Updated November 4, 2026.
In short: the difference between CV and resume comes down to scope. A resume is a one- to two-page summary of the skills and experience that fit one job. A curriculum vitae is the full record of your academic and professional history: degrees, research, publications, teaching, grants and talks, with no set length. In the US and Canada you send a CV for academic and research roles and a resume for nearly everything else. In the UK, Europe, Australia and India, "CV" is often just the local word for a resume. For a longer comparison, see our guide to CV vs resume.
What is the difference between a CV and a resume?
A resume selects; a CV records. You build a resume around one job and leave out what does not support it. A CV keeps every relevant academic item in fixed categories and grows as your career does. UC Davis's career center puts it this way: a CV "presents a full history of your academic accomplishments, while a resume presents a concise summary of your qualifications."
Here are the key differences between a CV and a resume, side by side:
| Compared on | Resume | CV (curriculum vitae) |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Typically 1 page; 2 for experienced applicants (UC Davis) | No set limit; grows over a career (UC Davis, Princeton) |
| Purpose | Show one employer you fit one role | Give a full account of your academic and research work |
| Sections | Contact details, summary, skills, work history, education | Education, research, publications, grants, presentations, teaching, service, awards, affiliations, references |
| Photo | Left off in the US (University of Maryland career services) and the UK, unless you are an actor or model (Prospects) | Not expected on a UK CV (Prospects); norms vary elsewhere, so follow the posting |
| Region or where used | Most jobs in the US and Canada; business, nonprofit and government roles (Princeton) | US and Canadian academia, research and medicine; in the UK, Europe and elsewhere "CV" names the everyday job document |
| How often it changes | Reworked for each application | Updated as you add publications, grants and talks; section order adjusted for the role |
One nuance on the last row. Both documents get tailored. UC Davis advises CV writers applying for a teaching post to move teaching sections above research. But a CV keeps its full contents, while a resume cuts whatever does not serve the job. Princeton's guide makes the same split: on a CV you "include all publications"; on a resume you include selected ones, and only if they relate to the work.
Which should you send: a CV or a resume?
Send whatever the job posting names, in the form that country expects. The same word can describe two different documents depending on where you apply. The difference between resume and CV is sharpest in North America and nearly disappears elsewhere.
| Country or region | Word employers use | What the document actually is |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Resume for most jobs; CV for academic, research and medical roles | A resume is a targeted summary of one or two pages. A CV is an "exhaustive academic summary" (Princeton). |
| Canada | Same split as the US | UC Davis groups the US and Canada together and notes that people there sometimes use the two words interchangeably. |
| United Kingdom | CV | A summary of "your skills, achievements and experience that you use to apply for jobs" (National Careers Service). Prospects quotes a university careers team recommending no more than two A4 pages, slightly longer for academic CVs. |
| EU (Europass) | CV | The Europass CV, which the EU calls "one of the best-known CV formats in Europe," is used for jobs, education, training and volunteering, in 31 languages. |
| Australia | Resume and CV, often interchangeably | UWA says the terms "are used interchangeably" in Australia. JCU says the resume is the summary employers often ask for, while a CV is the fuller document for roles such as higher degree research. |
| India | Resume and CV, often interchangeably | A resume of one to two pages for most industries; a CV of three or more pages for academic and clinical medical roles; and biodata, with personal details, for some government jobs (foundit). |
Two details stand out. In the UK, the National Careers Service tells applicants to leave out age, date of birth, marital status and nationality, so a "CV" there is not a license to add personal data. In Australia, JCU's careers FAQ says a new graduate's resume will be "around 2-3 pages long," which is longer than the US norm. Follow the length the posting or local careers service gives.
If the posting says nothing and you cannot tell, ask. UC Davis gives the same advice.
When is a "CV" in the US an academic CV?
In the US, a request for a CV almost always means the long academic version. Expect it in these four places.
- Academia. Faculty, lecturer and postdoctoral positions, plus graduate school applications. UC Davis lists graduate school and academic research and teaching positions as the main uses of a CV.
- Research. Research institutes and research positions in industry, where the people hiring share your background. Princeton's guide says an academic CV is "likely fine to use" in those cases.
- Medicine and science. Princeton names "academia, scientific research and medical fields" as the places a US CV is used.
- Grants and fellowships. UC Davis lists fellowships, scholarships and research funding as CV uses, and notes that funding applications typically require one.
