RESUME

the difference
between a resume and a CV
CONTENT
part I part III part V
RESUME VS. CV the objective THE SOCIAL RESUME

2 Difference between a resume and a cv 8 Purpose of the objective 13 What is your social resume?
Who uses a cv Objective versus personal brand statement Why your online personal brand is important?
Elements of a cv 14 How to make your online brand mirror your resume

part II part IV part VI

FORMATTING YOUR RESUME ACCOMPLISHMENTS CLOSING
4 Format options 10 Purpose of accomplishments 18 Updating your resume
5 Sections to include in a resume 11 Being specific Things to leave off your resume
6 Appearance Problem – action – result
Text 19 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
PART I

Resume
VS. CV
DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN A RESUME AND A CV
In order to determine what makes up a good
resume, it’s important to know the differ-
ence between a resume and a CV. A resume
is typically a one to two page document that
answers the question
“why should I hire you?”
ELEMENTS
OF A CV
Both a resume and CV contain a summary
statement that tries to capture the best of you
in 100 words or less. Then you have the work
history (also known as employment highlights,
work experience, etc.) This is followed by any
special skills you may have, and possibly a
section devoted to awards and honours you
may have received over the years.
For a CV, the following content is merely a
starting point. Beyond the standard fare is
a range of sections that might be included,
depending on what type of employer you are
applying to. Here are the other areas that you
might consider adding when putting together
your Curriculum Vitae:
WHO
USES A CV?
Senior Executive
That question is answered through a break-
down of your career objective, skills, and em- Lawyer
ployment history. A CV, in comparison, is a
much longer document that is highly detailed. Professor
Physician
Scientist
Professional Licenses or Certifications
Listing of Relevant Course Work to Match Career or Academic Objective
Scientific or Academic Research, Laboratory Experience, Grants Received
Description of Thesis or Dissertation (if you have advanced degrees)
Papers, Books And Other Related Publications You Have Written
Academic or Professional Presentations Delivered
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Travel / Exposure to Cultural Experiences
Related Extracurricular Activities, Professional and Association Memberships
Additional Information that May Support Objective or Qualifications
Letters of Recommendation or a List of References
Professional Development You Have Undertaken
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PART II

FORMATTING

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Formatting is an important aspect of a
resume. Everything from the content,
to the layout of the text, to the amount

YOUR
of white space, makes a difference in
whether or not a potential employer will
pick your resume out of the stack.

RESUME 3
Format Options
Resumes can take on several different formats, each for a different set of circumstances. Formats include:
Chronological
The chronological resume seems to
be the most popular format used. This
type of resume usually contains an
objective and/or summary statement
and a chronological listing (from most
recent to past) of all your employers
along with related accomplishments.
Educational information is included
along with certifications and special
skills.
This type of resume may be fine for
someone who is experienced, but if
you are switching careers or are just
entering the workforce, this type of re-
sume will most likely help you wind up
in the “no” pile.
Functional
Take the time to develop a strong func-
tional resume. Functional resumes
highlight your abilities, such as hiring,
managing or coaching, rather than
your chronological work history. You’ll
still need to summarize your work his-
tory, but this is usually done at the bot-
tom of your resume. Don’t panic. By
the time the reader has gotten to that
point, he is usually sold on bringing you
in for an interview.
Most books on resume writing contain
sections on how to write functional or
skills-based resumes. Go to your lo-
cal bookstore or library and thumb
through some books. Then make your
selection.
A functional resume is particularly use-
ful for people who:
• Have gaps in their work history
• Are reentering the workforce
• Have frequently changed jobs
• Are looking to transition into new
careers
• Don’t exactly fit the mold of what
recruiters are looking for in the po-
sitions they want
Mixed
A combination of chronological and
functional formats. 
CV
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Like previously mentioned a CV is
mainly for senior executives, lawyers,
professors, physicians or scientists
and is a much longer, more detailed
document. 
4
 SECTIONS
There are basic sections every resume must have - name and contact details (personal details), educa-
tion, work history, and details regarding any additional skills or experience, training undertaken, com-
puter skills, foreign languages spoken and professional associations you belong to. If you have been out
TO INCLUDE of work recently, any voluntary work done during this time is also a good selling point.
IN A RESUME Your resume should contain factual information on the details above. It should not contain your opinion
on what you think you are good at. Whoever is reading your resume wants to see proof of these skills.
So describe your skills by detailing your qualifications, responsibilities, and achievements - that is what
you have actually done and when you did it. You will be asked what you think your strengths are at the
interview stage. Section descriptions:

