People use the words RESUME, C.V., and BIO-DATA interchangeably for the

document highlighting skills, education, and experience that a candidate

submits when applying for a job. On the surface level, all the three

mean the same. However, there are intricate differences.

RESUME

Resume Is a French word meaning “summary”, and true to the word

meaning, signifies a summary of one’s employment, education, and other

skills, used in applying for a new position. A resume seldom exceeds one

side of an A4 sheet, and at the most two sides. They do not list out all

the education and qualifications, but only highlight specific skills

customized to target the job profile in question.

A resume is usually broken into bullets and written in the third person

to appear objective and formal. A good resume starts with a brief

Summary of Qualifications, followed by Areas of Strength or Industry

Expertise in keywords, followed by Professional Experience in reverse

chronological order. Focus is on the most recent experiences, and prior

experiences summarized. The content aims at providing the reader a

balance of responsibilities and accomplishments for each position. After

Work experience come Professional Affiliations, Computer Skills, and

Education

C.V CURRICULUM VITAE

C.V Is a Latin word meaning “course of life”. Curriculum

Vitae (C.V.) is therefore a regular or particular course of study

pertaining to education and life. A C.V. is more detailed than a resume,

usually 2 to 3 pages, but can run even longer as per the requirement. A

C.V. generally lists out every skills, jobs, degrees, and professional

affiliations the applicant has acquired, usually in chronological order.

A C.V. displays general talent rather than specific skills for any

specific positions.

BIO-DATA

Bio Data the short form for Biographical Data, is the old-fashioned

terminology for Resume or C.V. The emphasis in a bio data is on personal

particulars like date of birth, religion, sex, race, nationality,

residence, martial status, and the like. Next comes a chronological

listing of education and experience. The things normally found in a

resume, that is specific skills for the job in question comes last, and

are seldom included. Bio-data also includes applications made in

specified formats as required by the company.

A resume is ideally suited when applying for middle and senior level

positions, where experience and specific skills rather than education is

important. A C.V., on the other hand is the preferred option for fresh

graduates, people looking for a career change, and those applying for

academic positions. The term bio-data is mostly used in India while

applying to government jobs, or when applying for research grants and

other situations where one has to submit descriptive essays.

Resumes present a summary of highlights and allow the prospective

employer to scan through the document visually or electronically, to see

if your skills match their available positions. A good resume can do

that very effectively, while a C.V. cannot. A bio-data could still

perform this role, especially if the format happens to be the one

recommended by the employer.

Personal information such as age, sex, religion and others, and hobbies

are never mentioned in a resume. Many people include such particulars in

the C.V. However, this is neither required nor considered in the US

market.. A Bio-data, on the other hand always include such personal