by Ruth Belena

Created on: February 19, 2010

CV stands for curriculum vitae, a Latin term meaning the course of life. A good CV will provide a lot of relevant information about a person, rather than being a simple list of qualifications and work experience. It is a document that is useful in a job search, and for advancing a career.

According to Careers Services at Virginia Tech a curriculum vitae should be used when applying for academic jobs or research positions, but an American company will generally request a resume for a job in business or in industry. It is more general in the UK to be asked to produce a CV rather than a work resume, for any job application.

A CV should be kept up to date throughout the course of life, so at any time it will document all previous experience and achievements. Maintaining an up-to-date CV is far easier than trying to remember what happened in the distant past, or having to recall exact dates when there were changes to employment status.

Unlike a resume, which should be no longer than two pages, a CV can be continued over several sheets of paper.

♦ Academic jobs.

A good CV is essential for someone who is in the market for a top teaching job, and it is a professional self-promotional document for anyone seeking an academic position. An academic CV can include details of giving lectures and presenting discourses, winning academic prizes, being awarded a research grant or gaining other types of funding. 

A longer CV would be appropriate for a highly qualified academician with several degrees and other formal qualifications, and to include any published work.

♦ Creative work.

An artist, writer or performer can present a lengthy CV to an agent, or submit one when applying for auditions. An arts CV would document all artistic training and accomplishments, including exhibited artworks, live performances, publications and recordings.

An arts CV should record anything from a job that lasted a single day to becoming an artist-in-residence or a sponsored writer. Any related work or temporary jobs should feature on an arts CV, including informal or private tuition, tutoring at a summer school, giving after dinner speeches, media interviews or appearances at arts festivals.

♦ Self employment.

Someone who is self-employed could compile an extensive CV to show a portfolio of successful work to potential clients. A freelance writer or journalist might use a CV to give details of every item ever published, from a review in a school magazine to a piece featured in an anthology, and record any instances of being quoted or referenced by other authors.

♦ General employment.

It is worthwhile for anyone to maintain a CV as a precise account of personal experience, professional training and career success. Then the CV can be used as a basis for a resume when changing jobs, or submitted when applying for a higher better-paid position.

For academics and professionals a CV will be needed for career advancement. For anyone else a CV is, at the very least, a valuable record of all that has been experienced and accomplished up to now. There is always opportunity to continue adding to a CV throughout the course of life, and to see how far one can progress in a career.

Learn more about this author, Ruth Belena.
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