Contact Information Educational History Work Experience

At the top of your resume should be your The best placement depends on what you are
contact information. Typically, this section in- trying to emphasize.
cludes:
Place experience before education if you
• Name have five or more years of experience relat-
• Address ed to your goal. Hiring managers will be more
• Phone number (home/cell/work) interested in your job accomplishments than
• Email address your education.
Place education before experience if you
are a recent graduate or have less than five
years of work experience. If you are changing
careers and have continued your education to
Resume Objective support your new goal, education should come
first. Academic and scientific professionals
Your work experience is one of the most im-
portant sections of a resume. It outlines your
past accomplishments and value at previous
employers. This section should include:
• Company Name
• Position
• Dates Employed
• Brief bullet points regarding accomplish-
ments/value proof for each position
Skills

A resume objective is a brief statement de-
scribing the position you want to be hired for.
More recently, objectives have begun to be re-
placed with personal brand statements. These
statements are a more strategic approach to
engaging the reader’s attention.
typically place education before experience
on their CVs.
On your Monster.ca resume, the Resume
Builder will place your education after expe-
rience. If you need to highlight educational
credentials, use the “Objective” section as a
career summary and mention your relevant
education and training both here and in the
designated “Education” section.
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Your skills section should outline the various
skills you’ve obtained either through educa-
tion or previous job experience. Examples of
skills one could include are:
• Computer program proficiencies
• Administrative skills
• Budgeting experience
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APPEARANCE
While a resume is mainly about the content, it
also needs to be visually appealing. A text-heavy
resume with little white space can seem cluttered
and un-readable. Make your resume attractive
through the use of similar fonts and a combination
of short paragraphs and bullets to highlight your
career experience and subsequent accomplish-
ments within each.
TEXT
One of the worst mistakes someone can make on a resume is being sloppy.
When writing your resume keep in mind the following:
Your resume needs to be free of spelling errors and grammatically correct.
A first impression is everything, and if your resume contains silly errors, then
your potential employer could view you as lazy or sloppy.
Use action verbs. Often, resumes contain phrases like “responsible for” when
instead they should use action verbs such as: resolved, developed, reorga-
nized, recruited, reversed, contributed, etc.
Simple, clean fonts like Arial or Verdana guarantee the readability of your text.
For a font family such as Arial, using a font size of 10.5 to 12 points gives the
best results. When in doubt, go with 11 points. It gives you excellent readabil-
ity and allows you to fit a good amount of content into your application.
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CHECK OUT
SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES ON:
6
PART III

