CV vs. Resume: Key Differences (Plus How To Write a CV)

Image description

An illustration shows a CV and a resume side by side, with boxes above that read, "Curriculum Vitae vs. Resume." Next to the documents, there's a list of these qualities

• Length of document

• Experience

• Geographic location

• Level of detail

• Career type

As with a resume, a CV (or curriculum vitae) is often an employer’s first impression of your professional and academic credentials, so it’s important to structure it in a way that best showcases your accomplishments and experience. Certain jobs in academia or in medicine might require you to submit a CV instead of a resume, and a CV can also open doors for grant applications, fellowships and jobs outside the United States.

In this article, we offer a guide to writing a powerful CV that will help you stand out to employers, along with easy-to-follow examples.

What is a CV?

A CV—short for the Latin “curriculum vitae,” meaning “course of life”—is a detailed document highlighting your professional and academic history. CVs typically include information such as your work experience, along with your achievements, awards, scholarships or grants you’ve earned, coursework, research projects and publications of your work.

A CV is typically two or three pages long, but it’s not unusual for it to be much longer for mid-level or senior job applicants as a CV serves as a full outline of one’s career accomplishments. When it comes to CVs, though, don't cut crucial information just to save space.

Related: What To Include in Your CV

What is a resume?

A resume is a formal document providing an overview of your professional background and relevant skills. Standard sections on a resume include your work history, education, a professional summary, and a list of your skills. The three resume formats are reverse chronological, functional and combined.

Related: 10 Resume Writing Tips To Help You Land a Position

CV vs. resume differences

As noted, a CV and resume are similar in that they’re both formal, details documents that summarize your professional history, education, skills and achievements. They’re also both documents you may provide an employer for consideration for an open position. This said, there are differences and it’s important you know when a CV would be preferred and how to properly create one. Here is an overview of how CVs compare to resumes:

Kate Palmquist has eleven years of HR experience with various companies. She's had roles from generalist and business partnering to consulting in multiple industries. She discusses the differences between these two documents here:

While a resume and a curriculum vitae (CV) are similar, they do have differences in their delivery. It's more common to use a CV in an academic setting. A CV displays the certifications and credentials you have. CVs are typically multiple pages in length and provide further details on project work or publications.
—Kate Palmquist

Read more: What’s the Difference Between a Resume and a CV?

The CV format

While your CV should be specific to your background and tailored to the job for which you're applying, there are several steps you can take to ensure you write an effective CV. To start, most CVs include the following sections:

• Contact information

• Academic history

• Professional experience

• Qualifications and skills

• Awards and honors

• Publications

• Professional associations

• Grants and fellowships

• Licenses and certificates

• Volunteer work

• Personal information (optional)

• Hobbies and interests (optional)

Read more: CV Format Guide: Examples and Tips

How to write a CV

When creating your CV, consider following these steps and remember, a curriculum vitae should be as detailed as you need it to be to explain your background and credentials:

1. Include your contact information

This includes your full name, phone number and email address. Including your address is optional. If you do include it, only list city, state and ZIP.

Related: Should You Put Your Address on Your Resume?

2. Detail your academic history in reverse-chronological order

This section can include your post-doctoral programs, graduate school, undergraduate school and high school. Only include your most recent two educational experiences. Dates attended is only recommended if you’ve graduated in the past five years.

3. Record your professional experience

List the company (or organization), job title and dates employed starting with your most recent job. List your job duties, your experience gained and your achievements. Start each bullet point with an action verb to demonstrate your responsibilities.

It's also best to use numbers to measure your impact when possible. This shows employers the exact results you’ve gained for other organizations. To do so, consider the following:

• Dollar amounts ($): How much more revenue did you help bring in annually? How much money did you save the company and over how many years?

• Percentages (%): By what % did you increase the efficiency of a process? By what % did you help reduce errors? By what % did you exceed your sales goals?

• Numbers (#): How many employees did you manage? How many calls per day did you answer? How many offices/locations did you coordinate with on a project?

For example, instead of writing “Responsible for drafting proposals on muscle cell motility studies,” you might say, “Developed research proposal on structural studies of muscle cell motility in collaboration with a 6-person research team that secured a $20K federal grant.”

Related: How To Find Your Complete Work History

4. Include relevant skills and qualifications

This can be part of a separate skills section. Reread the job description to highlight the most important skills employers are looking for. These can include both hard and soft skills that make you the best candidate for the job.

