CV and BiodataResume, CV or biodata: which document do you need?
Tell us what you are applying for and the right document follows. Sending the wrong kind is a small mistake that is easy to avoid.
A one-page resume
Even if the advertisement says "CV", a private employer almost always wants a short document about your fitness for the job. Make it on resume.shareyourgroup.com.
The prescribed application form
Government recruitment uses the form set out in the official notification, online or on paper, with listed documents. A resume or CV is usually not asked for. Read the notification on the recruiting body's own website.
A full academic CV, and the institution's form
Prepare a complete CV with publications and teaching, and fill any prescribed form exactly. See academic CV and publications.
A medical CV
A full CV with registration, training, clinical postings, procedures, publications and referees. See the doctor's CV sample and CV sections.
A two to three page professional CV
Profile, key achievements and career history with scope. See senior professional CV.
What the university asks for, usually a short CV
Follow the department's instruction and page limit. See CV for study abroad.
It depends on the country
The name, length and personal details expected differ. See CV by country for what official careers services in six places say.
A job biodata
Some shops, schools, factories and offices still ask for a traditional biodata with personal particulars and a declaration. Make one with the job biodata maker, and read biodata for a job.
A marriage biodata
A one-page introduction of the person and family. Make one with the marriage biodata maker, and read marriage biodata format and sharing it safely.
The five documents
| Document | What it is | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resume | Selected skills and results for one job | 1 page | Private-sector jobs, campus placement, job portals |
| CV | Complete academic and professional record | 2 pages to many | Teaching, research, medicine, fellowships, senior roles |
| Job biodata | Personal particulars, qualifications and a declaration | 1 page | Employers who ask for it by name |
| Marriage biodata | Introduction of a person and family for a proposal | 1 page | Matrimonial introductions |
| Prescribed form | The recruiter's own form or proforma | As set | Government jobs, many universities, public bodies |
Why the words are confused
In everyday Indian use, "biodata", "CV" and "resume" are treated as one thing. The confusion has a history. For decades the standard job application was a biodata: a sheet beginning with father's name, date of birth and permanent address and ending with a signed declaration. When private companies began asking for resumes, many applicants kept the old sheet and changed only the title. Meanwhile "CV", the academic word, came to be used loosely for any of them.
The documents really are different, because their readers want different things. A recruiter filling a vacancy wants to see in thirty seconds whether you can do the job: that is a resume. A selection committee appointing a professor wants your complete scholarly record: that is a CV. A family considering a proposal wants to know who the person is and where they come from: that is a marriage biodata. Giving any of these readers the wrong document makes them hunt for what they need.
Three rules that settle most cases
- If the recruiter gives a form or a format, use it. This overrides everything else.
- If a private employer asks for a "CV" or "biodata" without more, send a clean one-page resume, unless they specifically want personal particulars.
- If your work produces publications, patients or students, you need a full CV and should keep it up to date all the time.
Can one person need several?
Often. A college lecturer may keep a full CV for academic applications, a two-page version for a funding body, a one-page resume for a consultancy assignment, and a marriage biodata at home. They are separate documents with separate purposes, built from the same facts. Keep the facts consistent across all of them: the same dates, the same degree names, the same spelling of your own name.
Personal details across the documents
A resume carries almost none. A CV carries what the institution or country expects. A job biodata carries the traditional particulars because the employer asked for them. A marriage biodata is mostly personal and family detail, which is why it needs the most care in sharing. Identity numbers such as Aadhaar and PAN belong in none of them.
Questions people ask
What should I send if an advertisement says "send your CV"?
For a private company job, a one-page resume is normally what is meant. For academic, research and medical posts, send a full CV.
Is biodata only for marriage?
No. Some employers still ask for a job biodata with personal particulars. A marriage biodata is a separate document.
Do I need a CV for a government job?
Usually not. You fill the application form prescribed in the official notification.
More CV guides
Sample CVs
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.