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Resume vs. CV - What’s the Difference?

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Donna Cardillo, RN

Donna Cardillo, RN has been referred to as the ‘guru’ of career development for nurses. Donna is a professional keynote speaker, author, consultant, and coach. Her accomplished career combines over 20 years of clinical, managerial and business experience, not to mention her stint as a professional singer. Donna’s clinical experience includes emergency and psychiatric nursing.

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There are even two different styles of CV, the American and the International. Which style you use would depend on where the company you’re applying to is located. The International version includes personal information, such as marital and health status, which would be inappropriate on an American-style CV.

It doesn’t hurt to keep a CV-style listing for yourself to keep track of every presentation, article, and so forth if applicable, but you certainly don’t want to provide that much detail in your resume. Remember, less is more today, when you’re talking about resumes. If people want more detail, they can always review your portfolio, if you have one, or ask for more details, which you could provide under separate cover.

Remember that many people use the terms “CV” and “resume” interchangeably. So the next time someone asks you for a CV, don’t assume she wants the long, expanded version. Unless you’re applying for a teaching position with a university or a high-level PhD type research position, an all-purpose resume is usually all you’ll need.

For more information about resumes and CVs check out: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Perfect Resume by Susan Ireland or Resumes for Dummies by Joyce Lain Kennedy.

Reprinted with permission from Nurses.com (www.nurses.com). Copyright by Verticalnet, Inc., Horsham, PA., 215-315-3247. All rights reserved.