Nursing Resumes and Curriculum Vitae
Chances are you might have never heard of a CV. CV stands for Curriculum Vitae and believes or not, it is not the same thing as a resume. Most people think they are the same and while they do serve the same purpose there is one major difference with them.
The biggest difference between a resume and Curriculum Vitae is the length. A resume ideally should be only one to two pages and basically summarizes your skills, experience and education. You want to be brief and to the point since the employer will probably spend only a moment or two reviewing your qualifications. With and Curriculum Vitae, you will find it to be much longer than a resume. It can be two or more pages. In a Curriculum Vitae you want to make sure you include your basic information and your education and employment experience. But you should also include any community service, or research projects you may have done.
So when should you use a Curriculum Vitae instead of a resume? Well in the United States, you will find that a Curriculum Vitae is used mainly when you are applying for any academic, education, or research positions and when you are applying for fellowships or grants. Also if you are applying for a job over sees in say Europe you will have to submit a Curriculum Vitae instead of a resume. These overseas employees expect to read personal information like date and place of birth and your nationality. These are never asked for on a resume.
What else should you include in you Curriculum Vitae? Well just as with a resume make sure you have your education and your work history. You should also include any research experience, publications, fellowships, courses taught, licenses and awards you have. It is also a good idea to include your interests on your curriculum vitae as well as any professional memberships you may have. There is no need to include your salary history or even references. References should only be given on request. Even though a Curriculum Vitae tends to be a few pages longer than a resume, it is still important to try and keep it short and concise. Try not to include a lot of details about your employment and education. Instead just try to summarize them.
Just as it is with a resume, the temptation to over do your curriculum vitae is hard to ignore. We always seem to think it is a good idea to have your education or work experience sound just a little better than it really is. However just as with a resume, it is not a good idea to do this with your Curriculum Vitae because most employers are going to conduct a background check on you.
The most important thing to remember is just as with a resume, a Curriculum Vitae’s main purpose is to land you the job or the fellowship you want.