The Curriculum Vitae (CV) vs. the Résumé
A-State Online Writing Center
Knowing the difference is important.
If you’re attending college or scoping out the career field, you have probably heard of
companies, occupations, or universities asking people to present either their curriculum vitae (or
CVs) or resumes when filling out applications. Both documents share important information
about an individual's work and accomplishments. Both of them are brag-worthy when it comes to
the person they are about, so it is easy to see how common it is that people tend to get one of
them confused for the other; however, the reality is that these two documents are very different
from one another. This guide will illustrate the differences between the CV and the resume and
provide you with all you need to know about constructing one or both!
The purpose of each:
“A resume is a one-page summary of your work experience and background relevant to the job
you are applying to.”
“A [Curriculum Vitae (CV)] is a longer academic diary that includes all your experience,
certificates, and publications.”
*Note: these rules specifically apply to how these terms are used in the United States; In Europe,
however, both of these terms do mean the same thing.
Source: (Kurtuy)
When to use each and why:
You would use a resume to apply for a job of any kind. You would use a CV, however, for
purely academic purposes, such as applying for a staff job at a college or university, joining a
research program, or applying for a Ph.D. program. (Kurtuy).
Differences in format: The CV:
There is no one “correct” way to write a Curriculum Vitae. The primary purpose of the CV is
fashioned to “show off” your academic career. However, there are ways to put together your CV
to make it appealing to the eye and make sure that the person reading it gives it the attention that
it deserves. The trick is to be sure that your CV is constantly updated with your most current
information, including your current occupations, major accomplishments, and projects.
General Formatting Guidelines for the CV:
● Times New Roman or Arial are common “go-to” fonts for professional documents, so
please use one of these.
● Use 11-12 point font and single spacing for the content of the CV, and for section titles,
use 14-16 point font.
● Make sure that the CV document is single-sided.
● Set the CV document to 1-inch margins
Differences in format: The resume:
Unlike the CV, resumes have a very “cut and dry” format since most employers want them to be
short, sweet, and to the point. The main focus of the resume is to give a concise summary of your
past and present work that is related to the job that you’re applying for, so the formatting will
need to be different from that which is given in the longer, more eloquent CV.
However, just like with the CV, there are ways to make the resume more “eye-catching” to
employers!
General formatting guidelines for the resume:
There are many templates available that you can use to create the perfect resume! Why put so
much time and effort into making one from scratch when there are already so many resources
available to you to use? Many of them are even available for free on Microsoft Word; you can
type right into them and use any eye-catching layout that you like. However, here is another site
you can use to have access to more of them: https://zety.com/resume-templates. You can also do
a quick search online to find any template that is even tailored to specific jobs, such as teaching,
agriculture, or even business, plus many more!
Differences in length:
Resumes are to be no longer than 1-2 pages, while for CVs, there is no real rule or limit to how
many pages it can have. However, it would seem that most CVs fall between 2-8 pages.
What to include on a CV:
● Contact information:
○ Full name
○ Professional title
○ Mailing address
○ Email address
○ Phone number
○ LinkedIn profile link (optional)
● Research interests
● Research experience
● Honors and/or awards
● Presentations you have given
● Education
● Publications (both academic papers and books)
● Teaching or lecturing experience
● Work/professional experience
● Conferences and courses
● Skills
● Certificates
● Languages
● Grants of fellowships
● References
Source: (Kurtuy)
Tips for CV writing:
● “White space is your friend,” meaning that it is crucial that you not put every little detail
about yourself on your CV; just because there is no page limit does not mean that you
should write a novel!
● Do not include any photos on a CV.
What to include in a resume:
● Your name
● Your current job and title (or, if you don’t yet have work experience, just write in the
position that you would like to have)
● All of your contact information (phone number, email, address, etc.)
● 1-2 sentence summary of yourself and what you want from this job
● Work experience (if you have any)
● Current education and/or graduation dates (if you haven’t graduated yet, put “degree
anticipated in 2021” or something of the like)
● Any skills you have that are relevant to the job
● Any additional languages you speak fluently
● Certifications that pertain to the position
Source: (Kurtuy)
Tips for resume writing”
● Keep it short and sweet! Resumes are not meant to be long in any form or fashion; even if
you are tempted to go over 1-2 pages, DO NOT.
Visual Example of a CV:
Source: (Tomaszewski)
