When Do You Use A Resume

Spelling Punctuation And Grammatical Errors

Always double-check the spelling on your CV. Ensure you are writing in the correct tense and if you are using the third person, stick to it throughout the document. Avoid Americanisms and use the spell-check. If you struggle to spot mistakes, ask a careers professional, mentor or friend to look over your CV or use spell-checking software like Grammarly.

Do You Need A Cv Or A Resume

Which document you need between a resume and a CV ultimately comes down to your industry and your personal preferences.

If you work in the medical field, a scientific research position, or in academia, the right move is probably to use a CV.

If you work, or want to work, in nearly any other field, you should probably use a resume and tailor it specifically to the job applications for the position you want.

Thats all there is to it!

For more help with resume writing or putting together your job application, check out the following additional resources:

Highlight Your Relevant Work Experience

Your work experience section is the most essential part of your resume because its the best representation of your qualifications.

If you lack formal work experience, however, dont worry. Simply title this section Relevant Experience and use it to highlight details about your volunteer work, extracurriculars, or relevant school coursework.

To create a logical and informative work experience section, list your relevant experience from most recent to least recent . For each job, list the following information:

• Your title
• Company location
• Dates of employment

If youre still currently working at a company, you can simply write , present for the employment dates.

A general rule is that each job title includes about 35 bullet points of your main duties and achievements working in that role.

3 parts of a strong bullet point:

• 1st: Action verb
• 2nd: Quantifiable point
• 3rd: Specific and relevant job duty

Example 1:

Trained5+ cashiers, managing their cash limits and guaranteeing quality customer service at all times.

Example 2:

Spearheadedthe development of the first media kit amalgamation for all company projects, increasing national sales by 8%.

One reason the above bullet points are effective is that they use action verbs to grab the attention of hiring managers. Describing your experience using strong action verbs helps illustrate to employers what youve accomplished and what kind of skills you have.

You May Like: Cna Skills List For Resume

The Difference Between A Resume And A Curriculum Vitae

Adrian Mange / The Balance

What is the difference between a resume and a CV? When should you use a resume, and when is it better to use a curriculum vitae?

The primary differences between a;resume;and a;curriculum vitae ;are length, what is included, and what each is used for. While both are used in job applications, a resume and a CV are not always interchangeable.

Tips On Word Choice In Resumes

Be specific. You do not want to appear vague in your resume.;Hiring managers are tired of hearing;clichéd words like team player and hard worker. Avoid these phrases at all cost. Include words and phrases that explain specifically what you accomplished in your previous jobs.

Use action words. Hiring managers also like to see;action words;in resumes because they demonstrate that you took a leadership role that produced results.

Include power words. Along with action words, other power words include popular skills, words specific to your industry, and keywords from both the job listing and the company website. Use these to make your resume stand out as the hiring manager skims through it.

Use values. Also, when possible, use numbers to demonstrate how your efforts benefited your employers. For example, instead of simply saying you added value to Best Practices PR by saving money, you should say that you administered a public relations budget of $500,000 and, by developing and implementing an innovative and efficient cost-saving marketing program, saved Best Practices PR over $10,000 a year for a period of three years.”;

Focus on the job. By focusing on the skills, results, and accomplishments most aligned to the job you’re applying for, you’ll have a much better chance of getting called in for an interview. Again, using keywords from the job listing will help align your resume with the job. This, coupled with word choice, will get you closer to your next job.;

Also Check: Cna Resume Sample For New Cna Applicant

Major Differences Between Cvs And Resumes

Alright, let me give you the punchline first. Well discuss the devil that hides in the details later.

The 3 key;differences between CVs and resumes;are:

• their length,
• their purpose and,
• their layout.

That being said, its important to note that many of these differences become redundant across certain country borders. For example, the British tend to refer to their main career document as a CV, while Australians, Americans and Canadians prefer to call it a resume.

This is an important observation because, despite the fact that there are some clear technical differences between the two documents, a lot of people use CV and resume interchangeably.

This is particularly true in Australia. If applying for roles here, youll be quite safe using either resume or CV. Your choice of words will not negatively impact your job application.

While the British do, as a culture, prefer the word CV to resume, the UK recruitment culture shares a lot of similarities with that of Australia . Consequently, you also wont raise too many eyebrows if you call your career marketing document one way or another.

