Silly ?... What is a CV?

[Damselfish]

I realize it's an old term It's pc now in the states though to call a resume a cv.

Maybe you really meant something like "trendy"?

 

[glbirch]

A resume and a curriculum vitae are not the same thing (at least not in this country). A resume is a short, concise document that lists education, skills, and work experience.

A CV can be much longer and goes in to far greater detail. It can include a complete history of education and training, publications, research, academic work, and teaching experience. It is often written paragraph style and can include personal information not usually listed on a resume. It is more commenly used in academic settings.

Again, this is a North American view. I believe the European view is a little different. Google the terms cv-resume-difference and you should get a number of hits discussing the two.

 

[Diverblam]

Thank you everyone for the answers! And apologies... I didn't know where to post this question in the first place...

Thank you! =)

 

[Green_Manelishi]

Is the difference between talking and "engaging in dialogue". One is for the great, unwashed masses and the other is for intellectual types.

 

[Cacia]

Quero! Love your posts.

hey, would not the vernacular language affect the meaning though? I always thought that after a word was used a certain way for long enough, the meaning evolved.

a graduate program never asks for a resume.

A store never requests a CV........

 

[grazie42]

To me there is a difference...

In my resume I just "gloss over" work and educational experience as it relates to whatever position I´m applying for but I always attach a CV where you can read that I am a trimix and wreckdiver, was a squadleader in the army etc...my CV really is about "my life" as it relates to who I am as a person today and what skills, knowledge I have...Of course I have more than one degree so maybe I´m just a snob ;-)

I agree with catherine...the way a word is used is more relevant than it´s "dictionary definition"...if that wasn´t true, then why would they update dictionaries (responding by saying they need to make money is cynical)...or should we wait for the next edition of websters before we start using a word as other people do?

 

[Dive-aholic]

Maybe you really meant something like "trendy"?

Yes, that's a better term. I guess I stated pc because I tend to hear the phrase from people who seem to be concerned with whether something is pc or not.

Quero, resume could be un-pc if it results in discriminating against Joe Plumber because he's not the high fallutin educational type...

I didn't realize this thread would get so much debate.

 

[Lisa0825]

I don't know where you got that info and I don't doubt it, but the term has been in use for ages in the scientific community. Perhaps some people think they can now call their "resumes" CVs, but they don't really apply to the average person who has nothing besides work experience to show for their life.

True. I worked in medical research from 1990 to 2000, and saw many "cv's." Now I work in human resources and rarely ever see the term used.

PC has nothing to do with it, as far as I have encountered.

 

[hdtran]

My resume is one page long (11 pt font, 1" margins). It would have an entry saying "many publications in the fields of X,Y, & Z"

My CV is > 9 pages, and lists each individual publication, co-authors, etc.

With any luck, I won't need to show either resume or CV to anyone (except managers when it comes time to ask for more $$ )

 

[Quero]

Quero! Love your posts.

hey, would not the vernacular language affect the meaning though? I always thought that after a word was used a certain way for long enough, the meaning evolved.

a graduate program never asks for a resume.

A store never requests a CV........

Yes, Catherine, you're right. Over time, the use of any vocabulary item does tend to become broader or narrower according to the contexts it becomes associated (collocated) with. Register usage (situational appropriateness) is certainly one way that vocabulary undergoes this process. Until quite recently, the standard term for the document outlining one's educational and professional accomplishments was most commonly called a "resume" in North America, and a "CV" in the UK. These terms traditionally referred to essentially the same sort of document. (Note as evidence that the OP, a North American, was unfamiliar with the term "CV.")

With the spead of the use of the term "CV" in North America, many users naturally tried to distinguish a meaning difference, and in doing so, *created* a difference in register where none existed previously. This is what you observe when you mention the request a grad school would make as opposed to one a store would make. It also appears that our Canadian colleague sees a resume as a brief version of the CV, which is really very interesting as an insight into the process of vocabulary change. BTW, the branch of linguistics that researches these questions is called "Corpus Linguistics" if you feel like doing a Google search to learn more.

At any rate, these language processes take many years to develop; for all intents and purposes, a resume and a CV can still be viewed as one and the same for most users of English, at least for the time being.

So, diverblam can just go ahead and send her "resume" to the dive ops she is interested in working for--no need to try to expand it to multiple pages to turn it into a "CV."