If you’re building your Curriculum Vitae and looking for information on the web, you’ll sure find lots of  articles about the Resume. What is it? Is it the same as a CV? Which one is better? With this article, we’ll try to answer your questions.

First, you have to know a CV and a resume are very much alike, but not the same thing. Both documents are a summary of our working experience, studies and abilities, but there are some differences.

The main difference to this day was geographical. The resume was the document required by companies of the English-speaking world, especially the USA. The CV was the most frequent option in the rest of the countries, particularly in Europe, Asia or the Middle East. However, the line becomes blurry because nowadays many European enterprises prefer a resume.

So, what’s the difference?

The main differences between a resume and a CV are length, content and use. A resume is shorter, usually only 1 page that summarizes your abilities, experience and education. Its goal is to make your strong points stand out and show you’re right for a job in particular.

The CV, on the other hand, can be longer and more detailed. In it you can, and must, mention every job, course, etc. It’s more complete and gives much more information. Usually, for high or leadership positions that require advanced studies, employers prefer a CV because it’s easier to see if the candidate is right for the job.