If you’re on the job hunt, maybe you’ve had this exact thought: “what’s a CV and why aren’t they asking me for a resume?” Even if you haven’t had this thought, it’s useful information for any future career plans that will require you to submit applications. It’s always best to be as prepared as possible when facing the workforce and expanding your goals.
A resume provides a clean, organized summary of your work history, skills, accomplishments, and any other relevant information that showcases your candidacy. Depending on the format you use, there might be sections stating an objective or career summary. Remember, the format of a resume depends greatly on your own needs; frequently, people choose between chronological, functional, or a combined format of the two. Overall, keep your resume to a one-page document.
A CV, which stands for curriculum vitae, is a much longer resume (think at least a few pages). This document takes everything you already have on your resume and goes into much greater depth, sometimes even adding information about research, awards, publications, teaching experience, and more.
Part of the reason a CV might seem mysterious is because they’re not too frequently used in the United States outside of a few select professions, like academia. However, they’re sometimes called for when applying to things like fellowships and will randomly pop up on job applications that you wouldn’t assume would be calling for one.
As with resumes, you will want to craft and edit your CV for each job application. If you need more examples of a well-written CV, there are plenty of templates online that demonstrate how to structure the document.
You can visit a no-cost Goodwill Career Center and ask a career advisor for assistance with job preparation, including resume building, cover letter writing, and interview techniques. Call 602-535-4444 to find a center near you or visit our locations page.