THE

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OBJECTIVE
7
PURPOSE
OF THE
OBJECTIVE
Any one hiring manager typically spends no
more than 30 to 60 seconds on an initial
resume overview. Thus, an objective quick-
ly tells employers which type of role they
should keep you in mind for. Just like in the
following example:
SAMPLE CAREER OBJECTIVE:
To secure a mid-level Customer Service job
with a respected employer in the hospital-
ity or entertainment industries, with room
for upward advancement based on perfor-
mance.
You can see that a career objective is short
and sweet, with just a sentence or two that
describes the kind of job (and industry, if
you want to be more specific) you’d prefer
to be hired for.
OBJECTIVE
VS.
PERSONAL BRAND STATEMENT
Jobseekers have begun to create a resume ob-
jective that reflects less of a job position objec-
tive and more of a personal brand statement.
Your personal brand is:
• Credible, relevant and expresses your
unique value.
• Consistent throughout your resume, cover
letter, online and personal networking.
• A key marketing tool in differentiating you
from the competition.
To determine your personal brand, which ap-
pears directly below where your name, address
and contact information appear, consider the
following questions:
• What is one word that describes you?
(Think powerful words like: robust, resil-
ient, tenacious, courageous, etc.)
• What is your leadership style?
(Are you a leader or a supporter?)
In addition to answering these questions,
talk to your friends, family and others in
your network. Make sure that your personal
brand statement is consistent amongst those
groups. An example of an objective and a per-
sonal brand statement are:
OBJECTIVE:
To secure a position as a Retail Manager
in a fast growing company.
PERSONAL BRAND STATEMENT:
Steadfast, committed and passionate sales
leader, conceives and deploys creative pro-
posals to overcome challenges and advance
organizational measurables. Motivating and
enthusiastic mentor and coach, instills own-
ership to engage successful performance-
driven teams. Intuitive and attentive listener,
readily uncovers customer need to offer
viable and enticing product solutions.

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• What is your communication style?
(Are you a listener or more outspoken?)
• What makes you stand out from another
candidate?
(Do you speak a second language? Are
you a subject matter expert?)

8
 PART IV

Resume Toolkit
PURPOSE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
OF

One of the most common mistakes is to write experience sections that read like job descrip-
tions. Some job seekers go so far as to copy job descriptions word for word. The result is a boring
recap of job duties with no indication of actual job performance. Instead, job seekers should
position their past work experience in terms of accomplishments.

Hiring managers scan your resume looking for clues about what type of worker you are. If you
show that you consistently produced positive results for previous employers, you will be seen
as a desirable candidate. The key is to emphasize your accomplishments and provide proof of
your potential value.

EXAMPLES OF ACCOMPLISHMENT STATEMENTS:

1 2
Prepared a series of reports Decreased cost of prepar-
used in key decision making ing reports by an average of
by senior executives. Reduced $1,000 per month by eliminat-
time required to prepare these ing unnecessary paper copies.
reports by 25%, thereby help- This freed up funds that were

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ing management to make im- used to hire a part-time sup-
portant decisions faster. port person which enabled us
to improve accuracy by elimi-
nating errors from the previ-
ous incumbent’s two per re-
port to zero.

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BEING SPECIFIC
Make these achievements as specific as pos-
sible and highlight the information that your
desired employer might want to know, such
as quantifiable results (i.e. increased reve-
nues from $250,000 in 2012 to $1.5 million
in 2011 and tripled client base from 2,500 to
7,000). Wherever possible, include measur-
able results of your work.
Note that not everyone can release company
performance figures. If presenting this infor-
mation is a breach of confidentiality, find an-
other way to present your accomplishments.
For example, use percentages rather than ac-
tual dollar figures.

PROBLEM - ACTION - RESULT

PAR stands for Problem Action Result and is
a good starting point for thinking about your
accomplishments.

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• What types of challenges did you face?
• What actions did you take to overcome the problems?
• What was the result of your efforts, and how did your performance benefit the company?
Write down a list of your PAR accomplishments and incorporate the most impressive ones
into your resume.

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PART V

THE

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SOCIAL
Resume 12
WHAT IS YOUR SOCIAL RESUME?
Something else to consider when putting to-
gether your resume, is your social resume.
Social media has grown significantly over the
past several years, and what this means for
WHY IS YOUR ONLINE
BRAND IMPORTANT ?
Just like your resume, your social networks
should reflect your professional self. It’s be-
coming the norm to create online profiles for
yourself through social media. An employer
then has the option of viewing information
about you on several platforms, in addition to
your standard resume.
job seekers is that more and more potential
employers are looking to candidate’s social
media profiles as a factor in evaluation.
While this gives you extra exposure, it also
opens the door to making more errors. You
need to be careful that what you write about
yourself remains similar across the various
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profiles and platforms. Otherwise you are
planting seeds of suspicion in the minds of po-
tential employers about your honesty (or your
attention to detail).
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HOW TO MAKE
YOUR ONLINE BRAND
MIRROR YOUR RESUME Start By Using Your Name
In A Consistent, Professional Way.

