What’s The Difference Between A Resume And Cv
CV stands for “curriculum vitae,” which translates to Latin for “course of life.” On the other hand, “resume” is French for “summary.” Job applicants submit these documents along with other materials to obtain an interview. The information they contain should reflect the candidate’s best skills and experiences, with emphasis on how these qualities make them the perfect person for the position in question. While some companies and organizations use “resume” and “CV” interchangeably, significant differences exist between these two terms.
Resumes and CVs differ in length, with the former ranging from 1-2 pages and the latter regularly exceeding two pages. Length ties in with content. A resume is short because it should contain only the academic history, professional history, and demonstrable skills relevant to the position. CVs provide more details because they reflect a professional’s full academic credentials, including their education, research experience, publications, and official accolades.
In general, candidates submit resumes for nonprofit, public, and industry work. They provide CVs when applying for academic careers, fellowships, and grants. These differences predominantly exist in the U.S. and Canada. Asian, European, and African companies operate using distinct standards that job seekers should confirm prior to sending in their application materials.
Why Write A Cover Letter
The principle of a successful cover letter is simple: it needs to be sufficiently interesting to an employer to leave them feeling compelled to find out more about your skills and experience by reading your resume, before deciding to call you in for an interview. But not all candidates will make the effort to write a tailored and personalised cover letter.;
Sample Emails When Sending A Resume To An Employer
Co-founder & Head of Marketing at Kickresume
Have you found a job posting that asks you to submit your resume via email? Or maybe youve decided to approach your dream company directly. If so, youre probably asking yourself right now what to write in an email when sending my resume so I will stand out?
Sometimes employers provide clear instructions on what the email format should include. If thats the case, follow the employers directions closely.;
But if you cant find any instructions, dont worry ;you can follow the best practices described in this article!
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Write A Brief Clear Subject Line
Follow any subject line formatting instructions that are given in the job description. If none are given, write a concise subject line that will let the recipient know exactly what the email is about. Here are a few examples of subject lines:
Resume Job Title Your NameResume: Your Name for Job TitleYour Name Resume: Job Title
Should I Submit An Email Cover Letter If The Posting Only Asks For A Resume
You can copy and paste your cover letter into the body of the email as your message and include your resume as an attachment.
Keep your cover letter short and simple as the reader will not want to invest a lot of time in going through your email. It is better to include a brief cover letter as an introduction rather than simply stating “I have attached my resume for your consideration”.
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Start By Following Any Given Instructions
The first thing you should do before sending your resume is to carefully read the job posting for any instructions on how the employer would like you to apply. If the job description asks you to email a resume, the employer may also include information about the email address you should send to, the subject line formatting, questions they want you to answer in the body of the email, file name and more.
Follow these instructions carefullyif you dont, you could risk having your application overlooked. Often, employers may ask you to follow instructions so they can see and respond to the email, others may be testing that you will read and complete the instructions properly.
If they dont have any instructions, keep your email professional, simple and easy to find with the following steps:
Finding The Hiring Manager Or Recruiter’s Email
The first step before sending a resume email is to ensure that you have the correct email address of the recruiter.
This email address must be of the hiring manager. Other stakeholders like CEOs, Product Managers, or even the Head of the concerned department, are not directly involved in screening candidates at this stage of the recruitment.
If you do not have the right email address, you can look up the company’s profile on Google, LinkedIn, the website, or related public platforms. Another option is to call the company’s office reception and ask for the required details.
This is how most hiring managers id’s look like:
Quick Tip: In case you still do not have the email address, email your resume to the company’s concerned department. However, you must mention a line about forwarding your mail to the required department. You may close your email with: “Please forward my mail to the concerned department.”
Also, it is extremely important that your own email id looks professional.
Ensure that the email id you use to send the resume does not contain any slangs like cool/hot etc. This will make you look insincere in the recruiter’s eyes. So don’t compromise your chances of landing an interview.
Imagine a recruiter receives two resumes – one sent from and the other from . Which one do you think has a greater chance of getting shortlisted?
Even if Gym Freak Jim is better qualified for the job, do you think the recruiter will even open his email?
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Easy Steps For Emailing A Resume And Cover Letter
- Email your resume and cover letter specifically to the hiring manager. The hiring manager should be the one evaluating your resume and cover letter. Address it specifically to him or her and use their full name or only the last name in the salutation if you know them.
