Resume or CV

9 May 2018

People use the term résumé and C.V. loosely and interchangeably with the result that many people are confused about what they should call the document that accompanies their job application.  Let me encourage you to help clear up the confusion with the following clarifications.

C.V. is short for curriculum vitae.  This is a Latin term that means the course of one’s life. It is a chronological listing of the elements of your life that are part of your career such as education, roles, conferences attended, papers/books/articles written/submitted, projects worked on, titles bestowed, courses attended…  With this definition is it easy to see how it has become confused with the term résumé.  In a C.V. though there is no subtle embellishment or focusing of the attention of the reader.  An item goes in and it stays in.  The order of headings don’t change.  Everything gets noted equally from the mundane to the spectacular.  Over the course of a career a C.V. can become very long.

A résumé, in contrast, is a sales document that sums up, focuses, and picks out the relevant details of your career in order to present the most pertinent elements in the context of a job application. The purpose of a résumé is to sell the product that is you.

When you are going for a job the document that accompanies your application is your résumé.   You might keep a C.V. so you don’t forget things you have done, but if you are pitching yourself for a job it is a well-crafted and focused résumé that you will need.  Explore further in this blog for lots of resources to make yours fabulous.

As always wishing you a flourishing career.

Katherine