Hard Vs Soft Skills: Whats The Difference

Heres the difference between hard skills and soft skills:

Hard skills

Hard skills are quantifiable, job-specific abilities learned through education, training, or on-the-job experience. Language skills, computer skills, and being able to operate heavy machinery all count as types of hard skills.

Heres a list of 24 popular hard skills to put on your resume:

Don’t Miss: How Much Employment History To Put On Resume

What Is A Resume

A;resume;provides a summary of your education, work history, credentials, and other accomplishments and skills. There are also optional sections, including a;resume objective;and a;career summary statement.

Resumes are the most common document requested of applicants in job applications.

A resume should be as concise as possible. Typically, a resume is;one page long, although sometimes it can be as long as two pages.

Resumes often include bulleted lists to keep information concise.

Resumes come in a few types, including;chronological,;functional, and;combination formats. Select a format that best fits the type of job you are applying for.

What To Include In A Cover Letter

Use the cover letter template and planner to get started. When drafting your cover letter, keep the following DO’s and DON’Ts in mind:

Do’s

• Limit the cover letter to one page if possible, unless applying to academic faculty, teaching or research positions.
• Use the same font and formatting in the cover letter as you use in your resume.
• You might also want to use the same header in both a cover letter and resume. See header formatting examples.
• If providing a printed copy, use the same type of paper for both your cover letter and resume. Resume paper can be purchased at the UC Davis Bookstore or at an office supply store.
• Many tech companies prefer the cover letter not be attached, but uploaded as text in an email with the resume attached.
• Use formal, professional language in a cover letter. This is true when sending your cover letter as text in an email .
• Personalize each cover letter to the specific position you are applying to.
• Address your cover letter to a specific person or the hiring manager whenever possible. If you don’t know their name, use one of the following examples:
• “Dear Hiring Manager,”
• “Dear Hiring Team,”
• “Dear Recruiter,”

Read Also: How To Word Customer Service On A Resume

Creating A Resume Skills Section

The skills section is an essential part of your resume. However, there are several different ways to approach creating yours.

Here are a few examples demonstrating the different ways you can format your resumes skills section:

Example 1

If you have many relevant hard and soft skills, add them to your resume skills section using separate bullet points, like this:

If youre a student or recent graduate and have no significant job skills yet, there are still plenty of things you can list in your resume skills section. Heres an example of a skills section written by a candidate with no work experience:

Example 2

Another way to organize your skills section is by using bars to provide employers a rough estimate of your proficiency.

This type of skills section is particularly popular with more creative professions, like graphic design or social media management:

What To Include On A Resume

A resume typically includes a professional or summary statement, dedicated skills section and condensed description of your recent and relevant professional achievements listed in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most current job.

You may also choose to share your education experience, relevant professional associations youre a part of or volunteer work. If you have little or no professional work experience, you might list relevant internships, apprenticeships, volunteer work or personal projects instead.

To upload the template into Google Docs, go to File > Open > and select the correct downloaded file.

Read Also: How To Create A Resume On Iphone

Arrange Your Contact Information

Now that you know the format youre going to use, its time to start your resume. First things first, employers need to know who you are and how to contact you.

List the following contact details in your resume header at the top of the page:

• Name
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Link to online portfolio
• LinkedIn profile

Traditionally, you would also include your mailing address on your resume. However, this is no longer mandatory because most job applications are sent via email.

Here are two examples of how you can format your contact information section:

Listing Employment Months On A Resume The Right Way

If you’ve decided that you should be listing employment months on your resume, itâs time to address another major concern: format. Itâs not enough to just list those months and years; you need to know how to list dates on your resume. Here are some simple tips to help you with that formatting, as well as an example to show you what it should look like.

• Align your employment dates to the right, and use bold text for your resume month and year format.

• If you had various positions at a given company, list the dates for each. Offset them slightly from the right and use normal text formatting.

• When adding months on a resume, spell out the month name. As a rule, you should not be abbreviating months on a resume.

• If you choose to only put years on your resume, be consistent.

• Do not try to hide gaps. List months and years for every job and position.

• Double-check your dates to make sure that there are no inadvertent errors.

You May Like: Where To Put Education On Resume

Tailor Your Resume For Each Position

Its important to revise your resume to tailor it to each position you apply for. For each job, adjust the keywords in the skills section so that its a great fit for what the employer needs. You should also change what you emphasize in the professional history and educational experiences sections depending on whats listed in the job description.

