Differences between a Biodata,
Resume and CVIn this article, you will read about:What Is a CV?What Is a
Resume?What Is a Biodata?Differences Between Biodata, CV and
ResumeHow to Make a CVHow to Make a
ResumeHow to Make a BiodataA biodata, a CV, or a
resume is an application paper that companies require when they are hiring new employees. It is a document that helps companies get a better understanding of their applicants and give a better evaluation. Although three of them are used
for job application purposes, there are still some differences in the length, content, and
format.
Biodata is a document in which you list down more personal in
formation that allows the company to get hold of your background in
formation. A CV is a summary of your life events, which can be a few pages long to include all in-depth in
formation. A
resume is a summary of your working life where you include only relevant in
formation to share with the hiring managers.
Using the right document during a job application is important because different companies may require different kinds of documents. You should hand in the right document to showcase your capabilities and avoid letting the companies treat your document like mere paper because the in
formation provided is not what they asked
for.What Is a CV?A Curriculum Vitae or CV means “course of life”, which means a detailed summary of your life events.
Some companies require a CV from their applicants because it has more detailed in
formation about the applicant. It helps them understand their capabilities better. It sounds like a biography but it is made to focus on job application purposes.
CVs are used around the world, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Asia, and the European Union. However, you should still follow the company’s requirements when submitting the documents.A CV is a comprehensive document that has no limit on the pages because you may have a lot of detailed in
formation to incorporate.It has a few segments to separate the in
formation like education, professional experience, skills, awards, honors, certificates, etc., making the contents clear and tidy
for readability.A CV showcases one’s general talent but not specific skills
for any specific positions.It is generally used by freshers, college students, and people who haven’t been working in the industry
for a long time when applying
for an internship or a job.It shows your understanding of your talent and skills, and how you use them.A CV can be written in a first, neutral, or third-person tone.What Is a
Resume?The word
resume comes from French, which means a summary in English. It is a professionally made one-paged document that summarizes all your work experience and skills.
A
resume is a tool that grants you the chance to have an interview with the hiring manager. If you are someone seeking a career change or a new job, you will need a well-written
resume because it shows your professionalism in
resume-making while also adding points
for the first impression.
Also, the terms “CV” and “
Resume” are often interchangeably used
for job applications in European countries, South America, and New Zealand. This means when a company asks
for a CV in those countries, you should send a
resume-
formatted document.
A
resume is limited to one to two pages at maximum.Only include relevant work experience, skills, and capabilities but not details of educational background and personal interests.Does not incorporate personal in
formation like gender, height, weight, and hobbies.There are three types of
resumes, chronological, functional, and combination, which differ in their order of listing down the in
formation.Can be designed according to the position/career that one is applying to stand out among others.Should be written in a neutral tone.Tailored specifically according to the company’s needs.What Is a Biodata?Biodata is a shorter term
for “Biographical data”, and an outdated term
for CV and
resume for job applications. It is a job application document commonly used in India, Pakistan, and other South Asian countries.
A biodata is commonly used when applying
for government positions as employers need to have a detailed understanding of your background in
formation. A well-written biodata tells everything about you to the employer be
fore seeing him/her face to face in an interview.
It contains your personal and sensitive in
formation such as profile, name, age, gender, date of birth, religion, nationality, etc.Due to having some sensitive in
formation, you should be careful if that in
formation falls into the wrong hands.The limitations on the page counts depend on the requirements of the company.Work experience and educational background is not the main focus of a work biodata.A work biodata does not have a specific
format when making one.A work biodata is relatively more simple when compared to a
resume.It is used
for marriage purposes or governmental positions.Differences Between Biodata, CV, and
ResumeAlthough these three documents can be used
for job applications, you still need to know their differences to avoid using the wrong document when handing them in.
