It often happens, that candidates without knowing which document is required, send whatever they have at that time and it is, goes without saying, the biggest mistake to commit. When asked for a CV, we often send in our resumé and vice versa. And in the worst case, we end up sending a jumble of the two. Many people often boast of sending out 30 CVs/Resumé in a day and wonder why they got zero calls.

Still don’t know the exact difference between a CV and a resumé? Let us straighten out your queries.

1. CV is an in-depth document and a resumé is a concise document 

A CV is a comprehensive document containing information related to individual’s past qualification, experience, skills, competencies and achievements. The CV should not only cover your education but other accomplishments like publications, awards, honours etc. 

On the other hand, a resumé is a concise document containing only key points of an individual’s education, work experience, competencies and previous job achievements.

2. A CV can remain static whereas a resumé can be tailored to each position

A CV can be static and need not change for different posts. The changes can be made in the cover letter. 

An applicant can change the resumé from one job application to another and tailor it to the needs of the specific post.

3. A CV has a clear chronological order whereas a résumé’s information can be changed to best suit the applicant

A CV should be organised chronologically and should make it easy for the reader to get an overview of an individual’s full working career. 

A resumé does not have to be ordered chronologically. It is a highly customizable document and doesn’t have to cover your whole career. Suit it according to the needs of the job.

As they say, it’s not about including everything, it’s about including the right thing.