Difference Between CV and Resume

Many students get confused with CV & resume as they look like the same type of document but actually, there is some good difference between CV and resume.

Sometimes many students form a misconception about CV & resume. For several years, many students tend to think that they refer to the very same piece of document & CV is just the synonym of resume! But as time progresses, a lot of documents & analysis are studied, the fact is revealed that there is difference between CV & resume & they are not the very same document. So what is it? let’s see:

Definition of CV

A CV is a document that contains the educational qualifications along with other skills & experiences that define or qualify a person to progress in their career. It is the instrument that all students must be equipped with when they are completing their graduation. This is the first tool through which a person is initially measured when applied for a job.

Definition of Resume

A resume is the summary of the work experiences mainly along with other relevant topics like skills or achievements that serve the need for a particular job. Both are used by job seekers to secure a suitable job.

Similarities Between CV and Resume

There are certain similarities between a CV & a resume, like both are formal documents made with great care & dreams. Both of them contain the achievements of persons. Sometimes little or no differentiation is made & a CV serves the purpose of a resume.

The Difference Between CV and Resume

Although a CV & a resume are used for similar purposes, there remains scope of difference between CV & resume. What are those? let’s find it out.

Point of differentiations	CV	Resume
Objective	Used for entry level jobs mainly.	Used for mid level & upper level jobs where experience is important more than other issues.
Contents	It contains personal details, family background, career objective, educational background in details, extracurricular activities, hobbies, strengths, workshops or seminars attended, training received & previous job experience (if any) etc.	It contains mainly personal profiles followed by the job experiences in details with types & tenure of position held in organizations etc.
Customization	It is mainly less customized & more standardized as there is an order followed like from most recent to more far in the past.	It is more customized as the experiences matter, no particular order is followed. Those things should come to the front that has direct relevance with the job applied for.
Use in practice	It is widely used in maximum places in the world as a detailed CV contains all the experiences so; it serves the need of a resume as well.	A resume is still not appropriately used & sought for even where it is needed, many organizations throughout the world prefer a CV more than a resume.
Length	It gets a bit lengthy as it covers all aspects of a graduate, like education, strengths, hobbies, extra-curricular activities, seminar or workshop attended etc. in detail.	It’s not generally lengthy as a lot of things are not mandatory to present here. Only details of relevant job experience need to be highlighted.

So, in spite of having similarity there is a subtle difference between CV & resume too. The purpose is the same but the writing style is different in a CV & a resume.