Related: 10 Best Skills To Include on a Resume

5. List honors and awards

Use this section to outline your achievements in the field related to your application. Start with the award name followed by the year it was awarded, the organization that gave you the award and details about the award such as how often the award is given, how many people receive it, etc.

For example:

Honors and Awards
UT Teaching Awards, 2018, 2019, 2020
Brazil Study Abroad Grant, Summer 2017
Dissertation Fellowship, 2016

Related: Listing Accomplishments on Your Resume (With Examples)

6. Include relevant publications and presentations

Include relevant citations of presentations, papers, studies, books or other publications important to your professional history. For publications, include authors, the date published, a summary, volume, page and DOI number. For presentations, include the title, date and location of the presentation.

For example:

Publications
Book Gonzaga, Joseph. “The Business of Affordable Housing." Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press (forthcoming)

Peer-Reviewed Journals Gonzaga, Joseph. “The Case for Building a Life on Mars.” International Journal of Astrobiology, vol. 36, no. 2, 2018, pp. 101-108.

Gonzaga, Joseph. “How affordable is affordable housing?” European Journal of Housing Policy and Debate, 2017

Conference Presentations
2020. Gonzaga, Joseph. “Building in the Valley.” Hispanic History Association Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA

2019. Gonzaga, Joseph. “The Future of the Projects: Building a Home, Not Just a Project.” Housing and Urban Development Annual Conference, Chicago, IL

Related: Including Publications on Your CV: Benefits and Tips

7. List your professional associations and affiliations

This should include the name of the organization, geographic location or chapter and dates of active membership.

For example:

Memberships and Affiliations
National Society of Black Engineers (2015–Present)
German Association of Women Engineers (2016–Present)
National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (2019–Present)

8. Proofread your CV for errors

Before submitting your job application, be sure to thoroughly review your tailored CV for any errors or inconsistencies. Consider asking a trusted colleague or professional mentor to review it as well—especially if they’re experienced in the industry you’re applying to. A second opinion can be useful in helping you craft a well-polished CV.

Note, some employers, especially post-secondary institutions, may offer their own CV template and CV examples to help make sure you include all required information in the format they prefer. Before you submit your CV and application, look for any special CV guidelines the employer may have outlined. For example, some institutions may make clear you’re only to list relevant coursework, fieldwork, dissertations or professional references.

Make sure you keep your CV up to date. If a need arises where you have to supply a CV, it can be easier to have a document you can immediately use rather than trying to update and recall all the information you've worked on in the past.
—Kate Palmquist

Related: How To Write a CV: Tips, Template and Example

CV template

While most CV documents share the same basic structure and format, the organization and content of a CV depend on the type of position you apply for. When organizing your CV, list the most relevant sections first to catch an employer's attention, whether that is your work history or an impressive list of publications. Here’s a CV template to reference when creating your own:

[Name]
[Address]
[Phone number]
[Email]

Education

[Type of degree]
[Major and minor]
[Name of school]
[Date of attendance]

Publications

“Title,” Publication name, date: page numbers.
Use the same citation style for each publication to be consistent

Conference presentations

“Presentation Title,” Conference Name, Month Year

Professional experience

[Name of most recent position]
[Start date - end date]
[Name of organization or employer]

• Brief description of job duties

• Use short phrases to be as succinct as possible

Skills and certifications

Use bullets to list your skills
List the specific name of your certifications and the organization that provided the certification

Awards and honors

Memberships

Related: Curriculum Vitae (CV) Templates for a Successful Application

Example CV

And here is a CV example you can reference when composing your own:

Joe Smith
1234 Main Street, Atlanta, GA 30308
770-555-1234
joe.t.smith@email.com

Education

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree, 2018
University of Texas College of Science, Austin, TX

Professional experience

University of Southern California
Professor, Herman Ostrow School of Veterinary Sciences | 2012–2018

• Taught multiple undergraduate and graduate courses in veterinary sciences.

• Fostered student commitment to lifelong learning and excellence in veterinary sciences.

• Acted as a student advisor to first-year veterinary school students.

Skills and qualifications

• Team leadership

• Seminar instruction

• Fluent in English and Spanish

• Specialization in livestock science research and development

Awards and honors

• AVMA Advocacy Award, 2018

• AVMA Animal Welfare Award, 2016

Publications and presentations

• Yang, J., Sanchez, C., Patel, A., Johnson, L., (2017) “Study of cocoa product component theobromine and danger to canines.” Journal of Modern Veterinary Medicine. 272: 1234-56789.

Professional associations and affiliations

• American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (2013–Present)

• American Veterinary Medical Association (2011–Present)