CV's

Recently,  I began working on my "CV" which stands for "Curriculum Vitae"! In Latin this means "course of life" and (at first) I believed it is a synonym for the American word "resume". However after researching online and a discussion with some  friends I found out that there are some pretty significant differences.

Some people informed me that a complete CV requires some personal information. I was shocked! ONE extreme example: I found CV that revealed a person's martial status, age, health status, and hobbies.

This one is completely fictional:

D. Buckham
Contact:
Buckingham Palace, La, CA
db@gmail.com
900-092-9929
Nationality: English
Languages: English and conversational spanish
Marital Status: married
Birthday: 10/8/1970
Health: multiple knee injuries
Hobbies: watching Manchester U.  and designing purses with my wife

After speaking with another person (not from UK) I learned in some countries it is now common practice to add an image of yourself on your CV!

Hobbies can show off your desirable strengths or traits.  My fictional candidate's hobby could reveal an interest in the arts and creative ability.... (?) A picture helps employers remember a perspective employee's name/face after an interview.  In the states, there are very strict laws during the application and interview process.  Despite the some of the positive aspects of the detailed CV's, I think the costs might outweigh the benefits of this practice. This story just was in the news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12161045

Regardless, if I include my hobbies, I think my altered resume/cv has improved in 2011!