Which One Do You Need?
To many in the United States, the term Curricula Vitae (or CV) is probably somewhat new, but in this world where information rules and people can work for an employer in London from their home offices in San Francisco, the term is becoming more common. More employers are requesting to see an applicant’s CV these days, especially on freelancing sites, like Elance.com.
I’m going to end the suspense early on and just answer the question: In today’s global marketplace, you need both. You want to be able to cover the bases if you find yourself dealing with an overseas employer or client and that applies to anyone in the world, not just Americans.
What’s the Difference?
A Curricula Vitae (which is Latin for “course of life”) is generally longer than a résumé. It is a bit more in-depth. Most American employers prefer a one-page résumé that their HR department can scan for relevant keywords that will determine whether you will be offered an interview.
In many places throughout the world, however, employers want the opportunity to get to know the applicant a bit more beforehand. The ideal CV is about two pages long and includes a much more detailed accounting of your experiences and achievements to date. It is much more than just a biography of your career thus far. A CV includes information about everything from work experience to education to any other notable accomplishments. Have you received any awards? Have you published any books or papers? It all belongs in your CV.
Your CV should be set up chronologically and should easily establish a timeline of your entire professional life. It should be put together in a way that makes it easy to build upon the information already there. Some résumés only cover five years of employment history. If a potential employer asks for your CV, they want to know more.
A résumé is more concise. It is designed to give the reader a quick and clear overview of your current professional status that also makes you stand out from anyone else competing for the job.
It’s true that human eyes might never actually look at the paper, but if they do, you only have about 30 seconds to make your statement on average. This is why you might find that you actually need a résumé for every position for which you apply; you will likely want to highlight different things when applying for different jobs.
A résumé also doesn’t need to be ordered chronologically or cover your entire career. It is much more customizable than a CV.
So what are the exact differences? There are three major ones to remember: length, layout, and purpose. A résumé is shorter than a CV, about a page as opposed to two or more, a résumé is more versatile than a CV in terms of layout, and a résumé provides a glimpse of your current career status, whereas a CV is a much more comprehensive look at your overall personal life.
Who Is Most Likely to Ask for Each?
A résumé is the most likely document you will be asked to produce for an employer in the United States or Canada, although certain fields, including research and academics, do sometimes require a CV.
If you are applying to work for employers in the United Kingdom, Ireland, or New Zealand, you will be asked to submit a CV at least 99 percent of the time. The remaining parts of both Western and Eastern Europe are a bit of a tossup, which is why we say to have both and keep them updated. That said, European countries do lean heavily toward the CV these days to the point where the European Union actually has its own format that applicants are often required to know and use.
When applying for jobs in Australia, South Africa, or India, the terms “résumé” and “CV” are used synonymously. You will hear “résumé” more in the private sector and “CV” in the public sector. How do you set up this hybrid document? Your best bet is to treat it like a CV in most cases.
Applying to American Companies Overseas
This is an interesting question and one that has more to do with etiquette than hard and fast rules. American companies hiring overseas are likely to take either a résumé or CV, but it’s always smart to go with what is common in that country. If you are applying for a job with a U.S.-based company in London, for example, your best bet is to submit a CV.
If you need help putting together the tight document for the job you want, I definitely recommend hiring a good résumé writing service to help you. Most professional copywriting agencies are adept with producing both a résumé and a CV.