Should you use a CV or resume for the Australian market?
Confused about whether to use a CV or Resume in the Australian job market? You’re not alone. Every day, there are thousands of searches online by job seekers trying to find the difference between a CV and a resume.
Key Points
- In Australia, the terms CV and resume are used interchangeably
- The official lines between the purpose of each have become distorted.
- The translation of a “curriculum vitae” (CV) is a “course of one’s life.”
- Most CV writers in Australia are actually resume writers
- Typically, a CV is used for the academic sector.
The Curriculum Vitae (CV)
The phrase “curriculum vitae,” or “CV,” is a Latin term that translates to the “course of one’s life.” As you can imagine, if we are talking about the course of one’s life, we can generally expect a document that details everything from school through to your current jobs, hobbies, interests, and everything in between. It can translate to a long document, often spanning multiple pages, and will most likely have the reader falling asleep after the first few pages.
Let’s face it: what recruiter wants to read the life story of 200 applicants for every single job they list? That’s why, in practical terms, the traditional CV doesn’t actually exist in the modern day, as it’s way too long to be practical in the market.
The Resume
A resume is ideally a short one- to two-page document that highlights key skills, qualifications, and relevant experiences tailored to a specific job. Therefore, it differs from a curriculum vitae due to its more concise and precise manner. However, the adoption of the resume format is more U.S.-based. We will explain shortly how the lines between Australia’s use of a CV and resume may have become distorted.
But Here’s Where It Gets Confusing
While the official definitions of a CV and resume are clear, real-life usage gets blurry. In the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, and South America, the term “CV” is used, but it refers to a document that’s only one to two pages long. In the U.S. and Canada, a resume is one to two pages, while a CV is for academic, medical, or research roles and can be much longer.
Do We Use a CV or Resume in Australia?
In Australia, we typically use the phrase “resume,” but we don’t actually follow any hard and fast rules. That’s the great thing about Australia: we can do what we want! The terms CV and resume are interchangeable and typically amount to the same thing—i.e., presenting a summary of your experience, skills, and qualifications for a job (regardless of market sector).
What’s the Right Length for a CV or Resume in Australia?
Whilst there is no hard or fast rule, most CVs and resumes are typically between two to three pages (essentially a hybrid between a CV and a resume). That’s fantastic for our market, as it allows you to provide enough detail to show your qualifications and experience without overwhelming the reader, but also gives you more room to play with.
In the job market, recruiters and organisations may have different expectations regarding the length of these documents, but no one will dismiss a CV or resume because of its length.
Should I Use a CV Framework for Academia?
The choice between a CV and a resume depends on the context of the application. For academic positions, especially in research, medicine, or academia, a CV is often the preferred document because it’s a comprehensive overview of one’s professional and academic achievements.
But for most job applications outside of academia, a resume is the preferred choice. Resumes are shorter and tailored to specific job roles, making them a more practical tool for job hunting in corporate or non-academic environments. They highlight the most relevant skills, experiences, and achievements that can be quickly scanned by hiring managers.
Can I Call My Resume a CV?
In today’s recruitment world, using the terms resume and CV interchangeably is generally okay. Most recruiters know that these terms mean the same thing, and what matters more is the content and how well it matches the job application.
Still, it’s good to know the official definitions and use the term that fits the job context.
How to Write a CV or Resume
Learning how to write a CV or resume is essential, as you need your application to speak to the audience and capture their imagination. In Australia, you have various options, including the most common format, which is reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent experience. Including a brief professional summary at the beginning can also give a snapshot of your key skills and experience. Key sections to include in a CV are an introduction or profile summary, technical skills, job descriptions, and references. A strong professional summary should summarise your key skills and experience in one to three sentences, tailored to the job you’re applying for. Good formatting and structure are key to getting noticed by potential employers.
