Difference Between Resume, CV & Bio-Data

People use the words RESUME, C.V., and BIO-DATA interchangeably for the document highlighting skills, education, and experience that a candidate submits when applying for a job. On the surface level, all the three mean the same. However, there are intricate differences.

RESUME
Resume Is a French word meaning "summary", and true to the word meaning, signifies a summary of one's employment, education, and other skills, used in applying for a new position. A resume seldom exceeds one side of an A4 sheet, and at the most two sides. They do not list out all the education and qualifications, but only highlight specific skills customized to target the job profile in question.

A resume is usually broken into bullets and written in the third person to appear objective and formal. A good resume starts with a brief Summary of Qualifications, followed by Areas of Strength or Industry Expertise in keywords, followed by Professional Experience in reverse chronological order. Focus is on the most recent experiences, and prior experiences summarized. The content aims at providing the reader a balance of responsibilities and accomplishments for each position. After Work experience come Professional Affiliations, Computer Skills, and
Education

C.V CURRICULUM VITAE
C.V Is a Latin word meaning "course of life". Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) is therefore a regular or particular course of study pertaining to education and life. A C.V. is more detailed than a resume, usually 2 to 3 pages, but can run even longer as per the requirement. A C.V. generally lists out every skills, jobs, degrees, and professional
affiliations the applicant has acquired, usually in chronological order. A C.V. displays general talent rather than specific skills for any specific positions.

BIO-DATA
Bio Data the short form for Biographical Data, is the old-fashioned terminology for Resume or C.V. The emphasis in a bio data is on personal particulars like date of birth, religion, sex, race, nationality, residence, martial status, and the like. Next comes a chronological listing of education and experience. The things normally found in a resume, that is specific skills for the job in question comes last, and are seldom included. Bio-data also includes applications made in specified formats as required by the company.

A resume is ideally suited when applying for middle and senior level positions, where experience and specific skills rather than education is important. A C.V., on the other hand is the preferred option for fresh graduates, people looking for a career change, and those applying for academic positions. The term bio-data is mostly used in India while
applying to government jobs, or when applying for research grants and other situations where one has to submit descriptive essays.

Resumes present a summary of highlights and allow the prospective employer to scan through the document visually or electronically, to see if your skills match their available positions. A good resume can do that very effectively, while a C.V. cannot. A bio-data could still perform this role, especially if the format happens to be the one
recommended by the employer.

Personal information such as age, sex, religion and others, and hobbies are never mentioned in a resume. Many people include such particulars in the C.V. However, this is neither required nor considered in the US market. A Bio-data, on the other hand always include such personal particulars.

Management Lesson - Bosses' Expectations

Management Lesson - For Every Salaried Person

A butcher watching over his shop is really surprised when he sees a dog coming inside the shop. He shoos him away. But later, the dog is back again.

So, he goes over to the dog and notices' it has a note in its mouth. He takes the note and it reads, "Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please."

The dog has money in its mouth, as well. The butcher looks inside and, low and behold, there is a $10 note there. So he takes the money and puts the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog's mouth. The butcher is so impressed, and since it's about closing time, he decides to shut the shop and follow the dog. So off he goes.

The dog is walking down the street, when it comes to a level crossing the dog puts down the bag, jumps up and presses the button.

Then it waits patiently, bag in mouth, for the lights to turn. They do, and it walks across the road, with the butcher following him all the way.

The dog then comes to a bus stop, and starts looking at the timetable. The butcher is in awe as the dog stops a bus by pulling its left leg up and gets in it. The butcher follows the dog into the bus.

The dog then shows a ticket, which is tied to its belt to the bus conductor. The butcher is nearly fainting at this sight, so are the other passengers in the bus.

The dog then sits near the driver's seat looking outside waiting for the bus stop to come. As soon as the stop is in sight, the dog stands and wags its tail to inform the conductor.

Then, without waiting for the bus to stop completely, it jumps out of the bus and runs to a house very close to the stop. It opens the big iron gate and rushes inside towards the door.

As it approaches the wooden door, the dog suddenly changes its mind and heads towards the garden. It goes to the window, and beats its head against it several times, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door.

The butcher watches as a big guy opens the door, and starts abusing the dog, kicking him and punching him, and swearing at him.

The butcher surprised with this, runs up, and stops the guy. "What in heaven's name are you doing? The dog is a genius. He could be on TV, for the life of me!" to which the guy responds: "You call this clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog's forgotten his key."

Moral Of the Story:
You may continue to exceed onlookers' expectations but shall always fall short of the bosses' expectations.
 

How Do You Know You Really Hear Your Employees?

For some reason, your managers' employees are left with the feeling their bosses love their Blackberries more than them. What other conclusion could they draw as they tell their workforce management woes to managers who prefer to stare down, entranced, at an electronic device rather than meet the tortured gaze of their long-suffering employee?  Maybe you need to pass along a listening primer to your company's supervisors. Joe Takash, author of "Results Through Relationships: Building Trust, Performance and Profit Through People," and founder of performance management firm Victory Consulting, has some tips for gaining "listening wisdom":

• Practice silence. Listening is hard enough in your personal life. Recommend managers start at home before trying it out on the job. With a spouse or friend, suggest they force themselves to stay silent until the person they're communicating with is done talking.  "In many ways, it's more difficult to do this with someone you know well, since conversations often are filled with interruptions by both parties," says Takash. "By practicing silence in a personal relationship, you learn the discipline of knowing when to be silent in a professional one."
  
• Eliminate distractions. Ask managers to shut the door, turn off their cell phone, and not to glance at the computer for e-mail.  If appropriate—if their employee has communicated he or she feels this meeting is important—suggest managers clear their schedule and tell the person he or she has all the time necessary to say what needs to be said. "Don't bring up tangential or unrelated topics," says Takash. "You want the other person to feel you've done everything possible to make 100 percent listening possible."
  
•  Focus your attention. "This means you can't daydream, dwell on how you're going to respond, or tune out the other person," says Takash, who says providing undivided attention in the workplace is a "gift." "Reflect on what he or she's trying to tell you—consider the literal meaning and also read between the lines."
  
• Show non-verbal attentiveness.  "We communicate most of our messages without opening our mouths.  It's not enough just to listen attentively; you need to demonstrate this attentiveness," says Takash. "Three easy ways to do so are: nod; make eye contact; smile.  Shifting uneasily in your seat or glancing around as if you're waiting for the police to arrest you are not ways to communicate your attentiveness."
  
• Use the "repeat principle." Suggest managers paraphrase what they thought the other person said.  For instance: "If I'm hearing correctly, you're telling me that…" "Requesting clarification communicates your desire to know exactly what is meant," Takash says.
  
• Empathize. "Empathy is essential for results-producing relationships, and it's especially crucial in listening," says Takash.  "You have 101 ways to communicate your empathy, not all of them verbal.  A knowing look, a nod of your head, a sigh—these gestures can communicate you 'get it' faster and more empathically than a long-winded speech."
  
• Ask good questions. "Don't be shy about asking a few good questions.  Even one good question may be enough to show you've listened intently," says Takash. "A good question demonstrates you've followed the logic of the conversation and are thinking about possible solutions or actions.  That's the mark of a perceptive listener."

Thanks to Training Magazines