Question:
I wonder if anyone can help me with these two "requests":
1.- Is there any difference between a Curriculum Vitae and a résumé?
Could it be that American English uses the latter while British
English prefer the former? Is that accurate?
2.- Could anyone send me his/her résumé and permission to use it?
I'm writing a textbook to be used in Reading and Writing here in
Caracas, Venezuela - I work at a teacher-training university- I want
the materials to be as authentic as they can be.
Answer:
-My American impression is that a CV is a simple chronology of education,
jobs and publications, while a resume is slightly more discursive,
fleshed-out, and directed toward the desired employment. The CV is not
necessarily an employment tool, while the resume almost invariably is.
The owner of a CV is probably an academic or other professional, while a
business employee is more likely to use a resume.
-In the US, as far as I know, there ain't no significant difference between a
CV and resume. The contents of each are for all practical purposes the same.
Many scholastic institutions use the term CV, but some use the term resume.
Most non-scholastic institutions use the term resume, but again CV terminology
does occasionally appear.Personally, I usually use the term resume, although I
have on rare occasions used the label Curriculum Vitae.
As with all resume writing, the resume should be tailored for the job. A
resume for an academic post will differ from one for an accounting job. It is
best to follow the accepted formatting practices for discipline you are in. I
know from experience that deviating from the "accepted format" leads to
confusion. REMEMBER that the purpose of a resume is to get you an interview;
it is rare that a person is hired on the basis of a resume. NEVER put anything
on a resume, other than your experience, that can be used to disqualify you
from getting that interview. OMIT ALL personal statistics, goals, hobbies, and
interests.
As for other factors in writing a resume, there are too many books written on
the subject with bad advice. Writing a resume is very much an individual
effort. What works for one person may not be suitable for another. This is
where lots of hard work comes in optimizing a resume. Writing an effective
resume is very much a cut and try effort using lots of common sense.
I think that you are on the right track collecting resumes from individuals
who are successful in getting hired. Analyzing how they tailored their resumes
to their experiences should prove rewarding.