Here is a list of the differences between cv, biodata, and
resume:DetailednessSince there are no page limitations
for a CV, it should be written as detailed as possible.A
resume’s in
formation should only be included with relevant in
formation but not as detailed as a CV.A work biodata can be more simplified compared to both of the above.LengthA CV has no limitations to the length. It is usually made 4 to 5 pages long.A
resume can only be 1 or 2 pages max.A work biodata is limited to 1 page at most.ContentCV and
resume have similar contents where they both have the name, objectives, work experience, skills, and education.Biodata is different where it has more focus on personal in
formation.Order of listingIn a CV and a
resume, the order of listing can be in these three - reverse chronological, functional, and combinational CV
formats. If you are applying
for a job, a functional
format is recommended to focus on the skills you have.On the other hand, when writing a work biodata, you should incorporate the in
formation chronologically starting from your profile, personal in
formation, work experience, skills, then education.Purpose/usesA CV can be used
for job and academic applications.A
resume is widely used
for job applications.A biodata is sometimes used
for marriage purposes but it can still be used as a job application document.
How to Make a CVAfter knowing the difference between a CV,
resume, and biodata, here’s a go-through of what should be in a CV.
✍🏻 Basic in
formation
The first thing you need is basic in
formation like your name and contact in
formation. It is an essential part that tells the hiring manager who you are.
✍🏻 Personal Summary
When making a CV, you should include a profile/summary to briefly explain and tell what you want to do with the CV. You may use 2 to 3 sentences to describe your work experience, and personal traits are more than enough.
✍🏻 Work history
Then, you can start listing your work experience according to the oldest to the latest. Work experience is a good element that helps the hiring manager to know the things that you have worked on previously.
✍🏻 Education
Your education is a very important element to include in a CV. You may start by the name of the institute that you have graduated from, then your graduation year.
If you have a good GPA, don’t be afraid to show it to employers.
✍🏻 Skills
Incorporating skills into your CV is not as limited as including them in a
resume. You may make the most out of it by including your proficiency and a few explanations on how you got those skills.
✍🏻 Other optional sections
If you have some other in
formation that you think might add points to your impression, you should include them too.Here are the sections that you can also put into the CV:Hobbies and interestsReferencesPublicationsCertificationsAchievements
📄 CV example:
Julian MaysonFreelance
Writer
[email protected]
A self-motivated, imaginative, and hard-working
writer who has been working from home as a freelancer, currently looking
for new opportunities as a reviewer.
Work Experience
Self-employed - Online freelance
writer|2018 - Present
Creates outlines be
fore writing online draftsWrites content
for websitesManages work schedule to fully utilize the workload
The writing company -
Writer| 2016 - 2017
Researched and developed contentsWrote, edited, and proofread drafts be
fore publishingCollaborated with customers to fulfill their needs
Education
Pace University | 2013 - 2016Bachelor in English Language and Literature GPA 3.8
Skills
English writing skillsAttention to detailCommunicationPatienceOrganization skills
Certifications
The International English Language Testing System 8.5How to Make a
Resume✍🏻 Basic in
formation
Just like creating a CV, you need a name and your contact in
formation at the beginning of the
resume as a header. This in
formation should be located at the top of your
resume for easy readability.
✍🏻 Career objective
Then, you should include a career objective/summary to briefly introduce your background in
formation while also showing that you have the intention to join the company.
✍🏻 Work history
In this section, you should clearly state the company that you have been in, the position, the duration you worked with the company, and the responsibilities that you were in charge of.
If you have a lot of work experience, only mention those that can be helpful
for the new position.
✍🏻 Education
Many specific positions like engineering or accounting depend on your educational level to evaluate if you are suitable
for the position. Those companies would like to know if you have fully gained the basics of a specific knowledge be
fore hiring you.
Hence, never hesitate to include your education in
formation.
✍🏻 Skills
Including a good amount of relevant skills is important in
resume making. This is because it tells the employer that you are qualified to take the position.
Skills that you include can be soft or hard skills.
✍🏻 Other optional sections
If there are more spaces that you intend to fill them up with, you include this optional in
formation to make your
resume more in
formative.
