CV vs Resume: The Difference and Which One You Need
Whether a CV is the same as a resume, how the two differ, which one to send and how to turn one into the other, with a country-by-country table.
Whether a CV and a resume are the same thing depends on where you're applying. In the UK and much of Europe, they are: CV is the word used there for the document Americans call a resume. In the US, they're different. A resume sums up your experience and skills in one or two pages. A CV (short for curriculum vitae) records an entire academic career, including publications, teaching and grants, and it's what universities, research institutions and some medical employers ask for.
So let the job decide. For a US job outside academia, send a resume. For a faculty job, a research position or a fellowship, send an academic CV. An employer in the UK or Europe that asks for a CV wants a document much like your resume, adjusted for local spelling, paper size and personal details.
Sometimes a US employer outside academia asks for a CV in its job posting or application form. Send your resume anyway, unless the instructions ask for a longer record. If you can't tell what they want, ask the recruiter.
The main differences between a CV and a resume
Because CV can mean two different documents, the table compares three: the US resume, the job CV used in the UK and much of Europe, and the academic CV.
Document | Who asks for it | Usual length | What goes in it |
Resume | Most US employers outside academia | One or two pages | Contact details, a short summary, work experience, education and skills, chosen for the job you're applying for |
Job CV | Most employers in the UK and much of Europe | No more than two pages in the UK; varies elsewhere in Europe | The same core sections as a resume, with a personal statement in place of the summary |
Academic CV | Universities, research employers, fellowship programs and some medical employers | No set limit; it grows with your career | Your full record: education, research, publications, presentations, teaching, grants, awards and service |
What is a CV?
CV is short for curriculum vitae, Latin for "course of life." It's a record of your education, work history and achievements that you send when you apply for a job, a fellowship or an academic position. The plural is curricula vitae, though most people just say CVs.
A job CV in the UK and much of Europe
Employers in the UK and much of Europe ask for a CV for almost every job, from retail work to senior management. It's written for the role you're applying for, which makes it the local equivalent of a US resume, and in the UK it's usually no more than two pages.
An academic CV in the US
In the US, CV usually means the academic version that professors, researchers, scientists and many physicians keep, though some employers use the word for an ordinary resume. It's a complete record of a scholarly career, with publications, teaching, conference talks, grants and awards, and it keeps growing as the career goes on. A College Recruiter article on Harvard's career services site notes that a CV has no suggested page limit.
A recruiter in London who asks for your CV wants a short document aimed at the role. A faculty hiring committee at a US university that asks for one wants your complete academic record.
What is a resume?
A resume is a short summary of your work history, education and skills, usually one or two pages, written to show an employer you can do the job they're hiring for. Outside academia, it's the document most US employers expect, from entry-level jobs to senior roles.
A resume is selective. You pick the experience and results that fit the job, leave out the rest and put your most recent job first. Then you adjust it for each new application. Our guide on how to write a resume covers each section, and our resume examples by job title show what a finished one looks like for jobs like yours.
Why Americans say resume and the British say CV
The word "resume" comes from French, where résumé means "summary." American English borrowed it for the short document most employers ask for and kept CV for the academic record. British English uses the Latin curriculum vitae, shortened to CV, for both kinds of document. You'll also see the word spelled résumé or resumé; all three spellings mean the same thing.
Should you send a CV or a resume?
Answer these questions in order. The first yes tells you what to send.
- Is the job in academia or research, such as a faculty position, a postdoc, a fellowship or a research-focused medical role? Send an academic CV with your full record of publications, teaching and grants. Our guide to writing a CV walks through the academic version section by section.
- Is the job in the US? Send a one- or two-page resume tailored to the job. If the posting asks for a CV, see the next section.
- Is the job in another country, and does the posting ask for a CV? Send a job CV, and check the country table below for local customs on length, photos and paper size.
If none of these fit, or the posting says "resume/CV," send a tailored one- or two-page document. Whatever you send, use the employer's word for it when you name the file and write your cover letter: if the posting says CV, call it your CV.
