Difference between CV and Resume

You may have heard "curriculum vitae" being used to describe a resume. Although they are slightly different documents, some people use the terms inter-changeably. You may want to use a curriculum vitae (c.v.) if you are applying to a position which is academic or research-oriented. Many graduate students use a C.V. if they are applying to advanced programs or to employers such as those just mentioned.

Often referred to as a "vitae." A vitae is very similar to a resume. It highlights a speaker's education and key jobs held. A speaker in the academic community usually uses curriculum vitae. A special type of resume traditionally used within the academic community. Earned degrees, teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, and related activities are featured. Unlike a resume, a CV tends to be longer and more informational than promotional in tone.

The primary difference between a CV and a resume is the length and the purpose. A resume is a one or two page summary of your skills, experience and education. A goal of resume writing is to be brief and concise since, at best; the resume reader will spend a minute or so reviewing your qualifications.

A Curriculum Vitae, commonly referred to as CV, is a longer (two or more pages), more detailed synopsis. It includes a summary of your educational and academic backgrounds as well as teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details.
A curriculum vitae, meaning "course of one's life, is a document that gives much more detail than does a resume about your academic and professional accomplishments.

When seeking a faculty, research, or leadership position at an academic or scientific organization, you need a special resume called curriculum vitae. Candidates who use a CV have an educational background directly related to the positions they seek, education is always featured first. Even after twenty years of research, your degrees and the schools where you earned them will overshadow your experience.

Following are the things to include in a CV

Like a resume, your CV should include your name, contact information, education, skills and experience. In addition to the basics, a CV includes research and teaching experience, publications, grants and fellowships, professional associations and licenses, awards and other information relevant to the position you are applying for. Start by making a list of all your background information, and then organize it into categories. Make sure you include dates on all the publications you include.

Name dropping is more common in CV’s than in resumes. For example, if you performed research under a certain professor, you would probably include her name and title. Science and academia are small worlds, and it is likely that a prospective employer will have heard of a given specialist in her own field. Similarly, if you went on clinical rotations at a given hospital, name it; your future employer might have hospital privileges there.

Types of Resumes

Creating a resume is the very best way to document your career and accomplishments. If you build and maintain one as you move along your career path, you'll be able to capture key achievements and results while they are still fresh in your mind.
The resume format that you choose should be based on your work experience and the strategy to make that experience seem relevant to the job that you are applying to.
The majority of resumes follow a similar format by listing most recent jobs and work experience first. This is called a "reverse chronological" format. But there is also the "skills-based" or "functional" format that highlights what you can do rather than what you have done. Some find that blending these two formats is the best way to summarize their experience and capabilities. These are called as “Hybrid resume”

There are three main types of resumes:
1. Reverse chronological resumes
2. Functional resumes
3. Hybrid resumes

Reverse chronological resumes list the candidate’s work experience starting from the most recent one based on the premise that it is also the most relevant to the job. That is often true for career-oriented people looking for another job in the same field. The reverse chronological resume is the most commonly used resume format.
Using this format is best for those who have had a steady work history and a record of increased responsibility and career growth. This is also a great format if the companies you worked for, especially your most recent employer, are well-recognized and well-respected within your industry.

Functional resumes list a candidate’s experiences by skill areas. This resume format is used most often when a person decides to switch career, when a person has held many different types of jobs during his career, or when there has been a prolonged period of absence from the workforce. The focus is therefore no longer on “career progression,” but instead on “transferable skills.”
The functional resume includes a career objective that states what type of job you desire or a career summary that encapsulates your work history, education and strengths in a sentence or two.

Hybrid resumes possess some characteristics of both reverse chronological resumes and functional resumes. For instance, they can list a candidate’s work experience by skill areas, but also include the periods of employment.
It might begin with a summary of qualifications and bulleted skills, followed by a chronicled job listing that demonstrates, through measurable results, how you used or applied the skills you just highlighted.

Those are the three main types of resumes. Do not restrict yourself to the above however. If you think there is a better way to grab the employer’s attention, go for it. At the end of the day, if you get an interview, you must have done something right.

Main Points of Resume

Personal Information
Name - your full name, typed in title case.
Address - your address, written out in full, without abbreviations. In fact, it's better to avoid abbreviations anywhere in your resume.
Telephone - your home phone number with area code, also give your mobile number if you have one.

Job Goal
In one sentence, describe your job goal. This tells the employer exactly what type of work you're looking for. Try to link your job goal to the job you're applying for.
Related Skills - List the special abilities and skills that relate to the job you're applying for. They can be from paid or unpaid work, volunteer experience, and even hobbies.

