When Is A Curriculum Vitae Appropriate?

A C.V. is a comprehensive, biographical statement (generally two, three or more pages) emphasizing your professional qualifications and activities. A C.V. is typically used in the following instances:

• Applications for admission to Graduate or Professional Schools.
• Applications for positions in academia, including:
• Teaching Positions in Elementary or Secondary School
• School Administration (e.g., elementary or secondary principals; elementary or secondary assistant principals; heads of schools; coordinators/supervisors; assistant superintendents; superintendents)
• Higher Education positions in teaching, research, and administration
• Institutional research and consulting.
• Applications for some internships.
• Independent consulting in a variety of settings.
• Providing information related to professional activities (e.g., for applications for professional memberships, for professional leadership positions, for presentations at professional conferences).
• Proposals for fellowships or for grants

Often, a briefer one- to two-page document can also be developed as a distillation of the more important points in the C.V. If a job announcement requests a resume (particularly if it is a job in an educational field), you may send the briefer document in an initial response letter, with the notation in your cover letter that the C.V. can be sent if they so desire. If you are confused about whether a hiring individual or institution really wants a resume or a vita, you should contact them if possible, and ask. Often they use the terms interchangeably; however, if they do want a C.V., you should have yours prepared to send.

Source: University of North Florida