What name appears atop your resume?

It should be precisely the same one you use
on your transitional business card, cover let-
ters, and each social media profile you create
for yourself.

Sounds like a no-brainer. Except for people

who have middle names, hyphenated names,
or names that changed after marriage or di-
vorce.

For instance one of Monster.ca’s career ex-

perts is Mark David Swartz. He’s chosen not
to use his middle name, David, in any of his
profiles. Thus it would be a mistake for him to
start using Mark David Swartz on his resume,
but keep only Mark Swartz for his social media
sites. It would confuse people who are search-
ing for him online.

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However if you happen to have a popular first
and last name, like John (or Jane) Smith, the
opposite may apply. It might actually be in
your favour to start using your middle or hy-
phenated name on all your marketing material
and social media pages. You’d have a better
chance of standing out.

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Other Common Inconsistencies
Here are some additional information bits that job seekers tend to switch around arbitrarily.

Photos Titles and Dates of Employment Accomplishments

If you’re going to use a different picture of
yourself on each of your social media sites,
just be sure that each one resembles the
other. Big differences in appearance can
trigger doubts about what you might be hid-
ing. (Note: it is NOT necessary to include a
photo of yourself on social media profiles,
so don’t feel that you have to).
It can be a pain to re-enter this basic infor-
mation on each social media site. But it’s
essential that each time you do so, it’s ex-
actly the same.
Why do people insist on varying the info
about their key achievements or skills
from one profile to another? The one-step
solution for this: copy and paste from
your resume to your social media profiles.
There, problem solved.

Cross-Promote Yourself Tying It Together…Consistently, Of Course.

for Better Results

Each of your communication touch points
should give a similar message about you.
And they should cross-promote you at every
opportunity. Cross-promote? Yep. Your con-
tact info atop your resume should contain
the URLs for your social media pages. So
The key to presenting yourself to potential employers in a uniform, easy to find way, is to use
the same name for yourself – and provide similar information about you – across all of your
marketing communications.
Included in this are your three foundational marketing pieces: your resume, cover letter and
transitional business card. So is any virtual marketing you produce for yourself, e.g. social

should your transitional business card. Now
you’re letting people know exactly where
to find you without them having to use a
search engine.
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media profiles, a blog, personal website, comments you make on other’s blogs, and so on.
When harmonizing your content and contact information, proofread carefully to catch any
errors. The extra care you put in today will avert employer distrust tomorrow.It can be a pain
to re-enter this basic information on each social media site. But it’s essential that each time
you do so, it’s exactly the same.

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 EXAMPLES OF TRANSITIONAL BUSINESS CARDS

Sam Harvinder
- Sales Professional -

tel: 604-333-1111
email: sam.harvinder@service.com

Lena Lee
Copywriter // Marketing Consultant
Mai LeVan
Network Administrator

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tel: 702-416-2222
email: Mlevan@services.com tel: 905.222.1616 // email: l.lee@services.com

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PART VI

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CLOSINg
17
UPDATING
YOUR RESUME
You should constantly update your resume. Rather than trying to throw one together at the last
minute, you should add accomplishments as they happen. This will make your accomplishments
section much more impactful and accurate.

THINGS TO LEAVE
OFF YOUR RESUME
The following information is unnecessary for a Canadian resume and should not be included:

• Physical attributes

• Origins

• Marital status and sexuality

• Personal beliefs

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• Problem areas

• Religion

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additional
resources
monster.ca - career advice
http://career-advice.monster.ca/

BeKnown - network
http://www.beknown.monster.com

Facebok
Facebook.com/Monsterca

Twitter
Twitter.com/MonsterCa

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