For a graduate school application, the gap is smaller than it looks. UC Davis says a graduate program wants an expanded resume with publications and research descriptions added. Depending on your experience, it may not differ much from your resume.
Outside these four areas, a US employer who writes "send your CV" usually means a resume. Princeton notes that recruiters typically do not have time to read a CV. If you are not sure, send a resume and ask whether they want the academic version.
How do you turn a CV into a resume (and back)?
To go from CV to resume, cut by relevance. To go from resume to CV, add by category. The facts stay the same; only the selection and order change.
CV to resume:
1.Read the posting first. List the skills and duties it names. Everything you keep should map to one of them.
2.Lead with experience. Put work and research experience above education, unless you are a recent graduate. Use reverse chronological order inside each section.
3.Shrink the publication list. Princeton advises including selected publications only if they relate to the job. One summary line plus one or two titles is usually enough.
4.Write results, not topics. Turn each research project into what you found, built or improved. Sample bullet: "Built a data pipeline that cut analysis time for a 12-person lab from two days to four hours." Use your own numbers.
5.Add a skills section. Name the tools and methods the posting asks for. Our guide to listing skills on a resume covers format and order.
6.Drop references. Princeton's guide says a CV always includes them and a resume does not.
7.Cut to length. Aim for one page, or two if your experience is long. Princeton recommends one page for consulting, finance and technology roles.
Resume to CV:
1.Put education first, with degrees, institutions and thesis titles.
2.Restore every category: research experience, publications in full citation form, presentations, teaching, grants, awards, service and affiliations. UC Davis lists all of these as standard CV sections.
3.Bold your name in each citation, as UC Davis suggests.
4.Order sections for the reader. For a teaching post, teaching goes near the top. For a research post, research and publications go first.
5.Add references at the end.
Keep both files current. UC Davis notes that if you apply to both academic and industry jobs, you need both documents. To see how finished resumes look in different fields, browse our resume examples. For the spelling question that comes with the word, see how to spell resume. Writing a UK- or Europe-style CV instead? Follow how to write a CV, check the layout against our CV format guide, and compare your draft with these CV examples.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between CV and resume?
A resume is a short, targeted summary of your skills and experience, usually one or two pages, written for one job. A CV is a complete record of your academic and professional history with no fixed length. In the US and Canada the two are separate documents. In the UK, Europe, Australia and India, "CV" is often the everyday name for a resume. Our CV vs resume guide has more detail.
Can I send a resume when a job asks for a CV?
Outside academia, research and medicine, usually yes, because many employers use "CV" loosely. In the UK, Europe and Australia, the requested "CV" is often resume-length anyway. For academic posts, grants and fellowships, send a full CV. When in doubt, ask the employer which document they want.
How long should a CV be compared with a resume?
A US resume is typically one page, two for experienced applicants. An academic CV has no set limit. A UK CV is usually no longer than two A4 pages, according to advice quoted by Prospects. In Australia, JCU says a new graduate's resume is often two to three pages.
Do I need a different document for graduate school?
Usually a CV, but a short one. UC Davis says graduate programs that request a CV are generally looking for an expanded resume with publications and research descriptions. If you have little research experience, your CV may look a lot like your resume.
Should a CV include a photo?
Not in the UK, and not on a US resume. Prospects says UK applicants do not need a photo unless they are applying for acting or modeling work, and University of Maryland career services advises against one on US resumes. Norms differ in some other countries, so check the posting or ask the employer before you add one.
Sources
- UC Davis Career Center, Resume vs CV — checked November 3, 2026.
- UC Davis Career Center, CV (Curriculum Vitae) — checked November 3, 2026.
- Princeton University Center for Career Development, CV vs. Resume Guide (PDF) — checked November 3, 2026.
- University of Maryland Engineering Career Services, Resume handout and samples (PDF) — checked November 3, 2026.
- National Careers Service (UK government), How to write a CV — checked November 3, 2026.
- Prospects (Jisc), How to write a CV — checked November 3, 2026.
- Europass (European Union), Create your Europass CV — checked November 3, 2026.
- University of Western Australia, Difference between a resume and CV — checked November 3, 2026.
- James Cook University Careers, Resume FAQs (PDF) — checked November 3, 2026.
- foundit (India), CV or Resume? Know the Difference and When to Use Which — checked November 3, 2026.