CV Heap

Case: 0042 · Status: in development ·

Your Curriculum Vitae

Saying the letters CV (“see-vee”) is certainly a convenient linguistic shortcut that is often understood to mean a résumé. However, a CV and résumé are two different documents that have entirely different purposes.

In many ways, this is the root problem of modern-day job search platforms–they don’t have the data that they need to create good matches.

Purpose of a CV

Résumé vs. CV (the fundamental difference):

The word “résumé” is French and simply translates to “summary”. These are sales documents that summarize what you can provide for a company.

CV is short for “Curriculum Vitae” and translates to “course of life”. This is a journal of your entire work history, from the mundane daily activities to the things that surprised you.

Different Audience:

Every single résumé has one unique audience–the employer that wants to know if the candidate is a fit. The only audience for a CV is its author.

An employer does not have time to look through long-winded documents that show a long history of being able to fiure things out. They only care if an applicant can solve the problem that they created the job post to solve.

Your CV is a journal of your entire work history–for personal reference.

What a CV Contains

Do Not Include:

  • Expectation of time off, sick leave, or benefits

  • Personal Position (or Summary) statements

  • Any private or personal information

Write Down the Ordinary Days:

  • The tasks that fill a normal week, including the dull ones.

  • The tools you use on a regular basis and what purpose they serve.

  • Who the role works with, and how often.

Write Down the Extraordinary Days:

  • Did something crazy blow up that could have ruined the company if you weren’t around to spend days digging into a problem until finding resolution?

  • What follow-up actions did you take and/or recommend?

  • How did the company respond to these efforts?

Writing Tips

  1. Write Often:

In 2026, almost nobody is keeping an actual record of everything they do throughout a regular work day. For most, this is an activity they reserve for active job searching. This is something that should happen regularly.

  • Add a few lines whenever you finish something noteworthy.

  • Do a longer pass every few months.

  1. Write for Your Audience:

You are the audience for your own CV.

  1. Record Everything:

Record every task, tool, and mundane daily responsibility.

  • The boring parts of every job, such as routine troubleshooting or closing tasks

  • Problems you solved, and how you went about solving them.

  • Teaching, mentoring, and learning.

  • Volunteer work, home lab projects, talks, and open source contributions.

  1. Explore Your Memory:

  • How do you create consistency and meaningful results when different perspectives and priorities intersect?

  • What does it mean to make a meaningful contribution to someone else’s efforts?

  • How do you imagine what could be, and what role do you play in bringing that possibility to life?

  • What does it take to help others find their way through complexity?

  • How do you turn knowledge or understanding into purposeful action?

  • What makes an idea influential enough to change how others think or act?

  • What shapes the way you approach what is expected of you?