Resume or CV? Aren’t they the same?

Contrary to popular belief among candidates, employers and even some recruiters and specialist Resume writing companies the term CV is not simply an abbreviation for Resume, nor can it be correctly interchanged.

They are not the same thing, nor do they have the same definition, in fact the reverse is more likely. The Resume is closer to an abbreviated version of a Curriculum Vitae.

Résumé has a French background meaning "summary" and is also regularly spelled Resumé and Resume. The Resume is more accurately referred to as a document that contains a summary or listing of relevant job experience and education. One of the key characteristics of a proper Resume is conciseness.

There was a trend about 10-15 years ago, to force people to cram their resume into as little as 2-3 pages, which is almost impossible for someone with over 25 years’ experience. With the advent of modern recruitment software which very effectively delivers a shortlist of candidates, 3-6 pages is a lot more informative, practical and reasonable for senior candidates.

Curriculum Vitae (abbreviated as CV), has a Latin background and is loosely translated as “course of life”. Traditionally the CV provides a much more detailed insight into a person's life, education, qualifications, achievements and experience. It differs from a resume in that it is usually far more comprehensive as well as requesting that you submit responses to lengthy “selection criteria” or essay’s.  A proper CV is usually more appropriate for some higher-level government, financial, academic, scientific, medical, legal or very senior executive management careers.

If an employer wants you to submit a more comprehensive “CV”, they will usually specifically request it and provide you with their selection criteria.

In the current market, where competition is high for positions, little things matter. I am exploring new opportunities every day if you are in the EPCM, Mining or Infrastructure industries in engineering or project support.

If you send me a request to [email protected] we can send you a free copy of the current industry standard for resume's that gives you the best chance of getting through careers portals and search filters.

Good Luck with the job hunting & when you've updated your resume, send me a copy for review & consideration. (MSWord format only) [email protected]