Skills and Certifications
Include relevant skills and certifications in your resume or CV. In academia, you will likely be listing out a plethora of qualifications and courses; however, in commerce, you may want to focus more on recent training and programming courses and remove some of the noise. Combining market-specific technical skills with certifications and qualifications makes your resume or CV more attractive to potential employers.
CV or Resume Components
When writing a CV or resume, certain components will make your document stand out to hiring managers. Here are the key ones to include:
Contact Information: Clearly show your name, email address, phone number, and LinkedIn profile link (if applicable). Make sure these are up to date.
Professional Summary: Summarise your professional background, highlighting your most relevant skills and experience. Keep the content focused on the jobs that you’re applying to; the most effective summaries are targeted, not generic.
Education: List your educational qualifications in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. Include degrees, certifications, and institutions you attended. You can include this on the front page or at the rear of the CV or resume, depending on how you are targeting the content.
Work History: Ideally, use reverse chronological order but switch to skills-based formats if you have a more complex or confusing work history narrative. For each position, include the job title, company name, dates of employment, and location.
Skills Section: Using a skills section in the CV or resume can be ideal for quickly highlighting specific elements of your expertise. A skills section is also useful for ATS systems.
Achievements: Highlight any notable achievements. Achievements can be listed in a separate section or integrated into the content. Check out our handy STAR guide on how to write content.
Cover Letter for CV or Resume
A cover letter gives context to your CV and should be used to complement your job application. Use a cover letter to highlight specific areas of your background and experience that relate to that particular role. The content of the cover letter for the CV should be unique to that particular position. Remember, you are telling the employer why they should choose you over other applicants, and it is your perfect chance to give the reader real insight into specifics. Don’t fall into the trap of writing a general cookie-cutter template that you can quickly send with each CV. A cover letter for a CV is a perfect opportunity to make your application stand out.
Common CV Writing Mistakes to Avoid
Writing a CV or resume can be daunting, and it’s easy to make mistakes that will hinder your job search. Here are some common errors to watch out for:
Lack of Relevance: Tailoring your CV or resume to the job you’re applying for will help you stand out. The content of your CV should be at least 80% relevant to the target market and the jobs you are applying for. A lack of relevance will soon have your resume sitting in the rejection pile.
Using ChatGPT or AI to Write Your CV or Resume: Employers and recruiters can identify AI-written resumes from a mile away, and many will be put off by this. Also, the latest ATS systems are identifying AI-generated content and flagging it accordingly.
Typos and Grammatical Errors: In this day and age, there are plenty of free online tools to help you with proofreading your CV, resume, and cover letter.
Poor Formatting: Use a clear and concise format to make your CV or resume easy to read. Use bullet points, headings, and white space to break up the text and guide the reader’s eye through the document.
Final Check on Your CV or Resume
Before you hit send on your job application, make sure your CV or resume is perfect by going through this final checklist:
Content Tailoring: Have you customised your CV or resume for the job you’re applying for? If not, go back and realign the content with the job application.
Essential Components: Have you included all the sections: contact information, professional summary, education, work experience, skills, and achievements?
Clear Format: Is your document easy to read, clear, and concise? Use bullet points and white space to break up the text.
Action Verbs: Have you used strong action verbs to describe your achievements and responsibilities? This helps to show what you did.
Keywords: Have you included keywords and phrases from the job description? This will help your CV or resume get noticed by applicant tracking systems (ATS).
ATS Compatibility: Have you saved your CV or resume in a format that can be read by ATS? This is crucial to get your document through initial screenings.
By following this checklist, your CV or resume is ready to go.
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Conclusion
In Australia, a CV or resume is used interchangeably, yet understanding the differences can give you an edge in your job search. Knowing when to use a CV versus a resume is crucial, especially if you are looking to apply in academia or research. However, the practical aspects of CVs and resumes are so similar that the outcome should be to create a high-quality document that speaks to your potential employers and showcases your key skills and experiences. Regardless of the document you choose to use, what’s most important is the quality of the content.