Education
List your education, starting with the most recent diploma or training course and working backwards. Include the name and city or town of each school you attended (secondary and beyond), the type of programmes you took, your areas of interest, and the years you completed. Certificates or diplomas should also be listed, including those for mini courses like a computer or software course, first-aid, small engine repair, or any other training that might be useful to the job you want.

Additional Knowledge
Use this section to include such things as the languages you speak, software programmes you know, and other abilities that relate to the job. If there is a lot of information, break it into separate sections with specific headings. The point is to get everything into your resume that shows why you are the right person for the job.
List all the skills you have in a bulleted format.

Interests / Activities
Briefly outline a few of your interests and activities that demonstrate something about you. Be sure to mention achievements or awards you may have received. If you have volunteer experience that is relevant to the job, make sure you put it in, transferable skills are important. Do not mention all the hobbies you have over here. This might do a bit more to the resume. List only main hobbies or hobbies related to the job applied for.

References
References are not included in your resume, but you should have them ready. Think about who could be your references and get their permission before you pass the names and numbers. Type the names, addresses, and phone numbers of up to three references on a separate piece of paper, which matches your resume. Keep your reference list as up-to date as possible. If you can, give your reference an idea of the type of job you are applying for, and whenever possible, let them know when you think an employer will be calling them, so they can be available and will have some time to think about what to say.

Whom can you ask to be a reference?

• Someone from your school (teacher, guidance counsellor, coach)
  
• Someone you've worked for (summer, part- time employer)
  
• Someone you've worked for on a casual basis
  
• Someone you've helped (as a volunteer or as a friend)
  
• Someone whose opinion is respected (elder, minister, community leader)
  

Writing a Perfect Resume

Your resume is the first step towards corporate stardom, so it is imperative that it looks good and reads right. Your resume is your first reflection. People who haven't met you form a mental impression about you just by going through your resume. A company official asks for a resume so that he/she can frame questions according to the facts mentioned in the resume. This makes it imperative that you have an organized and impressive resume. It should be clear yet descriptive and should portray your best qualities. So, how to go about preparing your resume?

Write it in an order: Be careful about what you write. For example, all your personal details like name, address, etc must be clubbed together in one column. Similarly, all your academic details should be grouped together. There should be a logical sequence of putting down things. You should follow a logical track which will be appropriate.

Presentation is important: As the saying goes, "First impression is the last impression." Remember to focus on the way in which you present your data. The font and the size of the font should be taken care of. Try and keep the colour of the font either black or blue and do not add colours to your resume as that makes it looks childish. Leave a line or two between important points and maybe you could make the important data bold. In case you are mentioning a couple of points, for example, your achievements, then you could use bullets.

Do not be too elaborate: Mention things in brief but do mention all that you feel is important for the panel to make note of. Do not elaborate too much about something. For example, if you are mentioning about any training which you have undertaken, then mention the purpose of the training, its duration, location and what you learnt from it. Keep it to a maximum of four lines. For instance if, you have trained in a software company, then maybe you could put it down as – Trained on databases in xyz company for a period of three months. Leant how to work on Oracle. I also gained a lot of exposure about the workings of the software industry. Freshers must keep their resume restricted to two pages, preferably.

Your selling points: Summarize your top 2 to 5 selling points right under your name. For example, if you are a Game Producer what do you think are the most important selling points to a potential hiring manager? Answer: type of games you have created, size of budgets managed, whether you managed internal or external teams, and the number of titles you brought to market.

Be honest: Write only what is true to the best of your knowledge for it can be verified at any point of time. Carry your certificates along with you for the interview.

Last, but not the least, keep your resume in a folders or a file. Do not fold your resume if you are handing it over to the employer. In case of posting the resume, make a 3 folded paper not more then that.

Resume Writing

Resume is a self-promotional document that presents you in the best possible light, for the purpose of getting invited to a job interview. It's not an official personnel document. It's not a job application. It's not a "career obituary"! And it's not a confessional.

It's not just about past jobs! It's about YOU, and how you performed and what you accomplished in those past jobs--especially those accomplishments that are most relevant to the work you want to do next. A good resume predicts how you might perform in that desired future job.

While writing your resume there are few points that you should remember. Don’t ever leave out your Job Objective! If you don't show a sense of direction, employers won't be interested. Have a clearly stated goal. Decide on a job target (or "job objective") that can be stated in about 5 or 6 words. Don’t use more then 5 to 8 words, because telling more indicates lack of clarity.

