Wednesday, 6 July 2011

What it the difference between `curriculum vitae’ and `resume’?

Curriculum Vitae comes from Latin, and it means `course of life’; a CV therefore provides a concise autobiography of an individual. Since it is meant to provide a detailed account of an individual’s achievements, a C.V. tends to be lengthier (2-8 pages) than the normally crisp resume (usually, not more than two pages).

According to some people, the term CV should be used only in the context of academics; in all other cases, resume should be used.

This distinction is seldom maintained, and there is a tendency to use the two words interchangeably nowadays. The main aim of writing a CV or a resume is to get the person reading it to call you for an interview.

Source: The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, December 26, 2005

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