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CV vs. Cover Letter: Differences & Similarities

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Reviewed by:

Dominika Kowalska, CPRW
Dominika Kowalska, CPRW
Article Helpfulness:
4.46

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When applying for a job, you have a couple of opportunities to show the recruiter your best side. Those two chances are your cover letter and your CV. Needless to say, you need to hit a bullseye with both of them. Otherwise, you’re just another application. To do that, you need to understand not just the difference between a CV and cover letter, but how they work as an awesome team. This guide will show you the differences, similarities, and definitions.

First look at both documents created in our builder. On the left—a resume, in the middle—a CV for academic purposes, on the right—a cover letter. 

Want to save time and have your CV ready in 5 minutes? Try our CV builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ CV templates and create your CV here.

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Sample resume, CV and cover letter made with our builder—See more CV samples and create your CV here.

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This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines. We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.

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CV vs. Cover Letter: Differences & Similarities

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Oliwia is a writer and career expert with a solid background in consulting. At Zety, she writes dedicated, advice-driven guides to help readers create great resumes and cover letters to land the job of their dreams.

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