CV or Resume: Which one do you use?

CV or Resume: Which one do you use?

What is the difference between a CV (curriculum vitae) and a resume? In this post I want to discuss the major differences between a CV and Resume and show you an example of each. As a student, I think it is very important to have an updated resume. You will need to use a resume for grad school auditions and job interviews. It also comes in handy when you apply for scholarships at your university or to PASIC. Keep all of your programs and try and update your resume at least twice a year (Summer and Winter Break).

The main difference between a CV and a Resume is the length and what is included in the document. A resume is a one page summary of your education, experience, honors and skills. A CV is at least two pages (usually longer) and includes a summary of your education background, teaching experience, publications, awards, honors, research and other details. It is common in the United States for a CV to primarily be used in academic circles. I prefer to think of a CV as an annotated resume.

The main differences between a CV and a Resume are:

The Curriculum Vitae (CV)

1) The CV is a multiple page document listing all of your achievements.
2) A CV includes ALL of your honors, achievements, teaching and educational background.
3) A CV is normally accompanied by a cover letter, which summarizes the CV and points out the strengths in your CV.

The Resume

1) A resume is a one page document that summarizes your education, experience, skills and honors.
2) A resume should only contain relevant information to the job your are applying for.
3) A resume is generally not accompanied by a cover letter.

To help illustrate the difference between a CV and resume, I have posted my CV and my Resume on DrumChattr. I welcome and feedback and contributions to these documents. I created the resume for this post by cutting down my CV. As a faculty member at CSU, Long Beach, I maintain my CV and haven’t used a resume since my undergrad. But, I thought it was important to show the difference between a CV and a resume, so I created a resume for the purpose of this post only.

I have found that CVs and resumes can come in a variety styles and formats. There are many resources on the internet on formatting these documents. I hope this inspires you to dust off your CV/Resume and make sure it is ready for the next opportunity to come your way.

When is the last time you edited your CV/Resume? Are there any resources that you would recommend? Leave us a comment in the Chattr Section and let us know.

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Originally posted on DrumChattr.com on November 9, 2010.

The photo in this post is used under the Creative Commons License: Attribution – NonCommercial – NoDerivs 2.0 Generic by ssteacher on Flickr.com.

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