The document compares CVs and resumes, highlighting their purpose, audience, structure, content, length, and unnecessary information. A CV is designed for academic positions and includes comprehensive details of academic pursuits, while a resume is targeted for non-academic jobs and presents a concise summary of relevant skills. The length varies significantly, with CVs typically being longer than resumes.

1. Career Center
Quick Comparison: CV vs. Resume
CV Resume
Goal • To obtain an academic position or grant • To obtain a non-academic job
Audience
• Fellow academics • Potential non-academic employers
Duke Career Center • studentaffairs.duke.edu/career • 919-660-1050 •
Bay 5, Smith Warehouse, 2nd Floor • 114 S. Buchanan Blvd., Box 90950, Durham, NC 27708
• Networking contacts
Structure
• Text-rich, narrative style • Minimal text supported by
achievement-oriented bullets
Content
• Complete history of your academic pursuits,
including academic research, teaching,
awards, and service
• Tailored to highlight your fit with a
specific job/ department/ institution
• OR
• Tailored to highlight your ability to
conduct research aligning with
funding agency needs
• Snapshot of your most relevant skills and experience
• Tailored to highlight your fit with a specific job/ firm/ industry
Length
• Flexible; as long as neccesary to tell
your story
• Typically 3-4 pages for doctoral
candidates
• Typically 1-3 pages for master’s
candidates
• Limited to 2 pages
• Typically 2 pages for doctoral
candidates
• Typically 1 page for master’s
candidates
Unnecessary
Info
• Activities outside of the core academic
pursuits of research, teaching, and
service
• Anything not relevant to the role/ function/ industry for which you
are applying; e.g., unabridged lists of publications, presentations,
conferences attended, courses taught
• Career objective
• Personal statement
• References