There are times when you have gaps in your work experience. Don’t be afraid about the gaps. Include everything you did in those days rather than saying that, you took a gap. For example, you can include all the work done even if unpaid or charity. Or Maternity leave, Study leave, etc. Students can make their resume look neater by listing seasonal jobs very simply, such as "Spring 1996" or "Summer 1996" rather than 6/96 to 9/96. This adds lots of freshness to the resume. Add every small detail like promotions activities, etc. But it is also to be remembered that over doing or writing may led to rejection. Just go around 6-7 years back not more than that unless its very big or important activity that you have done.

The best way to impress an employer is the “Problem – Action – Result” Method. First you state the problem that existed in your workplace, then you describe what you did about it, and finally you point out the beneficial results. This adds lots of importance to your resume.

Including hobbies in a resume is a nice idea. But don't include hobbies on a resume unless the activity is somehow relevant to your job objective, or clearly reveals a characteristic that supports your job objective. For example, a hobby of Book Reading (vocabulary, grammatical skills) might seem relevant to some job objectives (Secretary) but not to others.

Now some minute detailing that needs to be remembered while making that very important resume. Always mention the prefix “Mr.” or “Mrs.” or “Miss” before your name. If your name is Kiran or a name which is common in both sexes, the employer might get confused while addressing you. Mentioning all the degrees you have is not enough! You must also mention the extra activities done by you. It will add to the treat if the activity is related to the work you are applying for.

Use simple while or ivory paper for your resume. Using a fancy or think paper out does the content of the resume making it look like a brochure with only design and no content (unless you are applying for a designers post)

What should you expect in an Interview?

Once you have sent in your résumé and the interviewer likes what they see, they will set up an interview with you. If you have never been on an interview before, let’s just say a lot depends on it. Your résumé counts for a lot but an interviewer wants to hear from you what experience you have and what you have to offer their company.

First off, when you go for an interview no matter what type of job it is, you want to make a great impression. Make sure you dress the part, for women, you can wear a pants suit or a skirt with a nice top and a blazer and a small pair of heels. Never wear sandals to an interview. Don’t wear over powering colors; keep it simple with black, brown, blue or tan. For men, wear a suit or dress pants and a nice, neat button down shirt. Wear a pair of dress shoes, never wear sneakers.

Now you are dressed for success, always bring an additional copy of your résumé with you. They have a copy but you want to bring them another so it can serve as a reminder of who you are and your skills. Remember to keep calm; don’t be nervous it is only an interview. Don’t throw your arms over the back of the chair but don’t appear to be too uptight.

What to expect, the interviewer will ask you what skills you have and to review your job function at your last place of employment. Then they will ask you why you are leaving or why you have left. Keep your answers short. Be as personable as you can. Not only do they want someone with experience and can handle the job but they want someone who they feel will get along and fit in with their other employees.

Don’t lie on your résumé, if you do and they ask you about the one thing you may have embellished then it will show when you try to answer the question because you maybe caught off guard with that question. Keep it real and keep in honest. Answer all questions with answers not other questions. If you have the experience they want, if you didn’t you wouldn’t get an interview. They are looking now to see how you would fit in to their company.

How to write a resume

If you are looking for a job you need a résumé. Even if you are applying for a job in Burger King bring a résumé. Your résumé should have your name, address and phone number on it. Do not put cell phones on there because if a potential employer calls you on it and you don’t have the greatest reception, it is going to be a big turn off for them.
You don’t need to date the résumé, when you send a cover letter with it you can date that page.

The next thing you want to put on there is your objective, try to keep that to one or two lines. Keep it to the point. Try to make an objective where it will benefit the employer as well. You want to keep the entire résumé contained to one page, if you have to go to two keep it short. There is no interviewer who wants to read a multi page résumé.

Next thing to should have is your experience. Some résumés have education first, this can go either way but a potential employee wants to see what you can do and what you were doing before applying for the job. Don’t make them scan it; put it first where they could see it. List your last job first and so on. Tell them what they want to know in a couple of line. Put the company name and location, just the city will suffice. Then only put the years at the end of that line. Give a brief description of that job and list the important functions first.

Then is the education section, if you have been out of high school for more than 10 years, there is no need to write it. The same goes for job experience, don’t list jobs you had more than 6 years ago. They don’t want to see that far back. List the most recent school last and so on. If you did not go to college or are in the process of going, leave open the year to at the end. For example, XYZ University, Any town, USA 04 to .

Then you can list any achievements or special citations you have received pertaining to work. Then you can write down References available upon request. Make a list of 5 references; try to make them professional references.

