UK job hunting. What's the difference between a resume and a CV?

Posted by FeralNoodle@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 23 comments

Hey gang, what's the difference between a resume and a CV when applying for jobs in the UK? For context, I'm British but have lived and worked in the US for the last 15 years, but I'm moving home this month because my personal life exploded, and have to embark on job hunting. Before I emigrated all my jobs were through word of mouth and I never needed a CV so I'm a little adrift here. My resume is pretty up-to-date (I was job hunting at the start of the year here, I would just need to add the details of the job I just left) but I'm not sure how to translate that into a CV. I'm still in the US right now so everything I'm finding online is geared to the US use of a CV which is primarily in academia so if anyone could point me in the direction of some solid templates or good advice for the UK job market that would be very much appreciated! Thank you millions!

23 Comments

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Investigator516@reddit

A Resume is shorter than a CV, which is more in-depth and includes projects and/or research studies. .

Mediocre-Opinion@reddit

Make sure to use British spellings. My workplace, like a lot of others, doesn't even read CVs from applicants anymore. It's all filtered by AI and one of the rejection criteria is Americanised spellings.

SomeHSomeE@reddit

In UK they are used interchangeably. A US resume is basically identical to a UK CV. 1-2 page list of jobs and qualification, with a little bit of detail of what you did within each job. A US CV is a much more in depth list of achievements usually in an academic context. You don't need to worry about that unless you're applying for a PhD or other specialised academic research position.

Affectionate-Owl9594@reddit

Nothing. Resume is the American-English word for CV, which is short for Curriculum Vitae.

90210fred@reddit

Question then: I understood Americans were dead set on single page documents while UK ones were typically (a bit) longer?

Timely_Cake_917@reddit

For any reason, or just as a hobby?

…it’s part of my job?

Swimming_Gas7611@reddit

English vs English (simplified)

EarlGreyKv@reddit

Isn’t Curriculum Vitae Latin?

and resume is french. origin vs modern use is a separate argument.

buy_me_a_pint@reddit

You don't even have to put your full address, just the city/town will do

Elvis_Precisely@reddit

Your question’s been answered, but here’s some more tips: - don’t write curriculum vitae at the top in big letters, we already know what we’re looking at - don’t include a photo (unless it’s a modelling job) in the UK. Do include one in parts of mainland Europe. - don’t include your date of birth - don’t make it longer than two pages - a good (tailored) cover letter can make you stand out, a bad one and your CV doesn’t even get read - professionally explain any gaps in your recent employment history - don’t worry about including jobs from 20 years ago, unless they’re very specifically related to the role you’re applying for, or it’s a very competitive area where you need to show you have more experience than the rest - tailor your CV to the role you’re applying for

Serious-Use4585@reddit

Resume is just what Americans call it.

DinkyPrincess@reddit

Resume is regularly used more in the states. CV is more common UK

On_The_Blindside@reddit

Basically the same thing, I've found that US companies want a single page résumé and that British companies want a 2 page CV.

Ok-Comparison2978@reddit

Your existing US resume is probably already 80–90% usable and you mostly just need to adapt the formatting, wording, and expectations slightly for UK recruiters.

OrganicStrawberry166@reddit

One is French and the other is Latin

Constant-Voice-1823@reddit

Use British English for sure. And keep your latest experience first. Keep the length to 2 pages maximum.

DaveBeBad@reddit

Maybe some slight differences in format, layout and content, but effectively the same document.

PerkeNdencen@reddit

They're exactly the same outside of academia. In academia, it's everything you've ever done, up to and including your year 3 swimming certificate. Okay, just kidding about that last bit, but you get my point.

JuanitaMerkin@reddit

They are the same thing

justanothergin@reddit

No difference

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