Resumé vs CV in Canada: The Difference

Short answer: In Canada, a resumé is a short summary of your skills and experience, usually one or two pages, and it's what most employers want. A CV (curriculum vitae) is a longer, complete record of your academic work, such as research, teaching and publications. Use a CV for graduate school, research, grants and some academic or medical jobs. For almost everything else, send a resumé.

People search “resume vs CV” thousands of times a month in Canada, and it’s a fair question. In some countries the two words mean the same thing. In Canada they don’t.

The short version

	Resumé	CV (curriculum vitae)
Length	Usually 1 to 2 pages	As long as it needs to be
Purpose	Show an employer you fit one job	Show your full academic record
Changes for each job?	Yes, every time	Mostly stays the same
Used for	Most jobs, volunteer roles, internships	Grad school, research, grants, academic jobs

What a resumé is

A resumé is a short, focused document. It shows the skills and experience that match the job you’re applying for, and leaves out the rest.

The University of Windsor’s career centre says resumés “should only be about two pages long,” and that “employment applications, volunteer position applications, and internships are usually looking for a resume” (University of Windsor). Job Bank, the Government of Canada’s job site, gives the same limit: “Limit your resume to two pages” (Job Bank).

A good resumé changes for every job. You move the most relevant experience to the top and use the words from the posting.

What a CV is

A CV is a full record of your academic life. The University of Windsor describes it as “a long-form professional document” that is “set up for academic review.” Its headings include your education, honours, research, teaching and publications.

You’d use a CV for:

Graduate school applications
Research and consulting jobs
Bursaries, grants and scholarships
Teaching and faculty jobs at colleges and universities

Why it gets confusing

In the UK, Ireland, much of Europe and many other countries, “CV” is the everyday word for what Canadians call a resumé. So if you trained or worked outside North America, your “CV” may already be a resumé in all but name. That’s fine. What matters is the length and the focus, not the word on the top.

If you’re new to Canada and your CV is three or more pages, with a photo, your date of birth or your marital status, cut it down. Job Bank says a photo “is not the norm in Canada,” and to leave out personal details “such as age, weight, height, marital status.” Our Canadian resumé guide for newcomers walks through every change.

What if the posting says “CV”?

Read the rest of the posting. If it’s a regular job, such as an office, retail, trades or tech role, the employer almost always wants a resumé. Send one or two pages.

If it’s academic, research or medical, such as a lab job, a research assistant role or a faculty position, they likely want the full CV.

Still not sure? It’s fine to email the contact on the posting and ask which they prefer.

Do you need both?

Only if you apply to both kinds of roles. Many grad students keep a full CV for academic applications and a two-page resumé for jobs outside the university. Build the CV first, since it holds everything, then pull the best parts into a resumé.

Sources

All accessed 2026-10-29.

University of Windsor, Career Development and Experiential Learning. Key differences between resumes and CVs. https://www.uwindsor.ca/careercentre/node/480
Job Bank (Government of Canada). How to write a good resume. https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/findajob/resources/write-good-resume