Career Advice

Resume vs. CV: What's the Difference (and Which Do You Need)

Q: Is a CV always longer than a resume?

An academic CV is typically longer because it lists a full career record. But outside North America, when a job posting says "CV," it usually just means a resume-length document—so length depends on context, not the word itself.

Q: Do I need a photo on a CV?

It depends on the country. Photos are common on CVs/resumes in parts of Europe and Latin America but are typically discouraged on US resumes to avoid bias in hiring. Check local norms for where you're applying.

Q: Which one should I build if a job posting just says "send your CV/resume"?

For nearly all non-academic roles, build the shorter, tailored version—1-2 pages, focused on the specific job. That's what most recruiters, regardless of which word they used, actually expect to see.

The terms get used interchangeably, but a resume and a CV are different documents with different lengths, purposes, and audiences.

The short answer

In the United States and Canada, a resume is a short, tailored summary (typically 1-2 pages) used for most private-sector job applications. A CV (curriculum vitae) is a comprehensive, chronological record of your entire academic and professional history—publications, research, teaching, presentations—used mainly for academic, research, medical, and scientific positions.

Outside North America, the word "CV" is often used the way Americans use "resume"—a short, tailored document for a general job application. If a job posting from the UK, Ireland, or elsewhere in Europe asks for a "CV," it usually means what a US recruiter would call a resume.

Length and content

Resume: 1-2 pages, tailored per application, focused on the experience most relevant to the specific role, no exhaustive list of every job or publication.

Academic CV: can run several pages and grows over a career, listing every publication, grant, conference presentation, and teaching role—completeness matters more than brevity.

When to use which

Use a resume for most corporate, startup, nonprofit, and general job-board applications in North America.

Use an academic CV for university faculty positions, postdoctoral research roles, and some medical or scientific positions where a full research and publication record is expected.

If you're applying internationally, check the posting's country and industry—when in doubt, a concise, tailored document (resume-style) is the safer default for most non-academic roles.

What SimpleCV builds

SimpleCV's templates are built for the concise, tailored resume format used in most job applications—one to two pages, achievement-focused, ATS-friendly. If you need a full academic CV with an extensive publications list, you can still use a template as a starting structure and add sections manually as your record grows.

FAQ

Is a CV always longer than a resume?

Do I need a photo on a CV?

Which one should I build if a job posting just says "send your CV/resume"?