- Save your resume and cover letter as PDF or a Word document format. Most business email accepts a resume and cover letter if is save with either of the two because these two file formats are the standard in most business.
- Provide a concise, specific subject line. The subject line is the first thing that the recipient would see so it is important that at first glance it will capture the attention of the recipient.
- Include an email message. Dont leave the body text empty. Specify that you have attached your resume and cover letter and do not repeat what you have written in the cover letter.
- Provide a signature email. This will make it as a professional and formal email.
- Attach your resume and cover letter in the email. After you have written the email message, attach your document.
How To Write An Email Cover Letter
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Why Executives Need A Strong Cover Letter
A strong cover letter is so important for an executive because you simply cannot convey everything you need or want to in a two-page resume or even a three-page resume. As an executive, you have plenty of professional experience to discuss, and will probably need to leave things off your resume even after youve culled down your skills and accomplishments to the most relevant for the targeted position.
When you write a cover letter, you can address accomplishments or work experiences that arent directly mentioned in your resume, or expand on the information provided in your resume.
However, a strong cover letter should never just act as an extension of your resume. Instead, a strong executive cover letter should accomplish the goals of telling a prospective employer why you are a good fit for their company, what you can do for them, and why they should pay closer attention to your resume than they might pay to the resume of another applicant. Remember, a recruiter or hiring manager will only spend a few seconds skimming your resumebut a strong executive cover letter will help compel them to spend more time with yours.
Action verbs and high-impact phrases are equally important in your resume and cover letter. If you need a reference list download this free PDF with 178 action verbs and high-impact phrases that will improve your resume and cover letter.
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Write Informative Relevant Body Paragraphs
Next, its time to make a convincing argument youre the right person for the job by discussing your experiences, skills, and achievements that are relevant to the position.
In one or two paragraphs plus bullet points , show the reader that you easily fit the needs outlined in the job description.
For job seekers withwork experience
Hiring managers will look closely at your cover letter for evidence that youre qualified and worth considering for the position. Use your recent work history and achievements to prove that you have the skills to get the job done.
Here are some things to include in your cover letter that highlight your value to an employer:
- Professional achievements: Did you exceed targets for production, sales, revenue, profit, customer satisfaction, or any other business objectives?
- Professional praise: Have you received compliments from management or colleagues for your work?
- Professional awards: Have you received awards for your work, like Employee of the Month?
In the following examples, weve color-coded the achievements, praise, and awards with underlining to show you how to include each:
Body paragraph example
Ive been praised by management for consistently executing email marketing campaigns that perform 20% higher than baseline. In 2019, I was awarded Employee of the Year for my efforts. With my skill set, Id be a strong asset at Westward Strategies, and significantly contribute to the teams success.
Body paragraph, achievements-focused
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Mention Youve Attached Your Application Materials
Actually writing out please find attached my resume or something similar in your email body reminds the hiring manager not to overlook your resume.
If you use Gmail, typing attached or attachment into the body of your email causes a pop-up to appear if you forget to attach a file.
Sending your email without attaching your application documents is embarrassing and makes you appear disorganized.
With most hiring managers seeking employees who have great organizational skills, coming off as disorganized doesnt bode well for your chances of getting hired.
Email Cover Letter Samples With Examples
An Email Cover Letter is a formal document sent by an applicant to the hiring manager expressing their interest in a job position.
It supports the resume and gives more details about you as an applicant. An email cover letter can be sent either as an email attachment or part of an email body.
The purpose of an email cover letter is to support a resume. It elaborates personal attributes and skills related to the position you are applying for to increase your chances of getting a job. The email cover letter achieves its purpose by mentioning previous job experiences associated with the position you are applying for. Thus, the cover letter helps in supporting your resume, which can be less effective when submitted alone.
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Resume Via Email Template
Need to apply for a job by email? Follow this email template as a starting point and be sure to tailor it to suit the job you are applying for, while also following any specific instructions in the job ad.
Email subject:
Email body: Dear;,
Please find attached a copy of my resume and a cover letter for the position at , as advertised on .
With years experience in and a proven record of , my goal is to leverage my expertise to help succeed in achieving .
I look forward to hearing from you to discuss this exciting opportunity further.