Choosing the Perfect Resume

If you are preparing to write a résumé, you may be aware that are more than one style. There are 3 major styles of résumé writing, there is the Chronological résumé, the Functional résumé and the Combination résumé. We will go over each style and see if it will work for you. All a résumé is is a sheet of paper with all of your accomplishment in both education and work experience. An interviewer is looking for someone to hire who can get the job done and have the experience they are looking for.

The chronological résumé is formatted to show your employment experience and your education in time order. This can be done with the most current time or from oldest to newest. When an interviewer looks at a résumé he or she looks for the important information first. The will want to see what you did before or while you are applying for their job. They don’t really want to see what you did 10 years ago so try to use the most current jobs first, so they will look at what they need to know and not have to scan the entire document looking for simple information.

The functional résumé is a list of your work experience and skills that you posses and sort them out by job function or skill. This style résumé is not used that often. It works in the sense that the jobs are listed by job function. Interviewers want to see what you can do for them and if the job you were at before or still on is similar to what they need they want to see it. Interviews do not want to spend time reading a lot of information that is not pertinent to them, that is why it is recommended that you keep your résumé short and to the point.

The combination résumé is just that, a combination of a chronological and a functional résumé. You begin with a functional list of jobs and then a chronological list of employers. This style of résumé writing is not recommended. It comes off too confusing. If you send a résumé like that you may not get a chance to explain it, if an interviewer does not like your résumé they will just toss it aside.

Remember a résumé is a reflection of you. If you present a sloppy résumé, they will not give you a chance. A good résumé will guarantee you an interview.

How good is online resume posting

The newest and some say the greatest thing to happen to job searching in a long time is the online résumé posting. There are many companies out there that shall remain nameless who base an entire website on posting other people’s résumés. There are many people who do sign up for this service. Some services charge to use their site. The premise is that you post your résumé and then you wait for a company or employers to check it out and become interested in your posting and then they call you.

This service is great if you are looking elsewhere for work, if you are solely putting all of your eggs in one basket then you may be waiting for a long time. Sometimes it takes weeks to get a hit or a lead. Now, it would be a shame if you paid for a service and did not get one hit. You really have a better chance of looking through the newspaper and sending your resume out to 10 jobs. You will at least hear from 7 out of the ten jobs, unless it is not what you applied for.

It is all a hit and miss idea. Unless you have a spectacular résumé where you have exactly what people are looking for. You could be waiting a very long time. What makes this worse is that you may be paying for it by the week or by the month. If you have your heart set on doing this then try to find a service that will post your résumé for free. Then you have nothing to lose except time.

Technology is great and the concept of posting your résumé online is great. It does not guarantee job and some do not claim to do that but for people who need work and are constantly looking then maybe this service is not for you. At least if you do this, look in the newspapers or in penny savers or even on the online classified in your local paper. Just do not let this be your only means of looking for a job.

Some people have had great success with this service and that is great for them but there are just as many if not more that have no success and they only thing they do have is less money for the cost of the service.

E-mailing your resume

Another great breakthrough in technology is the e-mail. Potential employers have thought of yet another way to avoid a pile of paper on their desk. The will advertise for an employee and instead of a fax number or mailing address it will have an e-mail address. This can be good and bad for different reasons. The good is that if your résumé is already stored on your computer then all you have to do is put it in a folder and sent it as an attachment, with your cover letter being your e-mail page. There are no busy numbers for fax machines and you don’t have to leave the house.

The bad is that you don’t know if they received it or even read it. Some computers can’t read certain files. If you saved it on a word document from 2001 windows, a new computer may not be able to open it. Even with upgraded machines, some computers can’t read or open certain files. Then your next thought is I will send a did you get my résumé e-mail and then you don’t look so professional. You look paranoid that they did not get it.

So now what to do you do. If there is no other way to get your résumé to these potential employers then do the e-mail, try save it as best you can. But in the body of the e-mail make a note saying, you are attaching a file of my résumé with this e-mail. If you have any trouble opening it please contact me by phone and leave your number which should also be on your résumé or please send me an e-mail and I will resend it.

Another way would be to call the company; there is sometimes a phone number or the name of the company as well. Call to follow up with the human resources department and if they confirm they had trouble opening your file ask them for a fax number or an address because you really want to apply for that job.

E-mailing is great and more and more people are doing it. So make sure you have an upgraded computer save it to the file as best as you can. Then if you want follow up with an e-mail but wait at 2 days. If you don’t hear something first then call and find out what happened.