Curriculm Vitaes And Resumes, What’s The Difference?
Resumes and curriculum vitaes both have the same purpose although there are slight differences between them, both documents contain information or facts about your personal skills and achievements that can easily be shared to your prospective employer when applying for a job.
A curriculum vitae, or CV, is a complete run-down of your entire education and work history. Compared to a resume, curriculum vitaes are far more detailed and should include everything that you’ve done in your whole career being listed in a reverse chronological order.
Unlike resumes, there are no standard formats for the construction of curriculum vitae. However, consistency on how you present your sentences and phrases should be observed all throughout your document.
A resume contains all the relevant skills and achievements that one should posses in order to fit the needs of an employer. Contrary to a curriculum vitae, it’s not a big issue to miss out on some personal things such as hobbies and interests which are irrelevant to the desired position you are aiming for.
Chronological, Functional and Focused. These are the three well known formats widely used when creating a resume. The utilization of resume styles to personalize your resume is a good thing but it can sometimes be risky for the fact that there are times when an employer or your employer’s staffer might not like it. The best way to use this this type of modification is when you are introducing yourself in a creative field such as art or design.
Another key difference that separates a resume from a curriculum vitae is that resumes are obviously more self-promoting and focused mainly on the candidate’s specific skills and accomplishments. Resumes can also be presented in a less formal way or structure with the use of resume design that gives room for a more personalized look and creative presentations.
The most noticeable difference between resumes and curriculum vitaes is probably their length. Resumes are often limited to one page whereas curriculum vitaes are usually two to three pages long. Arguably though, a lengthy presentation does not often translate to a successful and effective curriculum vitae or resume. As much as possible, you should always trim down the page count without compromising the content. While doing so, all the relevant information within the document should be presented concisely to make it easier for your reader to skim through it and spot all the information that they require as fast as possible.
Keep in mind that resumes are often used when you are trying to construct a professional identity. When applying for a specific job or position in any field of business, it is best to use a resume. Curriculum vitaes on the other hand, are utilized to establish a scholarly identity. So if you are applying for grants or academic professions like teaching, using a curriculum vitae is the way to go.
It’s surprising enough to discover on how many people do not know the difference between a resume and a curriculum vitae. After being able to distinguish one from the other and familiarizing yourself with the functionalities of both, it should be easy enough for you to pave your way through getting those interviews and winning yourself that dream job.
