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What's the Difference? Resumes, CV's, Executive Summary, Bio's


Resume: By far the most commonly used tool in a job search, your resume, specifically addresses experiences and highlights accomplishments that are most closely aligned with your career goals. Individuals with broad experiences may have several versions of their resume, targeting a variety of applications of their backgrounds.

Curriculum Vitae (a.k.a. “C.V.” or “Vitae”): This document, most commonly used in academic and research circles, is a detailed accounting of one’s professional life, including:

  • courses, workshops, presentations that have been taught

  • published works: books, manuscripts, articles

  • employment, licensure, certification

  • community service

  • professional manuscripts

  • honors and awards, etc.

When the included information is voluminous, it is often accompanied by an Executive Summary (see below).

Executive Summary: Up to (but not exceeding) a page in length, the executive summary is most often presented as a synopsis of professional experiences most closely aligned with the activity for which the document has been prepared. When accompanying a C.V., the Executive Summary takes on many properties of a resume, highlighting accomplishments and targeting specific activities related to the submission. In a resume, the Executive Summary serves as an overview of the remainder of the document, and when well-devised, encourages the reader to seek additional information.

Bio: The Bio is similar to the Executive Summary in its brevity, but it is meant to be read, not scanned. It addresses a need for information about your background without boring the reader with the minutiae of your career path. Include basic biographical information (name, educational background, etc.), scope of practice, career highlights, and contact information. This is the document that humanizes you, so you may want to include some information about family, hobbies, or community activities. In these days of identity theft and other crimes, please be careful when sharing personal information. (If you need an example of how this should read, pick up almost any published book with scholarly or self-help overtones and examine the “About the Author” entry.)

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