Resume vs. CV: What's the Difference?

What is the core difference between a resume and a CV?

The distinction depends heavily on where you are. In the United States and Canada, a resume is a concise, tailored marketing document, usually one page, that highlights the experience most relevant to a specific job. A CV (curriculum vitae) is a longer, detailed record of your entire academic and professional history, often several pages, used mainly for academic, scientific, medical, and research positions.

In much of the UK, Europe, and other regions, the word "CV" is simply the standard term for what Americans call a resume, and it is expected to be short and targeted.

How do length and content differ?

The two documents serve different goals, so their content diverges:

• Resume: One to two pages. Tailored per application. Emphasizes achievements, skills, and relevant experience. Omits anything not useful for the target role.
• CV: Two or more pages, with no strict upper limit. Comprehensive and largely static. Includes publications, research, grants, conference presentations, teaching, and academic honors.

When should you use each one?

Use a resume for most industry, corporate, startup, and non-academic jobs in the US and Canada.

• Use a CV for academic positions, research roles, fellowships, grants, and applications to universities.
• Use a CV when applying for many roles outside the US, since that is the local term for a job application document.
• When a posting is ambiguous, follow the terminology and length the employer uses in their instructions.

Does the ATS treat resumes and CVs differently?

Applicant tracking systems parse both the same way: they extract text, look for standard section headings, and match keywords. Whichever document you submit, keep the formatting clean, use conventional headings, and mirror the language of the posting.

For academic CVs, the same keyword and clarity principles apply, though many academic hiring processes involve more human review and less automated filtering than corporate roles.