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Resume, summary, or CV
A resume is the job-application document in the US, a CV is that same document in the UK, and a summary is a short account of a text.
Quick rule
Applying in the US? Resume. In the UK? CV. Telling the main points of a text? Summary.
The short document listing your education and jobs that you send to an employer. It is the usual word in the US.
A short account of the main points of a text, report or event.
Short for curriculum vitae. The usual word in the UK for the job document; in the US it is mostly used for college and university jobs.
How to choose
| Question | resume | summary | CV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is it the document you send to apply for a job at a US company? | Yes | No | SometimesSometimes |
| Does it give the main points of a text in a few lines? | SometimesSometimes | Yes | No |
| Is it the usual UK word for the job document? | No | No | Yes |
Why it trips people up
Resume and CV name the same job document, depending on the country, while summary is a different thing: the short version of a text. Resume also looks like resume, the verb for starting again, so the spelling adds confusion.
How each one works
Resume
The job-application document
I updated my resume before applying for the job.
Usual length: one page
Keep your resume to one page.
What it holds: jobs and studies
Her resume lists three jobs and a degree in biology.
Summary
Short version of a text
Write a one-paragraph summary of the story.
In summary: before the conclusion
In summary, the plan costs less and takes less time.
summary of + something
The report includes a summary of last year's sales.
CV
The job document in the UK
She sent her CV to three companies in London.
An academic CV, longer
A professor's CV can run to twenty pages.
Work history
Her CV shows ten years of teaching in Madrid.
What comes next
send plus your resume plus to plus someone
Send your resume to the hiring manager.
summary plus of plus something
She wrote a summary of the book.
put plus something plus on your CV
Put your languages on your CV.
Set phrases
Resume
- tailor your resume
- change it to fit one particular job
Summary
- in summary
- used before the main points, to finish a talk or text
CV
- a full CV
- a complete list of your studies and jobs
Almost the same
I sent my resume to the company.
In the US, the job document.
I sent my CV to the company.
In the UK, the same document.
I sent a summary to the company.
A short account of something, not of you.
In a conversation
- A:
Are you applying for the job in Boston?
- B:
Yes, I'm fixing my resume tonight.
- A:
Make it one page and put a short summary at the top.
- B:
Good idea. My friend in London calls it a CV.
- A:
Right, same document, different name.
- B:
I'll send it to you before I send it to them.
Common mistakes
Wrong: In summarize, the plan works.
Right: In summary, the plan works.
After in you need the noun summary. Summarize is a verb: Let me summarize.
Wrong: He gave us a CV of the meeting.
Right: He gave us a summary of the meeting.
A CV is about a person's studies and jobs. A short account of a meeting is a summary.
Memory trick
Ask what the reader will do: an employer reads your work history (resume or CV); a reader of a text wants its short version (summary).
It depends
- A US CV vs a resume
- Cambridge describes a US CV as the document for college or university jobs. For most other jobs in the US, employers expect a resume.
- The spelling
- Cambridge spells the noun with accents (résumé), and you will also see resume without them. Context separates it from the verb resume, which means to start again.
FAQ
Resume vs CV: what is the difference?
They name the same document. Resume is the usual word in the US, and CV is the usual word in the UK.
Resume vs summary: what is the difference?
A resume lists your jobs and studies for an employer. A summary is the short version of a text or event.
Is a CV the same as a resume?
Mostly. In the US a CV is longer and used for academic jobs, according to Cambridge.