The debate over the differences between Resume, Curriculum Vitae and Bio-data has been ongoing since long. It was widely believed that differences do exist but they have blurred-specially in the Indian subcontinent where the terms are used interchangeably. The term bio-data is increasingly becoming old-fashioned and resume and CVs are more commonly heard of now.

While the debate continues, we have the term “profile” being used in recruitment parlance. This is increasingly being used to refer to resumes/CVs itself. Alison Doyle from About.com defines a profile as a condensed version of a covering letter. He goes on to say that career summary, resume summary and profile statement is a synonymous term for profile.

The resume/CV is a static document speaking about the candidate’s background whereas the covering letter is more dynamic and tries to showcase how the background aligns with the job applied for. The profile need not necessarily be job-driven and can cover broader aspects of the person’s background. For example, achievements in areas not directly related to mainstream careers generally don’t find place in modern resumes whereas profiles give an insight into finer details. Introduction of guests, speakers etc are done using “profiles” not “resumes”.

The resume/CV has jobs and education generally listed in reverse chronological order and the key responsibilities/achievements are listed in a bulleted fashion. While resumes are rigid and have conventionally defined formats, profiles are flexible and allow all the pluses to stand out. At best, it can be said that resumes are a sub-set of profiles. Profiles have widespread applications in today’s increasingly capitalistic economy where more and more people are working on parallel careers, seeking freelance assignments and embarking onto entrepreneurial journeys. Profiles blur the boundary between the full-time and the part-time, the job and the freelance assignment, degrees and life-long learning, employee and employer.

We are now in the relationship economy piggy riding on the backs of social media networks like LinkedIn, Facebook and the likes. Be it employers, clients or the guy next door, all are interested in knowing the person in you rather than a stereo typed resume of yesteryears which was used to hire “manpower”. The back story of one’s life, stuff that motivates us and our overall progress is what people are looking at today. If the resume is an application for a job, the profile is an invitation into a relationship.

Siddarth Baliga is a Resume Consultant and Social Media Enthusiast. You can approach him for guidance and feedback regarding your Resume.