Is the correct term Resumé or CV? Most people don’t realise there actually is a difference and not knowing can decrease your chances in landing your dream job.

You may have noticed these two terms used interchangeably and many clients ask me what is the difference between the two.  One of the differences is geographical, i.e. where you are on the planet. The UK market prefers the term ‘CV’ whilst in Australia and in the USA, the term ‘resumé’ is more often used.

But there is actually more to it than that. So why two different words?  Well, let’s look at their definitions.

The word resumé derives from a French word meaning to sum up.

CV is an abbreviation of the Latin words Curriculum Vitae which can be  loosely translated as the ‘course of your life’ or your ‘life history’ – vitae meaning life, and curriculum meaning course. 

Generally, a resumé is the shorter of the two and is a summary of your employment, skills and life experience. It is usually 1-3 pages long and is often written in a direct style and aimed at a specific job application.

A CV is a more lengthy document and can be used to detail your full life experience and history more thoroughly and is usually laid out chronologically. It can be 2-6 pages long (but remember to make the good stuff stand out) and offers the recruiter much more detail.

Often you will be asked to send in your resumé to a recruiter who will have to read through potentially hundreds of pages to create a short list to be interviewed. At Help Write My Resume, we create resumé that will help you stand out from the crowd and get you to that next stage.