When a US employer outside academia asks for a CV
Some US employers use the word CV loosely, and some want a longer, more detailed record than a resume. Look in the application instructions for a page limit or a list of what to include. If they don't say, send your resume or ask the recruiter how long it should be. It's a fair question, and the answer tells you whether to send your resume as it is or something longer.
CVs and resumes in different countries
For jobs outside academia, what changes from country to country is mostly custom: the name of the document, its length, the paper size and the personal details that belong on it. For how the two documents came about and spread, see the origin and global use of resumes and CVs.
Where you're applying | What it's called | Usual length | Photo and personal details | Paper and spelling |
United States | Resume; CV usually means an academic CV | One or two pages | Usually no photo, and no date of birth or marital status; city and state are enough for an address | US Letter; US spelling |
United Kingdom | CV, for every kind of job | No more than two A4 pages (Prospects) | No photo unless the job is in acting or modeling (Prospects); leave out your age, date of birth, marital status and nationality (National Careers Service) | A4; UK spelling, such as "organised" and "programme" |
European Union | CV; Europass, the EU's own CV format, comes in 31 languages | Varies by country | Photos are common in some countries, and Europass suggests adding one; other details vary, so follow the employer's or the country's guidance | A4; the language of the job |
India | CV for university, fellowship, research and postdoctoral applications and some government jobs, and the two words are sometimes used interchangeably (Coursera India); resume for most other jobs | Resume: one or two pages | Some employers still ask for a "biodata" with date of birth, marital status and similar details, though this is becoming rare (Coursera India); whether to include a photo varies by employer | A4 is common; Indian English spelling |
Sources for the table: the College Recruiter article on Harvard's site, the CV guide from Prospects, the UK graduate careers service, the National Careers Service list of CV sections, the Europass CV page and Coursera's India comparison.
Why the personal details differ
UK government guidance for employers says they can ask for a date of birth on an application form only if the job has an age requirement, such as selling alcohol, and that they must not ask about marital status. In the US, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission advises employers against asking for information that would reveal an applicant's race. A photo can reveal race, which is one common explanation for why US applicants leave it off. Leaving it off is a custom, not a legal requirement, and in parts of Europe a photo is still common.
US Letter or A4 paper
US Letter paper (8.5 x 11 inches) is a little wider and a little shorter than A4 (210 x 297 mm). When a Letter PDF is printed on A4, it's usually scaled to fit the page. If a posting asks for A4, use A4.
How to turn your resume into a job CV
For a job in the UK or Europe, you can adapt your resume rather than start over. You keep the same experience and results and change only the local details.
- Contact details: write your phone number and address the way they're written in that country.
- Summary: replace it with a personal statement, a few lines under your name that describe your experience and the job you're looking for. In the UK it's often written in the first person.
- Spelling: use the country's spelling, such as "organised" and "programme" for the UK.
- Length and paper: keep a UK CV to two pages at most, and check the employer's guidance elsewhere in Europe. Use A4 if the employer asks for it.
- Photo and personal details: follow the local custom in the country table above.
One nurse's resume and job CV, side by side
This is how the top of one nurse's application looks in each version.
US resume | UK job CV |
Elena Marsh · Columbus, OH · (614) 555-0186 · elena.marsh@example.com. Summary: Registered nurse with five years in medical-surgical units. Cut patient falls on a 32-bed unit by 18% after leading a bedside safety huddle. | Elena Marsh · Leeds · 07700 900186 · elena.marsh@example.com. Personal statement: I'm a registered nurse with five years on busy medical and surgical wards, where I organised a bedside safety huddle that reduced patient falls by 18%. I'm looking for a charge nurse role in a teaching hospital. |
What changed: the phone number and location follow UK formats, the "Summary" heading becomes "Personal statement," the statement is written in the first person, and the spelling and vocabulary are British ("organised," "wards"). The achievement is the same in both. Elena Marsh is made up, and so are her figures.
To borrow wording for your own summary or personal statement, see the nurse example, or find your job in the full list of job titles. For the other sections of a job CV, see how to write a CV.
Turning a CV from another country into a US resume
Work through the same list in reverse. Take off the photo, date of birth, marital status and nationality, switch to US spelling and US Letter paper, turn the personal statement into a short summary, and keep the whole document to one or two pages.
