Resume vs CV vs Portfolio: What are the Differences?

You have probably heard the terms such as resume, CV, and portfolio and may have wondered what's the difference. These words often get tossed around interchangeably by recruiters, so I do get your confusion. It's time that we establish some clarity. Hi, I'm Debbie, HR consultant and career strategist with freesumes.com and today I'm sharing what a resume, CV, and portfolio are Let's get started by talking about the resume. A resume is a short summary of your professional, personal, and educational experiences. It is typically one page and provides a brief overview of your credentials. The goal of this document is to grab the recruiter's attention and get you invited to an interview. A resume should be customized for every job you are Next, let's chat about a CV. A curriculum vitae or CV for short is also a document used to apply for jobs. It's a more detailed version of your career and personal history. It goes on for two or even more pages depending on how long you've been in the workforce. This document provides the reader with more information about your career goals, past achievements, educational credentials, and other accomplishments. In most cases, CVs are organized chronologically and don't require extensive customization for different job postings. Instead, you should build up your case in a cover letter. A portfolio is a curated collection of your work assets and activities. The main goal of a portfolio is to showcase your skills and talents by giving a quick sneak peek of what you are capable of in a visual way. Portfolios are an absolute must for those in the creative industries such as graphic design, copywriting, journalism, and even freelance and contract workers. Portfolios are catching on in the IT world as well for designers, developers, and coders. If you have little to no work experience on your resume, a portfolio is a great way to feature some leisure, college, or sample projects in order to break into the desired industry. Now that you know what a resume, CV, and portfolio are, let's dive into the differences between the three. The two that most often get confused are the resume and CV. The key difference between a resume and CV is that a resume is competency-based whereas a CV is credential-based. Think of your resume as a marketing asset. It's your brandable showreel of your key skills, work experience, and biggest career or educational achievements. It should be memorable, on point, and tailored to match the employer's requirements. A CV, on the other hand, is more detail heavy. It's the backlog of all your work experience, educational details, awards, professional affiliations, certifications, and so on. In the U.S., CVs are mainly required for positions in academia, medicine, and scientific research. If you're job hunting internationally, most employers in the U.K., Ireland, the European Union, and New Zealand will expect you to submit a CV, not a resume. In Australia and South Africa, submit a resume when applying for a job in the private sector and a CV for a public service position. A portfolio is a visual display of your skills. You will want to add it to your application materials when applying for creative jobs or if specifically asked to provide one in the job posting. Years ago, portfolios were lugged around during job interviews, but in today's digital world, you can create a great website to house all of your visual work and projects. So there you have it, an overview of a resume, CV, and portfolio, the differences between the three, and how to use each one. You are now better prepared to submit the correct documents for the job and well on your way to getting the job you have always wanted.