Resume vs CV: what is the difference?
In the US a CV is a long academic record; in the UK it is a two-page job application. What each term means by country, how long each should be, and which to send.
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Tools for this job: Resume Generator · Resume ATS Checker · Word Counter
A job advert asks for a CV. Another asks for a resume. Are they different documents? It depends on where you are applying. The words mean different things in different countries, and sending the wrong kind can cost you an interview.
By country
| Where | Term | Length |
|---|---|---|
| US, Canada | Resume | 1–2 pages |
| US, Canada (academic) | CV | As long as needed |
| UK, Ireland, New Zealand | CV | 2 pages |
| Australia, India | Either | 1–2 pages (more for senior roles) |
| Much of Europe | CV | 1–2 pages |
The resume (and the UK-style CV)
A short, targeted summary of your experience for a particular job. It selects what is relevant and leaves the rest out. Typical sections: contact details, a short profile, experience with achievements, education and skills. A North American resume and a British CV are essentially the same document, with small differences in style and length.
The academic CV
In US and Canadian academia, medicine and research, curriculum vitae means a complete record: every degree, publication, presentation, grant, award, teaching role and professional membership. It grows throughout a career and can run to many pages. Selectivity is not the goal; completeness is.
Which to send
- Follow the employer's word and their country's convention.
- A US company asking for a CV for a non-academic job usually means a resume. A UK company asking for a CV means a two-page one.
- For academic, research and medical posts anywhere, assume the full academic CV unless told otherwise.
- If the advert gives a page limit, that overrides everything else.
Turning an academic CV into a resume
- Start from the job advert and list the four or five things it asks for most.
- Keep only the roles, projects and publications that show those things.
- Replace lists of papers with one line, such as “12 peer-reviewed papers on battery chemistry”.
- Describe research as outcomes an employer values: budgets managed, teams led, results delivered.
- Cut to two pages at most, then read it as a stranger would.
Personal details
Conventions differ here too. US and UK applications usually leave out photos, date of birth and marital status, partly because of anti-discrimination rules. In some other countries, a photo and date of birth are still common. When in doubt, leave them out; nothing is lost.
Build one
The Resume Generator makes a clean one-page document suitable as a resume or a UK-style CV, laid out so that applicant tracking systems can read it. Check it against a specific job advert with the Resume ATS Checker. For keeping it to a page, see how to write a one-page resume.
Biodata
In parts of South Asia, “biodata” was traditionally used for a document with personal details, education and experience. For most professional jobs today, a modern resume or CV is expected instead.