CV, Resume
– Not the same thing
It is true
that both are lists of the most relevant information of a person pertaining to
job seeking. Both are used for the same purpose - i.e. seeking employment.
But Curriculum
Vitae represent in-depth and structured information about the professional
experience and qualification of a person, the resume usually is the same thing
in a very short form.
The main
features of the CV are outlined in brief below:
1.The Curriculum Vitae is a list of all your achievements until the date you are submitting it, presented in reverse
chronological order (i.e. the latest achievements first)
2.The Curriculum Vitae is ideally two pages in length,
though it can sometimes go up to three to five pages.
3.The Curriculum Vitae would include everything that you
have done and can be classified as work outside the home - whether paid or
unpaid; hence, it is okay if the Curriculum Vitae contains voluntary and
honorary positions and work done in such positions.
4.The Curriculum Vitae structure is very systematic and
is generally drawn in a specific order.
5.The Curriculum Vitae is normally accompanied by a
cover letter, which summarizes what it contains and points out the match of the
applicant with the job.
6.A Curriculum Vitae can be written in the following
three styles: functional CV, targeted CV and performance CV.
The main
features of the Resume are as under:
1.A resume is a precise and very brief document
representing at-a-glance your key skills and main achievements.
2.A resume should not be longer than one page, unless in
rare exceptions.
3.A resume would contain of only what is strictly
relevant to the job applied and nothing else - it is more important here to
have all the information contained within one page, that representing the
information it in totality.
4.The resume would highlight your skills and
achievements above all other things.
5.The resume is usually presented without a cover letter
because the main reason you are submitting the resume, is fast processing; a
cover letter would defeat the purpose.
6.A resume usually can be written in three very
different styles - (i) Chronological resume - whereby
your skills and main achievements are listed by date starting with the most
recent ones first, (ii) Functional resume - whereby your skills and experience
are more highlighted than anything else and (iii) a combination of both -
whereby both skill and achievements are presented hand-in-hand.
How to Create an Interesting Online CV
DO:
- Include
all qualifications, experience, and studies. Make it interesting, show
some actual achievements.
- Drop
names of employers, if you can. It's a character reference, and it assures
prospective employers that they can check your references.
- Include
anything unique. Any information that shows value and real ability is priceless,
and it's what gets you your job interviews.
- Put
real effort into designing your text, presentation, and the layout of your
CV. Get help if you need it, but make sure all the content is working for
you.
- Make
sure that you include a statement that you have references. It is
essential, and looks bad if you don't because it's a basic part.
Don't:
- Make
any false or possibly misleading claims on your CV. It's a great way to
definitely lose a job (This used to be considered 'clever,' for about five
seconds, until the world figured it out. Any information you provide which
can be shown to be incorrect will be used against you).
- Include
personal information that could be used for identity theft. Keep your
personal security extremely tight. Stick to a single point of contact,
preferably through the job site itself.
- Include
names or contacts of references without their permission. It's not only
bad etiquette; it's potentially risky for them.
- Use
filler, or drab, uninteresting material. Stick to bare bones, if
necessary, but avoid things like 'shop assistant' or 'administration
duties' and other uninformative interest killers. Describe skills used
rather than job titles, because that's what the employer needs to see.
- Use
ancient information. Anything older than 5 years can be relegated to the
archives, for use only when relevant to a job.
Targeting your CV
The CV is the make or break of your job application.
Everything in it tells a potential new employer something about you.
The only
information available to the employer is in your application.
We regularly
advise people to target every job application with a tailor made CV, and that's
why.
The fundamental principles of targeting your CV are pretty
simple:
- Make
sure every part of your CV directly relates to the current job
application.
- Use
exactly the same descriptions for skills, experience, and qualifications
as on the job ad or application guidelines.
- Always
cover the essential job skills, qualifications, and experience in your CV.
- Ensure
that everything in your work history is clearly relevant to the job
application.