It might surprise you, but CVs and resumes are not the same things by a long shot! Both these documents have the same purpose: to act as a summary of your whole life’s professional achievements. However, they are used for different purposes.
The best way to remember the distinction is to understand where they’re used. If you’re looking for work based on skills, a resume is what you need. However, academic, scientific, and research-based applications and proposals require a CV.
What is a CV?
CV stands for Curriculum Vitae. This document is based on establishing your credentials and your history, which is why CVs are much longer than resumes. They include extensive contact information, details of your education, specifics of your work history, descriptions of your research projects, a list of publications, and professional affiliations.
Sometimes, employers will ask for a CV summary as well, which is a 2-3 page document that contains the critical elements of the CV. All kinds of information are relevant for CV. All of these requirements make CV’s extremely long, which is why jobs outside of research and academia don’t ask for them.
How are Resumes Different?
Resumes are a different ball game because they do not contain all of the extensive information that CV’s are supposed to. One could derive their resume content from their CV, but that’s where the similarities end. Resumes are always skill-based, rather than credentials-based.
When an employer asks for your resume, they’re looking for the one (or two) page answer to their questions about you as a potential employee. So, a resume should only contain what is relevant to the particular position you’re applying to and nothing else. Employers don’t want to know about the details of your final year college thesis; they want to see if you can do the job.
How Do I Make Them?
The best way to make both a CV and a resume is to have a master document that lists everything you’ve accomplished. This starts from high school and ends with now. Organize it by year so that everything is clear.
From there, you can design your CV or resume. There are plenty of templates available online for this purpose. Your local top recruiting agency can also help you with this process through consultations.
However, a resume needs a unique touch. Try and look for an easy to read template that packs information on it. Don’t waste any space, but don’t overcrowd it and make it hard to read. Try and only include information that fulfills the job description.
Following these tips sounds easy enough, but even with a great resume, you might not be getting the best out of job opportunities. Our recruitment experts at Superior Staffing can help you if you’re stuck with no job in Paterson, NJ. Call us at (973) 866-5166 to schedule a detailed consultation with our team.
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