Writing Curriculum Vitae (CV) and Referee Reports

Abstract

The term Curriculum Vitae (CV) is a Latin expression which literally translates to "the course of one's life". It is used to refer to an outline of someone's educational and professional history, prepared and submitted (particularly but not only) for employment purpose (job application). Another name often given to CV is resume. However, in countries like Canada (particularly in Quebec) and USA, a distinction is made between the two terms (CV and resume). The CV is most often used for academic positions and is conceived to be longer than the resume, as it includes information on publications, conferences attended by the candidate and the like. A resume, on the other hand, is conceived to be shorter and to exclusively contain information that may be relevant to a particular position. The resume's content needs to capture a number of key areas including (i) a personal profile statement, (ii) role undertaken, (iii) skills and abilities, (iv) educational qualification and ongoing personal development and (v) hobbies and interest (Brisk 2011: 6; O'Brien 2000: 123). In this chapter, we shall use CV as a general term.