CV vs resume: what is the difference?
In the UK, Europe and Turkey, a CV is the short document you send with a job application, which Americans call a resume. In the US, a CV is the longer academic record for research and teaching jobs.1
Written 5 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
CV vs resume: the short answer
Outside North America, CV and resume name the same document. Prospects, the UK graduate careers service, says CV stands for curriculum vitae, a Latin phrase meaning 'course of life', and that in other countries, such as the USA and Canada, CVs are known as résumés. The Oxford Learner's Dictionary defines the British CV as a written record of your education and the jobs you have done that you send when applying for a job, and gives résumé as the North American word for it.
The second meaning, in the United States
Oxford also lists a US sense: a record of a college teacher's education, where they have worked, what they have published and the courses they have taught. MIT's career office describes CVs as the document for teaching or research posts, fellowships, grants, tenure and promotion to professor, and says that in the United States the term resume is used for industry and other non-academic positions.
Why the difference matters
The two US documents differ in length and content, so it pays to send the one the employer means. In the UK, Europe or Turkey, a request for a CV is a request for the short document. At a US company, a request for a resume is that same short document. Only a US academic or research application that asks for a CV wants the long one.
What to do in the first minute
Read two things in the posting: the country of the job, and whether the job is academic. Then match it to a row below. If the posting names a format, a length or a template, follow the posting instead.
| The posting asks for | Where | Send |
|---|---|---|
| A CV | UK, Europe or Turkey | Your short job CV, up to two pages |
| Özgeçmiş | Turkey | The same short CV; özgeçmiş is the Turkish word for it |
| A resume or résumé | US or Canada | The same short document, one page early in a career |
| A CV | A US university post, research job, fellowship or graduate programme | The full academic CV, which has no fixed length |
CV vs resume by country
What each authority says, read on 5 October 2026. An employer can ask for something else; the posting wins.
| Country or region | Word in use | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | CV | The document for job applications, recommended at no more than two A4 pages | Prospects; National Careers Service |
| European Union | CV | The Europass CV, which the European Commission offers free of charge in 31 languages | Europass |
| Turkey | CV or özgeçmiş | One document under two names; TED University's career guide opens with 'Özgeçmiş (CV) nedir?' | TED Üniversitesi; İŞKUR; Kariyer.net |
| United States, most jobs | Resume | A summary of skills and experience for a particular position, one page for new graduates | University of Illinois Career Center; MIT |
| United States, academia | CV | A comprehensive record for faculty posts, fellowships, grants and graduate school | MIT; University of Illinois |
| Canada | Résumé | Named with the US as a country where CVs are called résumés | Prospects |
How long a CV and a resume should be
UK CV
Prospects recommends CVs no longer than two A4 pages, quoting the University of Chester's careers team: shorter for students seeking part-time jobs, slightly longer for academic CVs.
US resume
The University of Illinois Career Center says resumes for new grads and early-career professionals should be one page. MIT's resume advice is to stick to one page unless you have extensive experience or an advanced degree; its CV page describes resumes as typically one to two pages.
US academic CV
MIT gives typical lengths of 2 to 4 pages for a younger professional and 4 to 7 pages for someone with more experience. Illinois says only that CVs can be longer than resumes.
Turkish CV (özgeçmiş)
TED University's career guide suggests 1 to 2 pages for under five years of experience, 2 to 3 pages for five to ten years, and 3 pages beyond that, stressing your most recent experience.
What goes in each document
| Document | Usual sections | Source |
|---|---|---|
| UK CV | Contact details, personal statement, education, work experience, skills and achievements, interests, references | Prospects |
| UK CV, government advice | Contact details, an introduction, education, work history and references | National Careers Service |
| US resume | Education, experience, leadership and activities, skills and interests, with headings in order of importance | Harvard Mignone Center |
| US academic CV | Education, research, fellowships, grants, awards and honours, teaching, mentoring, other experience, presentations, publications | MIT CAPD |
| Turkish CV (özgeçmiş) | Name and contact details, career objective, education, work experience, languages, hobbies and activities, personal information, two or three references | TED Üniversitesi |
The real difference is purpose, not the label
Illinois puts it plainly: a resume summarises your skills and experiences for a particular position, while a CV is a more comprehensive document, usually for academic settings. A UK or Turkish job CV sits on the resume side of that line. Prospects calls the CV a marketing tool that has to be tailored to its audience, and Europass also tells readers to tailor the CV.
