What a CV is, and who needs one

A resume is a selection. A curriculum vitae is the record. If you teach, research, practise medicine or have a long senior career, the record is what you will be asked for.

The meaning of the words

Curriculum vitae is Latin for "the course of one's life". A CV sets out your whole academic and professional history in an orderly way: every degree, every post, every publication, every course taught, every award. It is added to all through a career and is never cut down to fit a page. A senior professor's CV may run to twenty pages, and nobody thinks that odd.

A resume is the opposite kind of document: one page, sometimes two, chosen and arranged for a single job. Our neighbour site resume.shareyourgroup.com has a builder and guides for that. This site is about the longer documents: the full CV and the biodata.

Who needs a full CV in India

College and university teachers, and anyone applying for such a post.
Researchers and scientists: PhD applicants, project fellows, post-doctoral candidates, scientists in laboratories.
Doctors, for residency, fellowship, consultant and teaching posts.
Senior professionals, where a board, a search firm or a regulator wants the complete career.
Applicants for fellowships, grants and scholarships.
People applying abroad where the institution asks for a CV. Country customs differ; see CV by country.
Experts and consultants whose CVs are attached to project proposals and tenders.

If you are applying for an ordinary private-sector job, even one whose advertisement says "send your CV", a short resume is almost always what is wanted. The which document page helps you decide.

What a CV contains

The sections depend on your field. A typical order for an academic or research CV:

Name and contact details
Present position
Education, with thesis titles and supervisors
Appointments held
Research interests
Publications
Conference presentations and invited talks
Research projects and grants
Teaching experience and courses taught
Research students guided
Awards, fellowships and honours
Professional memberships and service
Other skills: languages, software, techniques
Referees

Each of these is explained on the CV sections page, and a doctor's or senior manager's CV has its own variations, shown in the samples.

How a CV differs from a resume

Point	CV	Resume
Length	As long as the record needs: two pages for a beginner, many for a senior person	One page, at most two
Content	Complete	Selected for one job
Order	By category; within each, usually latest first	Most relevant first
Style	Factual entries: dates, titles, places, citations	Short points with results and numbers
Changes between applications	Order and emphasis may change; nothing true is removed	Rewritten for each job
Main readers	Selection committees, academics, regulators	Recruiters and hiring managers

How long should it be

There is no limit and no target. A fresh postgraduate applying for a PhD will have two pages. A lecturer with ten years of work may have six to eight. The test is not length but completeness and order: can a committee member find your publications, your teaching and your degrees in a few seconds each? Layout for a multi-page document is covered in length and layout.

Keep a master CV

Because a CV is cumulative, the best habit is to keep one master file and add to it the day something happens: a paper accepted, a talk given, a course taught, a student registered. Details that are easy to record today (page numbers, dates, co-authors, the name of the session chair) are tiresome to hunt for three years later. From the master you can produce a short version when a funding body asks for "a two page CV".

When an institution gives its own form

Universities, public service commissions and funding agencies often prescribe an application form or proforma, sometimes with a scoring scheme for publications and experience. Fill their form exactly as asked and attach your CV only if invited. Your master CV is then the source from which you copy the facts.

Honesty

A CV is a statement of fact to people who can and do check. Do not list a paper as "published" when it is under review, a degree as awarded when the thesis is only submitted, or a project as yours when you assisted on it. Use the exact status: "submitted", "under review", "accepted", "in press". Precision of this kind is itself what committees look for.

Questions people ask

What does CV stand for?

Curriculum vitae, Latin for "the course of one's life". It is a full record of a person's academic and professional history.

How many pages should a CV be?

As many as a complete, well-ordered record needs. Two or three pages for someone starting out; more for a long academic or professional career.

Do I need a CV for a private company job?

Usually not. Most private employers want a short resume, even when they call it a CV.

More CV guides

Academic CV Publications CV for study abroad Senior professional CV CV sections Length and layout Referees Which document?CV checklist

Sample CVs

Academic CV PhD applicant CV Doctor's CV Senior manager CV

General guidance. This page gives general suggestions, reviewed in November 2026. If an institution, employer or country gives its own form, format or instruction, follow that. Every person, institution and publication in our examples is invented. Nothing here is legal, immigration or professional advice.