you opt to be conventional if you wanted to get the job.

A resume is generally organised into some significant sections. Also, resume often features boosting language and tend to be more obvious in self-promoting.

  • Chronological – Commonly, a resume is known to its chronological format
  • Focused – The content of the resume is well-organized according to the relevance to targeted job position
  • Functional – The resume is structured based on your qualifications and skills

Features of Curriculum Vitae

A Curriculum Vitae or CV serves to be an account of a person’s entire education as well as employment history. It is also known as the course of life or the record of your working life. CV is more detailed compared to resume which irrelevant elements are excluded. A CV includes everything you have ever done which is listed in a reverse chronological order. Meaning, a curriculum vitae is longer than a resume. However, it is ideal for you make a CV with two pages in length.

Moreover, the information within the Curriculum Vitae is arranged based to the subheadings. This way, it will be easier for the readers to quickly browse and then find the necessary information. Also, a CV is intended to let the prospected employers find out everything about you. It is essential for you to make your CV easy to understand so that the employer can easily decide whether they will give you the job.

The same way to resume, there are some sections for Curriculum Vitae

  • Objectives or Profile – This include a short statement which is well-tailored to suit the job requirements set by the prospected employer
  • Qualifications or Education – This section has the list of the courses you had and the institutions you attended. Also, this includes your grades awarded and the dates attended.
  • Competencies or Skills – You may include here any of your achievements or skills that are all relevant to the job.
  • Career Summary – The career summary of your CV need to be the most detailed part. Each job needs to have a short skills description that you used and the role of your achievements.

You may be surprised at the differences between a resume and curriculum vitae. But whichever you opt to use, it is important for you to follow the right conventions for you to get your dream job.