Personal details and photos
- United States: Harvard's resume guide says not to include a picture, your age or your gender, and not to list references.
- United Kingdom: the National Careers Service says not to include your age, date of birth, marital status or nationality. Prospects says you do not need a photograph unless you are applying for acting or modelling work.
- European Union: Europass lists adding a professional photograph among its tips for a good CV.
- Turkey: TED University's guide says to use a formal photo, or none at all if you do not have one; never a casual one.
Photo conventions differ more than any other part of the document, and a photo can also change how an applicant tracking system reads the file. The page on CV photos and ATS covers both questions.
Which word to use when you apply abroad
- Use the word the posting uses. If it says resume, call your file a resume; if it says CV, call it a CV.
- For a non-academic job in the US or Canada, send a resume: one page early in a career, written for that role.
- For a job in the UK, Europe or Turkey, send a CV of up to two pages, with local conventions for photos and personal details.
- For a US academic post, fellowship or graduate programme that asks for a CV, send the full academic CV.
- Name the file with the same word the employer used, for example Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf for a US company.
From Turkey or Europe to a US company
Turn the CV into a resume. Drop the photo, age and gender (Harvard), keep to one page if you are early in your career (Illinois, MIT), and use US spelling and date formats.
From the US to the UK, Europe or Turkey
Keep the content and call it a CV. Check the photo convention: none in the UK (Prospects), a professional one in Europass, a formal one or none in Turkey (TED University). MIT notes that in some international settings CV is used for all opportunities, and that you should still tailor the document to the type of position.
How the words are used in Turkey
Turkish uses both CV and özgeçmiş for the job document. The Turkish Language Association's dictionary (TDK Güncel Türkçe Sözlük) writes the word as two, öz geçmiş, and defines it more broadly: a text covering the main stages of a person's life from birth to the present, with hayat hikâyesi and biyografi among its synonyms. In job searching, the organisations below write it as one word, özgeçmiş, and mean the CV.
- İŞKUR, the Turkish Employment Agency: jobseekers fill in an Özgeçmiş menu in its system, where education and occupation details are mandatory.
- Kariyer.net: its help article on common CV questions (last updated 2017) uses CV and özgeçmiş for the same document, and recommends building the özgeçmiş on the platform rather than pasting text, because firms filter standard-format profiles.
- TED University's career centre: its guide opens with 'Özgeçmiş (CV) nedir?' and treats the two as one document.
Sources and the date we read them
Every claim on this page comes from one of these pages, all read on 5 October 2026. Links are under Sources.
| Claim | Source |
|---|---|
| CV means curriculum vitae, Latin for course of life; the USA and Canada say résumé | Prospects, How to write a CV |
| British CV equals North American résumé; the US CV is an academic record | Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, CV |
| US: resume for non-academic jobs, CV for academic ones, with typical CV lengths | MIT CAPD, Curricula vitae |
| US: one-page resumes for new grads; CVs can be longer | University of Illinois Career Center |
| UK: leave out age, date of birth, marital status and nationality | National Careers Service |
| EU: Europass is free, in 31 languages, and suggests a photo | Europass |
| Turkey: dictionary meaning of öz geçmiş; job-search usage of özgeçmiş | TDK; İŞKUR; Kariyer.net; TED Üniversitesi |
How CitedCV handles CV vs resume
CitedCV writes one document from the facts you give it, and you choose the region and the CV language: English, Turkish or German. The region sets the conventions in its regional profiles:
- US and UK: no photo, date of birth, marital status or nationality.
- EU: photo and date of birth optional; no marital status.
- Turkey: photo, date of birth and marital status optional, and education comes before experience.
- After a build, the review page lists a photo where the region forbids one, or a date of birth or marital status where the region excludes it, as regional issues.
What it does not build
CitedCV is made for the short job document. It has no publications section in any region, so a full US academic CV is not something it builds; use your institution's guide for that.
Who this page is not for
- Academics preparing a full CV for a faculty post or a grant. Use your institution's career office guide; MIT's CV page lists the academic sections in detail.