CertificationsSide projectsCommunity service experience📄
Resume example:
Sam Smithers678-1234567 |
[email protected]
3+ years of experienced sales associate with excellent persuasive skills who help increase the net income of the previous company by 15% currently seeking new challenges as a sales managerWork Experience
Tatung Furniture, Sales associate|2020 - 2022
Provides excellent service to help customers know about the productsConvinces customers of purchasesWelcomes customers with a positive attitude
Bata Shoe Store, Sales associate|2018 - 2019
Directed customers to the products they have interests inManaged the cleanliness of the storeOperated cash register system
Education
Purdue University|2016 - 2018Bachelor in Business Management GPA 3.8
Skills
Active listeningEnglish fluent speaking skillsTime management skillsPoint of Sales systemProduct expertise
References
Ms. Hunger, Sales manager of Tatung FurniturePhone num: (555) 456-1234Email:
[email protected]
Prof. Boston, Chairman of the Department of Business ManagementPhone num: (123) 456-7894Email:
[email protected]
How to Make a Biodata✍🏻 Photo
Although having a photo included in a biodata is optional, you can still include one to show your professional attitude in the job application. However, you need to make sure that the photo is a professional portrait but not a daily selfie.If you're unsure how a polished headshot should look, browsing examples from experienced portrait photographers can give you a clear visual benchmark.
✍🏻 Objective
Then, summarize your work experience, skills, and positive personality traits into one or two sentences as a brief description that would show that you are qualified. You can also include your goal to let employers evaluate if the company’s goal and yours align.
✍🏻 Personal details
This personal details section is the most obvious point where it differs from a CV and a
resume because it contains more personalized data that you wouldn’t normally mention in a job application document. Moreover, this is the in
formation that the employer would want to know be
fore evaluating you as the right person
for the company.
NameDate of birthAddressContact in
formationGenderReligionNationalityMarital status
✍🏻 Work history
Now, don’t
forget that you are still creating this document
for your job application. Your work experience is relatively important as your personal in
formation.
The way you list your job experience in a biodata is the same as how you write them in a
resume. Your professional title, name of the company, employment period, and your responsibilities in the company.
✍🏻 Skills
After including your work history, you should also list down a few skills that you have gained. This helps the employer to understand your qualifications and evaluate if you fit the position because some positions require specific skill sets.
✍🏻 Education
Education background is necessary in
formation
for the employer to determine if you are educationally qualified
for the position that they are hiring. Regardless if you are applying
for an entry-level position or a higher position, your educational background will be a big help in getting you the interview.
You may include the education in
formation in this
format:
Name and location of the schoolGraduation yearMajor(s) and minor(s)CGPARelevant courses or co-curricular experience
✍🏻 Other optional sections (if any)
If your work biodata has a little more space that you want to fill up with in
formation, you should consider including these and write a simple explanation on the side:
CertificationsHonorsHobbies and interestsVolunteer experience📄 Biodata example:
Name: Gaon ChenDate of birth: 4th of July, 1991Gender: MaleNationality: TaiwanContact number: (456) 789-5431Email address:
[email protected]Mailing address: 26 Bridle St. Butler, PA 16001
I am Gaon Chen, a chef with 4+ years of chef experience who graduated from The Culinary Institute of America, currently seeking a Sous chef position as a career change.
Work History
Mary’s Steakhouse, Station chef|2018 - 2020
Developed new dishes
for the seasonal menuManaged inventory and food costsEnsured food safety be
fore serving customers
Olive Garden, Junior chef| 2017 - 2018
Managed the workplace’s cleanlinessCompleted prep list every morning
for kitchen crewAssisted the kitchen crew
Skills
Food prepping skillsSupply managementKnowledge of food trendsHygiene controlTeam working skills
Education
The Culinary Institute of America, Culinary Arts or Baking and Pastry Arts GPA 3.9
This is the bottom line of the difference between a CV,
resume, and biodata. We hope that you have learned something today.
If you plan to make one
for yourself now, visit Cake to try out the free templates.
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— Originally written by Ryan Goh —