What is the difference between a resume, a CV and an online profile?

Like all jobseekers who use the Internet for job search, you will be asked from time to time for copies of your Curriculum Vitae (CV) or your resume. You'll also encounter a request for the link to your online profile from the more techie companies.

All three are somewhat used interchangeably by hirers and if course, even if you're just a noob figuring things out in the adult world, you wouldn't want to be the person who asks what is which, especially to a prospective future employer. Other than the location (an American company would most likely ask for a resume whereas a British, Canadian, or Australian company will ask for a CV, and a home-based job recruiter would undoubtedly want to see your online profile), the main difference between the three is their content.

Resumes are for getting yourself an interview and then perhaps a job later on, online profiles are for showing your connections or online portfolios if you're on the creative field, and CVs are more for licensed professionals or academicians. See below for other information about them.

What resumes contain

Basically, a resume should provide the recruiter a summary of your work history, credentials, education, and skills and accomplishments. You can also customize your resume by adding optional sections such as career objective and executive summary. These are the most commonly requested document from job applicants.

Resumes should be as concise as possible since hirers view hundreds or even thousands of these every day, especially during hiring season. A good resume format should be a one-pager document or two=paged at most. To cram as much information as possible and still aesthetically pleasing, you can use bulleted lists.

For resume formats, you can choose from chronological (used by those with extensive work experience), functional (for job applicants with limited experience or those who just want to highlight their skills), and a combination of both.

What CVs are about

More detailed that resumes and can go over the two-page mark, CVs are much more general than resumes since they are not tailored for jobs or companies. The CV is generally used by top-level managers aiming for a different salary grade, professionals when applying for international, medical, academic, and educational research positions or when applying for international scholarships, grants, and fellowships.

Like a resume, a CV also contains your name, contact information, work experience, education, and skills. However, it also contains your research and teaching experience, your publications, grants, and fellowships, professional organizations and licenses, your accomplishments and awards and other information that is relevant to the job you're targeting.

When writing your CV, you should use a template to structure it like resume formats to give it a clear organization. No one wants a messy CV with confusing information. This will help the recruiter see your qualifications and credentials quickly.

What is an online profile?

A relatively recent addition to the recruiting field, online profiles are for employers looking to recruit (or poach) candidates on the Internet. Having an online profile with multiple connections can also make it easier for you to land a job in your field, especially if you're connected to people from said field.

There are online recruiters and headhunters that will approach you to apply for a position in a certain company even if you haven't shown the slightest interest in applying. They will approach you because after checking out your online profile, they decided that your qualifications fit the ones they're looking for in a candidate.

Moreover, your online profile is not just for making connections it is also an added bulwark for you when you're being seriously considered for a job.Imagine yourself going to an interview and thinking that it went well. The moment you leave the office, the recruiter will most likely search your name online and check out the bits and pieces of yourself on the Internet.

The key to that scenario is consistency. No matter how fancy or plain your online profile is, the recruiter should see no discrepancy between the resume your submitted and the things you put on your online page. Finding out that your online profile hasn't been updated in years wouldn't bode well for a techie company or worse, it might raise questions on the veracity of the information on your submitted resume.

About JobStreet.com

JobStreet.com is a leading online job board presently covering the employment markets in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. JobStreet.com currently services over 230,000 corporate hirers and over 15 million jobseekers in its database.

About SEEK Asia

JobStreet.com and jobsDB are part of SEEK Asia, which is the leading online employment market place in Asia. SEEK Asia covers 7 countries namely Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

SEEK Asia is the extension of the Australian Securities Exchange listed company called SEEK. The company's purpose is to help improve people's lives through a better career. SEEK Asia's database consist of over 500,000 corporate hirers and over 24 million candidates.

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