When You Are Requested A CV
There are times when potential employers will request a CV as opposed to a resume. In the United States, CV’s are usually required for the following positions:
- Teaching positions in higher education
- Research positions with institutions and/or private foundations
- Certain government positions
- Certain executive positions with non-profits organizations
In the U.S., the format of a CV is far different from a resume.
In the UK, CV’s will often be requested for a wide variety of position openings, and the format resembles a resume in many ways.
The U.S. CV
The CV is an overview of a person’s accomplishments, specifically within the academic and/or research realms. It should provide detailed summaries of a career, along with achievements, awards, publications, and other areas of recognition.
The CV is very different from a resume, because it is:
- Written in paragraph prose
- Much longer than a resume
- Focused on a person’s scholarly background as opposed to professional experience – teaching, research, and publications
The Elements of a CV
The following must be included in a CV:
- Education (college forward, in reverse order)
- Teaching, administrative, and professional writing experience (the most important experience related to the position opening should come first.)
- Research projects, paper presentations, published articles (this would include a summary of one’s Ph.D. dissertation)
- Related interests, community involvement
- References
The Format
There is no single format or preferred design. The format should typically be based upon the formats used for other CV’s in the particular field and for the types of positions for which one is applying.
Work Descriptions
As stated above, the CV work descriptions will be in paragraph form and written in prose. Focus should be on using action verbs to describe achievements and accomplishments as the work is summarized. Generally, bullet points are not used because descriptions can be quite lengthy.
The UK CV
Employers who request a CV as opposed to a resume in the UK are looking for a lengthier, more detailed educational and employment history, in full chronological order. Thus, CV’s do not change or are not altered for specific positions as resumes can be. The only time a CV is changed is if new work experience must be added. A resume will be altered to fit the specific positions for which one may apply. Thus, CV’s will be longer usually 2-3 pages) than resumes which will normally just highlight tasks and accomplishments with bulleted points.
The Format
- UK CV’s should include educational background first.
- Following this should be a listing of every position held, beginning with the most current and moving backward. Each position held must be described in full.
- Outside interests and activities are listed following work experience and should be confined to those that are professional or service-related (tutoring children would be appropriate; collecting stamps or coins – no, unless one is a recognized expert in the field)
Most Applicants Get Professional Help with Their CV’s
CV’s are very formal documents with very specific requirements. Most candidates have either not crafted one before or are unsure how a CV is to differ from a resume. For this reason, they often seek assistance from professionals who have a great deal of experience writing CV’s. For this reason, the often come to Resumes.Expert.
Resumes.Expert is the Premier CV Service in the Industry
We do not say this lightly. But we are aware of the services that other CV writing agencies perform, and we are far above them in many respects:
- We have experts for both U.S. and UK CV writing. Most other services do not.
- Our CV writers have Ph.D.’s in their content fields and, in the case of UK CV production, have actual professional work experience in the career field of their clients. Most other services use individuals with English backgrounds who have received some cursory training in CV construction. They do not have backgrounds in the educational and/or professional fields of their clients.
- We only assign CV writing to individuals who have the educational and professional background perfectly suited for each client.
- We consider CV writing to be a collaborative endeavor between client and writer, and we insist upon continual communication as the production process moves forward.
The Process
When a client present him/herself for CV writing help, the following occurs:
- We analyze the educational and professional background of the client
- We assign the project to the most suitable writer
- Your personal writer will contact you directly in order to request, receive, and discuss all of your background. S/he will have your initial information, but this is never enough. In order for the ideal CV to be crafted, there will always be more detail required.
- Your writer will contact your periodically throughout the process and perhaps supply drafts for your review and comment.
- The final product will reflect the highest standards for CV’s. You will review that final product, make any revision requests, and, ultimately provide your approval. Our work is not finished until that final approval is obtained.
Don’t Take Risks
Your CV is too important – it can mean the difference between an interview and a document that hits the trash bin. You need to have the perfect CV in hand to submit quickly. When you use Resumes.Expert as your service, that is exactly what you get.
We are standing by ready to get started on your CV – contact us right now.
