In everyday Indian usage, "CV" and "resume" are often used to mean the same one-to-two-page document, and for most private-sector job applications, that's functionally fine. The real distinction matters more in two specific contexts: applying internationally, and applying for academic or research positions.
The core difference
A resume is a short, targeted summary — one to two pages, tailored to a specific role, focused on relevant experience. A CV (curriculum vitae, literally "course of life") is a comprehensive, chronological record of your entire academic and professional history — publications, presentations, grants, teaching experience, every credential — and it grows longer over a career rather than staying a fixed length.
Where the terms genuinely diverge by country
- United States and Canada: "resume" is standard for private-sector jobs; "CV" specifically means the long-form academic document, mainly used for academic, research, or medical positions.
- United Kingdom, Ireland, and much of Europe: "CV" is the standard term for what Americans would call a resume — a normal one-to-two-page job application document, not necessarily the long academic form.
- India: both terms are used, often interchangeably, for the standard short document — but if applying to a US company or an academic/research role specifically, it's worth matching their expected format rather than assuming the terms mean the same thing there too.
The practical takeaway
If a US-based company or a UK-based one asks for a "CV," send your normal resume — that's what they mean. If applying for an academic, research, or medical position specifically (regardless of country), a genuine long-form CV is usually expected — a comprehensive record, not the tailored one-to-two-page document used for standard job applications. When in doubt, matching the length and structure other successful candidates in that specific field or country typically use is a safer bet than guessing from the term alone.