Resume and Curriculum Vitae

The resume and vita* are pretty much the same thing: a summary of your accomplishments. The difference is that a vita is intended for academic environments.

The Resume

Along with everything else in the last ten years, the resume has changed. Although the old-fashioned action-oriented format is still around, a new "scannable resume" has emerged. Employers and headhunters use computer databases to store resumes, and they search these databases using keywords. This new format requires jobseekers to adapt their resumes to the new environment. Experts advise job hunters to write resumes in both formats.

Resume advice is never set in stone. There are general guidelines, but advice can vary. Look at several sources and see how they agree.

Resume and Cover Letters (Maryville College)

Advice from MC's Career Services.

Resume Writing (St. Louis University)

Information about traditional resumes and their formats.

Resume Packet Online (Bridgewater State College)

Suggestions, directions, step-by-steps, tips, and a sample resume. It also contains a small section on the scannable resume.

Resume Tutor (University of Minnesota)

Contains a FAQ and a step-by-step how-to.

The Curriculum Vitae

The vita is just like a resume but for academic environments. It's generally longer than a resume, and it allows you to go into greater detail about your accomplishments. It's not only for job-searching, as scholars often need to include them with papers, grant applications, and other professional activities. Many professors offer links to their vitas from their homepages. If you can't find one in your field, your advisor ought to be happy to show you an example.

Writing a Curriculum Vita (University of Nebraska)

General information about the vita.

Write a Domestic Curriculum Vita (Ohio Northern University)

More vita information. Notice their sidebar for help with everything career and job-related.

Writing a Curriculum Vita (University of Montana)

Much the same information, but they offer a link to a sample.

Job Hunting and the Internet

The Internet has allowed employers to change the way they use resumes, and this has forced users to change the way they write them. The scannable resume might sound intimidating, but it's actually easier to write than the old one. You don't have to worry about pretty fonts and heading size and page-length and margins. You only need to worry about content. Online resume databanks, like Monster.com and America's Job Bank, use scannable resumes.

What Happens When a Resume Gets Scanned? (Provenresumes.com)

Specific and detailed instructions about the scannable resume: how it is scanned, who uses them, and what they look like.

Online Resume Center (Skidmore College)

Information on the scannable resume: technical requirements, and options for distributing it.

The Online Scannable Resume (Mayo Clinic)

More information.

"Web-able" Resumes (Illinois Wesleyan University)

How to get your resume on the web.

Scannable Resume Fundamentals (Quintessential Careers)

Advice from an online career and resume service.

Pioneer Scannable Resume Information

Directions from a real company for submitting to their resume database. When you apply to a real company, look to see if their webpage has something like this.

*This literacy and grammar page has a useful discussion on the correctness of curriculum vitae vs. vita. Look toward the middle of the page.