Do you know what is the appropriate size of a Cover Letter?
Is cover letter a part of CV and what is the professional way to send it to the hiring manager?
What is the difference between Resume and CV?
I get lots of emails every day that carry different questions regarding resume writing, CV formatting, and LinkedIn profile building tips. But, this time, I received questions regarding cover letter as well. I think questions asked by one of my followers are powerful and basic that I decide to answer them in my article instead of replying individually via e-mail.
I am answering his questions in this article with a strong thought that many of you also have these questions in minds and want professional views on them.
So, the new article is here!
Writing a cover letter is really frustrating. It requires a lot of time and energy. It makes you confused all the time about what to write in cover letter and what not to include in CV.
A cover letter should be clear, concise and customized for each job. It makes first impression. It clearly reflects why you are the best fit for a job. It is the first selling pitch.
Here are the questions with answers to the point that will help you create a crunchy cover letter and decide on an impressive Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resume.
Question #1: What is appropriate size of a cover letter?
Answer: Shorter, clear, and focused cover letters create the impression and give the reason to recruiter to move on to the CV. Ideally, it should be around 250-350 words.
Question #2: Should we write the cover letter in a separate document and attach it in the email along with the CV? Or is it okay to keep the cover letter written in the body of the email?
Answer: When you are sending CV online, Cover letter’s content should be the part of the email body. But, it should be delivered with printed version on A4 paper along with CV if you plan to post it to the company or to deliver it by hand.
Question #3: Can you tell me the basic difference between a Resume and a CV?
Answer: It has been seen that both CV and resume are pretty much used in the same sense and interchangeably. To many, they carry the same meaning. But, in reality, they are not.
There are 3 thoughts on the difference between a resume and a CV, upon which experts have agreed and concluded:
Geographically, they mean similar. In Britain, Curriculum Vitae (CV) is used the most as a job document. While Resume is a U.S. English term and is used commonly in business circles for job application.
One school of thought says that a resume is a short version of your professional profile, consists of 1-2 page max. While a CV is a bit detailed and may expanded to 2 or more pages.
Other school of thought believes that resume word is used in all professional fields except education. CV is specifically used in education department to submit a job application because this sector needs detailed information of an applicant’s career.
My conclusion is: do some research on your geographical area and job sector if they need a resume or a CV in similar format. However, CV is always requested for from jobseekers in Europe, Asia and Middle East.
What do you think? Would you go with CV or resume? What have worked well for you?
If you have any question, thought, or comment relevant to CV, resume, cover letter or LinkedIn profile vamping, you are free to ask by clicking here or in below comment section. WarriorCV would love to hear from you!
Hi, what an insightful and wonderful post. Helped me very much with my dilemma. Love the details you have pointed out. Totally true!