Resume vs CV: The Quick and Dirty
A resume is a short document summarizing your work and education experience relevant to a job or career.
A CV is a lengthy academic document that lists all of your scholarly achievements.
Resume vs CV
Resume
- Job oriented
- Professional Document
- 1-page (2-max)
- Summarizes education and licensure qualifications
- Lists job and volunteer experiences
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Academic oriented
- Scholarly document
- As long as it needs to be
- Summarizes subject matter expertise
- Describes academic publications and presentations
Um... what?
A resume or CV is a living document that narrates your professional &/or academic life.
A resume should generally be 1 page long (maximum two) and focused on your job experience.
A CV is as long as it needs to be and focuses on things like research experience, academic publications, conference presentations, and other scholarly functions. A CV is as long as it needs to be; it should include basically every scholarly achievement from your bachelor’s degree on.
What if a school asks for a CV?
If a graduate school asks for a CV as part of your application, they’re not necessarily expecting you to have a lengthy list of scholarly achievements. They are probably just wanting you to start thinking like the academic you hope to become.
Chances are, unless you already have a masters degree or significant research experience, your resume and CV look pretty much the same.