If you need any additional details from me, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Yours sincerely,
How Executives Can Write A Great Cover Letter
Now that youve seen examples of effective executive cover letters and weve gone through what makes an executive cover letter successful, lets go through some tips for cover letter success. First, lets go over some common mistakes and how you can avoid them.
;Dont use a generic address or greeting line. Yes, the cover letter examples in the previous section dobut those are examples. In a real cover letter you should never have a generic address. Its the 21st century. If the job description doesnt tell you who to address your cover letter and resume to, hop on Google, LinkedIn, the company website, etc. to find the name of the hiring manager, head of the department youre applying to, or the head of human resources and use their name and title.
;Dont start with one of those blah lines like Please consider this letter and resume They know what theyre reading, and youre wasting valuable space by telling them why you sent it in. Instead, start off your cover letter strong. A question makes a strong startsomething like Would Company ABC benefit from having a proven sales leader in their C-suite? Another strong way to start a cover letter is by immediately jumping into your strongest and most relevant skills or qualificationssomething along the lines of, As a senior vice president with XYZ Bank, I improved performance by XYZ% and would now like to put my knowledge and experience to use to do the same for Company ABC. Get their attention immediately.
Dont Miss:
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Attachments Vs Pasting Plain Text
Keep in mind that some employers do not accept attachments. In such cases, paste your resume into your email message as plain text. However, when there are no instructions, the easiest way to send your resume is;as an attachment. That will preserve your resume content and format. Your cover letter can either be attached as well or written;in the body of an email message.
How Should An Email Cover Letter Be Sent
If you are asked to include your letter as an attachment save and send it as a PDF file or .doc file. Avoid HTML as the email the employer uses may not be able to open this.
Additionally change the file name to include your name to make it easy for the hiring manager to view your cover letter once they have downloaded it from the email.
Include a short email message to inform the hiring manager that you have attached your cover letter.
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Should Your Cover Letter Be In The Body Of An Email Or Attached To It
If the employer asks for the email cover letter and resume to be included in the message and not an attachment, copy and paste them into the body of your email.
Sometimes copying and pasting your cover letter from a Word or PDF file can alter the formatting. A good tip is to send the email to someone you know first to check that your formatting works properly. If it looks fine then you can send it to the employer.
Avoid Generic References To Your Abilities
Whenever possible, tell meaningful anecdotes that tie your skills to concrete problem-solving activities or tangible business results youve worked on in your career. Any candidate can say they possess a desirable skill. To make an impact, you need to show hiring managers examples of your skills in action. For example:
Too vague:My skills would be a great fit for your organization.
More specific:In my role as a sales associate, I am frequently required to provide exceptional customer service on short notice. Exceeding customers expectations is a point of personal and professional pride for me, and this is a skill Im eager to continue developing.”
Too vague:Im a proactive team player.
More specific:In my current job, I proactively jumped in to help launch an internal recycling and waste reduction initiative. Together, our team contributed to a 25% reduction in solid waste production within the company.
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How To Email A Resume
While it is most common for employers to accept resumes through online job applications, some job postings may include a requirement to submit your resume via email. If this is the case, whats the best way to email your resume for success? The key is to read the job posting carefully. You will want to follow any instructions the employer gives you on emailing your resume. Below are tips on how to follow the instructions and other guidance on sending a professional email.
1. Name and contact information2. Summary or objectivec. Description of role and achievement4. Education6. Optional
Check Out Samples Resumes And Cover Letters
Job seekers often find it challenging to create cohesive resumes and cover letters, a process made even more difficult if they have to stare at a blank page. Fortunately, online samples abound and provide a starting point that candidates can use to jump-start their own applications. Job listing and professional networking websites like Indeed, Monster, and offer resume and cover letter samples for all career fields. In addition, college students can look to their university’s career center for examples of effective application materials. Candidates should also ask their network for successful resume/cover letter samples.
Templates are useful for helping job seekers visualize the basic structures of resumes and cover letters and lay out their own qualifications in a way that best emphasizes their strengths. This guide examines formatting in the next section.
Resume/cover letter templates also give job seekers a good understanding of industry-specific terminology. Recruiters often scan for these terms because they indicate a prospect’s hands-on experience in the field. Using the correct language can also assist with meeting the standards of a company’s applicant tracking system. Ultimately, templates help job seekers display information cogently. Professionals should still take the time to personalize their resumes and cover letters to the specifications of individual positions.
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