When To Use A Resume Vs Curriculum Vitae

Generally, it will state on the application whether you need a CV or not. More often than not in the US a job application will require only your resume. And should you plan on applying for work abroad, a CV is more likely to be required.

If it is not clear on the application, ask your point of contact for the position directly. Be sure to read the application instructions carefully, as they may be very specific about the kind of information they want you to include in your CV or resume and how it should be formatted.

Although equated more often than not with academics a CV is also used by lawyers, physicians, and senior executives as a CV is more impressive, lengthy and detailed. If your application asks for a CV that may indicate the expectation of considerable life experience and accomplishments.

If you dont already have a CV, it is a good idea to start one it will make the job of modifying your resume easier and if you do need to present a CV it is there ready to use. Keep your CV updated and when it comes to that job application you will have all the information you need in one place!

Also Check: What To Put For Leadership On Resume

Use Future Tense When Applying For An Internship

The future tense is rarely used in resumes, but it could have possible benefits for college students. For instance, if you are applying for a summer internship and you want to emphasize that you will be doing something else during the fall that will help your application, you can include a brief description of it in the future tense.

Keep in mind, however, that mentioning work experiences that you will expect to have can hurt you when looking for a job. If you’re applying for a position in a company that looks for part-time employees or interns to later transition into full-time, saying that you have something lined up may not work in your favor. If you’re applying for educational internships, however, this may be a good option.

Related:10 Ways to Get the Most From Your Internship

The Differences Between A Cv Vs A Resume

Attention spans arent really the strong suit of most Americans. The average recruiter spends an average of six seconds looking at any given resume. You need a way to sell yourself to your employer, and quickly.

The art of a good resume is to find a way to accurately portray who you are to your employer, emphasizing your uniqueness, in a bite-size way that immediately grabs peoples attention.

In summary, here are the differences between a CV vs a resume:

In conclusion: To any American readers wondering whether they should send a resume or a CV to their next big job opportunity, the answer is almost certainly a resume.

How useful was this post?

Read Also: How To Make A Resume

Why Use A Resume

Resumes may not be long, but they are surgical.

The perfect length of a resume is one page. This is a far cry from the CV, which can be up to ten pages depending on how much youve done.

But a resume isnt meant to show everything youve done; its supposed to showcase what youve done thats directly relevant. No more, no less.

This has its drawbacks theres not much room for unrelated items, even if theyd make you seem more impressive, and the lack of space can make it difficult to even fit in the essentials.

But that brevity also means that theres a much greater chance that a hiring manager will see the relevant information that you have. They wont have to wade through the book of your life to find your most relevant experience. Theyll only need to glance at the first page.

What Are Some Examples Of A Good Resume

Heres the thing: Your resume wont ever look exactly like someone elses, nor should it. How you choose to format it, organize your information, and talk about specific experiences depends not just on your career path, but on your field, the job youre applying for, the company that job is at, and more.

So there isnt a universal way to do a resume. But there are common themes. To give you some context as to how yours might turn out, here are three examples of different kinds of resumes.

Recommended Reading: How To Write A Resume For Security Guard Job

The Unorthodox Route: A Functional Or Skills

Rather than listing out your experience in reverse chronological order, a functional or skills-based resume has bullet points that reflect how each of your skills is demonstrated by the work youve done over the course of your career. At the bottom, youll include everything else, such as your education, job history, professional achievements, community involvement, and other technical skills. This is a good option if you have a somewhat all-over-the-place work history and want to tie everything together neatly.

Who its good for: Career changers whose work experiences may not appear to be relevant and people with an abundance of temporary jobs or gaps in their work histories.

Whats The Difference Between A Cv And A Resume

The differences between a curriculum vitae and a resume are their length and purpose: resumes are usually only a page long, while CVs can be anywhere from 2 to 30 pages. Additionally, a CV outlines a persons entire academic career, while a resume briefly summarizes ones professional skills and experience.

In short, a CV is a multiple-page document that details a persons professional and academic experience, while a resume is a one-page document that outlines a persons professional skills and experience relevant to a job.

Don’t Miss: How To Update Your Resume On Linkedin

List Experience With Excel Using Clear Examples

Your Excel skills can also be featured in your past job experience. You can clearly explain how Excel was used to help you achieve in your previous position. This can show potential employers how you can apply those past skills to an upcoming position. Here is an example of showcasing your Excel skills in the experience section of your resume:

Utilized Microsoft Excel to categorize previous budget reports into a detailed pivot table to develop an improved company financial strategy