- Anyone whose posting names a format, a length or a template. Follow the posting; it overrides every convention here.
- Readers who need legal advice on what an employer may ask. This page reports career-service and dictionary sources, not law.
Other tools and guides, and whom each fits
| Option | What it offers | Fits you if |
|---|---|---|
| Europass CV editor | Free from the European Commission; templates, CVs in 31 languages and a cover letter editor | You apply in the EU and want a format employers there know |
| University career office guides | Harvard, MIT and Illinois publish resume and CV guides and templates | You are a student or recent graduate |
| Kariyer.net profile | An özgeçmiş built on the platform, active (searchable by member firms) or passive (seen only by firms you apply to) | You apply to Turkish employers through Kariyer.net |
| İŞKUR özgeçmiş | The Özgeçmiş menu in İŞKUR's system, opened with your Turkish ID number and password | You look for work through İŞKUR |
| CitedCV | A CV or resume written from your own facts, with region rules for photos and personal details | You want one set of facts turned into a Turkish CV and a US resume |
Questions people ask
What is a CV?
A CV is the document you send with a job application that summarises your education, skills and work experience. CV stands for curriculum vitae, Latin for 'course of life', according to Prospects.
Is a CV the same as a resume?
Yes, outside academia. A UK, European or Turkish CV is what US and Canadian employers call a resume. In US academia, a CV is a longer, complete record of research, teaching and publications.
What is the difference between a CV and a resume in the US?
Purpose and length. A US resume is a concise summary for one position, one page early in a career; a US CV is the comprehensive academic record for faculty posts, fellowships and grants.
Should I send a CV or a resume to a US company?
A resume, unless the posting asks for a CV. Keep it to one page if you are early in your career, and leave out the photo, age and gender, as Harvard's guide advises.
How long should a CV be in the UK?
No more than two A4 pages, Prospects recommends. Students seeking part-time jobs can go shorter, and academic CVs can run slightly longer.
What does CV mean in Turkey?
The same as özgeçmiş: the job document with your education, experience and skills. İŞKUR, Kariyer.net and TED University use the two words for one document.
Does a CV have a photo?
It depends on the country. No photo in the US or UK; Europass suggests a professional photo; TED University's guide says a formal photo or none. The CV photo page covers how a photo affects an ATS.
Is a Europass CV a CV or a resume?
It is a CV in the European sense, the short job document. For a US job, rework it to resume conventions: no photo, and one page early in a career.
What is an academic CV?
An academic CV is the full record used for research, teaching, fellowships and grants. MIT lists sections such as education, research, teaching, presentations and publications, typically 2 to 4 pages for a younger professional.
Sources
- Prospects, How to write a CVwww.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/cvs-and-cover-letters/how-to-write-a-cv
- Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, CVwww.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/cv
- MIT Career Advising & Professional Development, Curricula vitae (CVs)capd.mit.edu/resources/cvs/
- MIT Career Advising & Professional Development, Resumescapd.mit.edu/resources/resumes/
- University of Illinois Career Center, Resume vs. Curriculum Vitae (CV)careercenter.illinois.edu/cvresume
- Harvard Mignone Center for Career Success, Create a strong resumecareerservices.fas.harvard.edu/resources/create-a-strong-resume/
- National Careers Service, CV sectionsnationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/cv-sections
- Europass, Create your Europass CVeuropass.europa.eu/en/create-europass-cv
- Europass, About Europasseuropass.europa.eu/en/about-europass
- TDK Güncel Türkçe Sözlük, 'öz geçmiş'sozluk.gov.tr/gts?ara=%C3%B6z%20ge%C3%A7mi%C5%9F
- TED Üniversitesi Kariyer Merkezi, Özgeçmiş (CV) nedir?career.tedu.edu.tr/sites/default/files/docs/staj_kitapcik_0-1_1.pdf
- İŞKUR, Özgeçmiş düzenleme bölümünü nasıl doldurabilirim?www.iskur.gov.tr/sikca-sorulan-sorular/is-arayan/ozgecmis-duzenleme-bolumunu-nasil-doldurabilirim/
- Kariyer.net, CV hazırlarken en çok sorulan sorularwww.kariyer.net/kariyer-rehberi/cv-hazirlarken-en-cok-sorulan-sorular/