Peopleuse the words RESUME, CV, and BIO-DATA interchangeably for the documenthighlighting skills, education, and experience that a candidate submits whenapplying for a job. On the surface level, all the three mean the same. However,there are intricate differences.

RESUME
Resume Is a French word meaning"summary", and true to the word meaning, signifies a summary of one'semployment, education, and other skills, used in applying for a new position. Aresume seldom exceeds one side of an A4 sheet, and at the most two sides. Theydo not list out all the education and qualifications, but only highlightspecific skills customized to target the job profile in question.
A resume is usually broken into bullets andwritten in the third person to appear objective and formal. A good resumestarts with a brief summary of Qualifications, followed by Areas of Strength orIndustry
Expertise in keywords, followed by ProfessionalExperience in reverse chronological order. Focus is on the most recentexperiences, and prior experiences summarized. The content aims at providingthe reader a balance of responsibilities and accomplishments for each position.After work experience come Professional Affiliations, Computer Skills, and Education.

C.V CURRICULUM VITAE
C.V Is a Latin word meaning "course oflife". Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) is therefore a regular or particular courseof study pertaining to education and life. A C.V. is more detailed than aresume, usually 2 to 3 pages, but can run even longer as per the requirement. AC.V. generally lists out every skills, jobs, degrees, and professional affiliationsthe applicant has acquired, usually in chronological order. A C.V. displaysgeneral talent rather than specific skills for any specific positions.

BIO-DATA
Bio Data the short form for Biographical Data isthe old-fashioned terminology for Resume or C.V. The emphasis in a bio data ison personal particulars like date of birth, religion, sex, race, nationality,
residence, martial status, and the like. Nextcomes a chronological listing of education and experience. The things normallyfound in a resume, that is specific skills for the job in question comes last,and are seldom included. Bio-data also includes applications made in specifiedformats as required by the company.

A resume is ideally suited when applying formiddle and senior level positions, where experience and specific skills ratherthan education is important. A C.V., on the other hand is the preferred optionfor fresh graduates, people looking for a career change, and those applying foracademic positions. The term bio-data is mostly used in India while applying togovernment jobs, or when applying for research grants and other situationswhere one has to submit descriptive essays.

Resumespresent a summary of highlights and allow the prospective employer to scanthrough the document visually or electronically, to see if your skills matchtheir available positions. A good resume can do that very effectively, while aC.V. cannot. A bio-data could still perform this role, especially if the formathappens to be the one recommended by the employer.

Personal information such as age, sex, religionand others, and hobbies are never mentioned in a resume. Many people includesuch particulars in the C.V. However, this is neither required nor consideredin the US market. A Bio-data, on the other hand always include such personal
particulars.

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