CV vs Resume: What Is the Difference (and Which Should You Send)?

A resume is a short, targeted summary of your work history, usually one or two pages. A curriculum vitae (CV) is a fuller record of your career, common in academia and medicine. Usage depends on the country: in the US and Canada a resume is the default for jobs, while in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and India "CV" usually means a short resume.

The short answer

A resume is a brief document, tailored to one job, that sells your most relevant experience in one or two pages. A CV (curriculum vitae, Latin for "course of life") is a complete, chronological record of your education, work, research and achievements that can run to many pages.

But the real answer depends on where you are applying. The two words are used differently in different countries, and many employers use them interchangeably. When a job advert says "send your CV", do not assume it wants a ten-page academic record; look at the country, the industry and the examples on the employer's own site.

Comparison table

What a resume contains

A resume usually has contact details, a two to three line summary, work experience with results rather than duties, skills and education. Entries are most often in reverse chronological order, with recent roles getting the most space.

Example of a resume bullet:

Reduced average support response time from 6 hours to 3 hours by introducing a shared inbox and tagging rules.

Only use numbers that are true and that you can explain in an interview. If you do not have a figure, describe the action and outcome plainly. For more detail, see how to write a resume, resume summary examples and, if you are tempted by an old-fashioned opener, resume objective.

What a CV contains

A full CV adds sections a resume leaves out. Which ones you need depends on your field:

• Education, including thesis or dissertation title and supervisor
• Research experience and positions held
• Publications, in a consistent citation style
• Grants, fellowships and awards
• Teaching experience and courses taught
• Conference presentations and posters
• Professional memberships, licences and service
• Languages and technical skills

Because it is a record, a CV is organised so that a committee can scan for evidence quickly: consistent headings, dates in the same format, and a stable citation style for publications. A university department or funder may specify exactly what it wants, so follow its template when it provides one.

Country norms that confuse applicants

Usage below reflects common practice, not law. Always check the employer's instructions.

Two practical warnings. First, personal details such as photo, date of birth and marital status are expected in some countries and discouraged in others, partly because employers in some markets want to avoid bias. Second, "Europass" is a European Union framework of CV and skills documents; it is optional unless an employer asks for it, and you can find the official templates on the Europass website.

What to send when the advert says "CV" and you are applying from abroad

This is where applicants lose time. Use this decision guide.

1. Check the country of the employer, not your own. A US company asking for a "CV" generally wants a resume-style document, unless the post is academic.
2. Check the type of role. Industry, business, technology and trades: send a tailored one- or two-page resume-style document. University lecturer, researcher, doctor, scientist: send a full academic CV.
3. Look for instructions. If the advert gives a page limit, file format or a named template, follow it exactly.
4. Look at the employer's own staff pages or sample documents. They show local expectations.
5. When in doubt, send a short, tailored version and offer a longer one on request, or ask the recruiter politely which they prefer.

Examples

• You live in India and apply to a London marketing agency that asks for a "CV". Send a two-page, UK-style CV: personal statement, experience with outcomes, education, skills. Leave out a photo and personal details unless asked.
• You live in the UK and apply to a software company in Toronto that asks for a "resume". Send a one- to two-page resume. Use the local spelling the employer uses, and take out anything not directly relevant to the role.
• You live in Australia and apply for a postdoctoral post at a German university that asks for a CV. Send a full academic CV with publications, grants, teaching and referees, following any template in the advert.
• You live in the Philippines and apply to a remote role for a US start-up that says "send your CV or resume". Either term is fine; send a concise resume tailored to the job description.

Whichever you send, name the file clearly, for example "Amina-Rahman-CV.pdf", and check the advert for the accepted format. Many employers use applicant tracking systems, so use clear headings and avoid text inside images, tables and text boxes that software may misread.

How the documents differ in practice: a before-and-after

An academic-style entry used in a job resume (too much):

Contributed to a three-year research project on urban air quality (grant ref. 12345). Co-authored four papers. Presented at six conferences. Taught first-year statistics tutorials. Supervised two undergraduate projects. Member of the faculty equality committee.

The same experience adapted for a data analyst job resume:

Analysed three years of air-quality data for a university research team using Python and R; co-authored four papers and presented findings at conferences. Taught statistics tutorials to first-year students.

The resume keeps what the employer cares about and drops the rest. In an academic CV, the original detail would be right.

Common mistakes

• Sending a five-page CV for an industry job. Recruiters skim; cut to what matters for this role.
• Sending a one-page resume for a faculty application. A committee expects a full record of publications and teaching.
• Mixing spelling styles. Pick the variety your target employer uses, such as UK or US, and keep it consistent. The Spell Checker can check against American or British English; see British vs American spelling for typical differences.
• Duties instead of results. "Responsible for sales" tells a reader less than "Grew regional accounts by adding 12 new clients in one year", provided the second is true.
• Unexplained gaps or unverifiable claims. Be honest. Exaggerated claims are easy to check and can end an application later.
• Ignoring local conventions. A photo, a date of birth or a referees section may be normal in one country and unexpected in another.

Checklist before you send

1. Have I checked the employer's country, the role type and any template in the advert?
2. Is the length right: one to two pages for most jobs, longer only for academic or research posts?
3. Does the opening section state, in two or three lines, why I fit this role?
4. Do my bullets show results, with only figures I can support?
5. Are dates, headings and punctuation consistent?
6. Have I used the right spelling variety and proofread aloud?
7. Is the file name professional and the format the one requested?
8. If I am also sending a cover letter, does it add something the CV does not? See how to write a cover letter.

Using AdeptWrite tools

• Draft: the Cover Letter Generator builds a letter from the role, the company and your experience; edit it so it sounds like you and contains only facts that are true.
• Polish: run your text through the Grammar Checker and Spell Checker, and use the Sentence Rewriter to tighten long bullets. Each run handles up to 6,000 characters.
• Profile text: the Bio Generator can draft a short LinkedIn-style summary you can adapt for the top of a resume.

None of these tools can see your career history or decide what to include. You choose the facts; the tools help with the wording.

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