How to turn an academic CV into a resume
Aim for one or two pages tailored to one job. Lead with the results and skills that matter to an employer outside academia, turn research and teaching into short bullets, and replace the full publication list with a link or a note.
Researchers applying for jobs in industry, healthcare administration, data or policy often send their academic CV as it is. A hiring manager outside a university is unlikely to read ten pages to find the two skills the job needs.
- Begin with the job posting. List the main requirements it stresses, usually five or six, then look through your academic record for an example of each, such as a study you ran, data you cleaned, a budget you managed or students you trained.
- Turn each example into a bullet that starts with an action verb and shows the scale or result of the work.
- Cut the publication list down. If the job values publications, keep the one or two most relevant. Replace the rest with a single line, such as "Publications and presentations: full list available on request," or a link to your online profile.
- Borrow the posting's wording wherever it accurately describes your work, so the reader can see the fit.
- Keep it short. One page is usually enough for a first job outside academia; use two only if everything on them is relevant. Our article on when a resume should run to two pages helps you decide.
Example: a conference talk rewritten as a resume bullet
Academic CV entry | Resume bullet |
Conference presentation: "Sleep fragmentation and recall in older adults," regional psychology conference, 2025. | Designed and ran a 14-month study of 220 older adults, recruiting participants, cleaning the data in R and presenting the findings at a regional psychology conference. |
What changed: the bullet starts with the work you did, includes the scale of the study (14 months, 220 participants) and names skills an employer outside academia can use: recruiting, data cleaning in R and presenting. The study and its numbers are made up for this example.
If you want wording for an industry job close to your research, start with the clinical research associate and data analyst examples. If you're changing fields entirely, see our guide to career change resumes.
Making a resume or CV with Rocket Resume
With Rocket Resume, the finished resume or CV is a US Letter PDF. There's no A4 option, no photo field, no Word or Google Docs file and no way to upload a resume you already have. There are also no sections built for publications, research or teaching. So the builder works for a US resume, and for a job CV when the employer accepts US Letter paper and no photo, but not for a full academic CV.
For a US job, start with the resume builder; for a job CV, check the employer's paper and photo rules first, then start with the CV builder.
Short answers to other application questions are in our resume and career FAQs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a CV the same as a resume?
It depends on the country. In the UK and much of Europe, yes: CV is the usual word for a resume. In the US, no: a resume is a one- or two-page summary for most jobs, and a CV is a full academic record for jobs in academia, research and some areas of medicine. When the posting for a US job outside academia says CV, though, send your resume unless the instructions ask for something longer.
What does CV stand for?
CV stands for curriculum vitae, a Latin phrase that means "course of life." In the plural, most people say CVs rather than curricula vitae. Depending on the country, it means either a one- or two-page summary used to apply for jobs or a full academic record.
Is it better to send a CV or a resume?
Neither is better in general; the right one depends on the job. Most US employers outside academia want a resume, and academic and research positions call for an academic CV. In the UK and much of Europe, an employer who asks for a CV wants a job CV, which works much like a resume. Whichever you send, call it what the posting calls it.
Can I use my resume as a CV?
For most jobs outside academia, yes. For a job in the UK or Europe, adapt it first: use local phone and address formats, swap your summary for a personal statement, switch to local spelling, and follow the employer's rules on paper size and photos. An academic or research job is different: it needs an academic CV that lists all your publications, teaching and grants.
Why do some US job postings ask for a CV?
Not every employer uses the two words the same way. Some write CV when they mean a resume, and others want a longer, more complete record of your work. For a job outside academia, check the instructions for a page limit; if there isn't one, ask the recruiter what they expect or send your resume.
How long is a CV compared with a resume?
Most US resumes run one or two pages, and Prospects, the UK graduate careers service, advises keeping a UK job CV to no more than two A4 pages. Academic CVs have no set page limit and keep growing over a career, so a senior researcher's can run to many pages.
What is another name for a resume?
In the UK and much of Europe, a resume is called a CV. In US academia, though, a CV is a different, much longer document, so check which one a US posting means. The word is also spelled résumé or resumé.
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