Curriculum Vitae

"Curriculum vitae" is Latin for "course of life," and in most of the world outside North America, it's simply the standard word for what Americans call a resume — a document summarizing your education and work history to apply for a job.

CV vs. resume: the real difference

In the UK, most of Europe, and much of Asia and Africa, "CV" refers to the same 1–2 page job-application document that Americans call a resume. In the US and Canada, however, "CV" specifically means a longer, academic document listing publications, research, grants, and conference presentations — used for academic, medical, or research positions, not general job applications.

If you're applying for a standard job anywhere outside North America, "CV" and "resume" mean the same thing: a concise, tailored summary of your relevant experience. Read more in our dedicated CV vs. resume comparison.

What belongs in a job-application CV

• Contact details and a short professional summary
• Work experience, most recent first, with results-focused bullets
• Education
• Relevant skills and languages
• Length: 1 page if you have under 10 years of experience, 2 pages maximum otherwise

What belongs in an academic CV

If you actually need the longer academic format — for a PhD application, postdoc, or research role — it typically also includes publications, grants, teaching experience, and conference talks, and can run to several pages. This is a different document from the job-application CV most visitors to this page need.

Build the right document

Not sure which one you need? For 95% of job applications, the short, structured version is correct — and it's what our generator produces. See a finished one on the structured CV page.

Create your CV