Resume vs CV - Choosing the Right Document

While both resumes and CVs showcase your skills and experience, there are some differences that you need to understand -

Resume -

Focus: A concise one-page summary highlighting your most relevant skills and experiences for a specific job opening.

Content: Key skills, work history (focusing on most relevant positions), relevant achievements, and education.

Use: Primarily used for job applications in various industries.

CV (Curriculum Vitae) -

Focus: A comprehensive multiple-page document detailing your entire academic and professional background.

Content: In-depth academic details (publications, research experience), comprehensive work history, awards, skills, languages, and sometimes even volunteer work or extracurricular activities.

Use: Often required for academic positions, research grants, and applications.

Here's an analogy to understand the difference: A resume is like a targeted advert that is customized for a specific target market – a prospective employee – and its main aim is to bring out the skills and experience you share with this position. Whilst a CV resembles an autobiography of your professional life, that includes all the academic and working experiences throughout, a resume is more of an outline of the career events that shaped and equipped you to work with a particular employer.

Deciding on a suitable resume format can be a difficult process, it is dependable on the position you are applying for and the industry you are in. Here are the two most common formats:

Chronological Format: This is the top-rated format and lists the jobs chronologically in reverse order starting with the most recent one. This sort of narrative is most suitable for candidates, who have well-marked career development within a specific field and will be capable of demonstrating a successful climb up the career ladder with some enhancements of responsibility and skills acquired.

Skills-Based Format: This style of resume allows you to give more prominence to competencies and assets than to your work history. It offers exceptionally to fresh graduates, career changers, and those with transferable skills of working with different agencies.

Here's a breakdown of when each format might be the best choice -

Use a Chronological Format if:

• You have a clear career path within a specific field.
• Your work experience directly relates to the job you're applying for.
• You want to highlight a steady progression of responsibilities and achievements.

Use a Skills-Based Format if:

• You're a recent graduate or changing careers.
• Your skills are more relevant to the job than your specific work experience.
• You have a diverse work background with transferable skills.

Pro Tip: When unsure, it's often safe to go with the chronological format. However,  carefully review the job description to see if there's a preferred format mentioned.

Hybrid Format: You can also combine elements of both formats, highlighting key skills upfront and then detailing your work experience chronologically.

Length: While CVs can be longer than resumes, aim for a concise and well-organized document. Ideally, keep it between two to three pages, unless you have a very extensive academic or professional background.

The application process is increasingly digital. Companies worldwide depend on ATS’s (Applicant Tracking System) which scans and sorts CVs before any of them gets to a human eye. Those schemes use keywords and algorithms to extract candidate values, compare them to a list of job requirements and then recommend some resumes. 

ATS software goes through your CV mindful of the keywords mentioned in the job description. The flaw in the lack of appropriate keywords in your CV could lead to it being eliminated even though it suits you perfectly for the job.

• Optimizing Your CV for Scanners: Unfortunately, ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) does present a few challenges in terms of CV optimisation, including the following strategies.

• Keywords: Extraordinarily paying attention to the job description, picking out keywords and required skills. Make sure, however, to put these keywords throughout your CV, yet do not abuse this practice by stuffing keywords (frequent repetition of them).

• Formatting: By leveraging the use of a concise and resume reader-friendly format that applies appropriate fonts, headings, and bullet points. Do not necessarily use rather significant formatting and graphics which may not be accepted by the ATS.

• Action Verbs: Be concise with strong action verbs while describing your working responsibilities and achievements in your resume jobs section. This is evidence of the effectiveness of your work and has the added advantage of giving objective numbers/quantities.

• Keywords in File Name: For example, one of the most important elements of your CV is its file name. Attach your full name and the job title you are applying for along with the document (e.g., Mr_Doe_Marketing.doc).

Although a CV scanner is beneficial in this regard, the thing to bear in mind is that it is just a part and parcel of the job hunt. Tailor your CV for each position applied and write an effective cover letter in which a summary of your reasons that make you an ideal fit for the job and the organization is provided as an introduction.