Dialogue 1

A:  Could you do me a favor and proofread my resume before I send it out to the human recources department?

B:  Sure,  let me take a look. . .  Personal Information,  Education,  Experience,  Training. . .  I think you should add another section for language.  You speak three languages,  so you might as well put that on your resume. 

A:  But languages don't have anything to do with engineering.  Shouldn't everything I put on my resume have something to do with my field?

B:  Not necessarily.  I think people would be impressed by your language abilities.  It says something about your level of intellect and experience.  Also,  I think human resources directors want to see more of a well-rounded person in a resume. 

A:  It's just a piece of paper,  you think that they can tell if I am a well-rounded person by looking at it?

B:  Well, you're right,  the resume is limited in how much it can tell someone about a person.  That's why job interviews are important to let people know the real you that they can't see from a piece of paper.  But resumes can be helpful in explaining things and giving a good impression to a potential employer. 

Dialogue 2

A:  Let's review the CVs we received last week for our vacancy in the financial department.  What have you got?

B:  Take a look at this one. . .  Experience,  three years in accounting for a large marketing firm,  before that she worked entry level in banking management.  Looks pretty impressive.  What do you think?

A:  Her education background is also quite outstanding.  She graduated with her Bachelor's degree from Harvard in Finance,  later got a master's degree from Stanford.  Looking just at that,  I'd say she's qualified. 

B:  Maybe a little overqualified. . .  She might have higher salary expectations.  Also,  she hasn't listed any personal information.  We don't know her marital status,  whether or not she has children.  Why,  she didn't even put her birth date on the CV! No picture either. . . 

A:  Oh,  didn't you know? She's an American.  Generally Americans will not put those types of personal statistics on their CVs.  That's the difference between a CV and a resume. 

B:  Why don't they put those vital statistics on their resumes?

A:  Because America has many laws to ensure equality and prevent discrimination,  Americans are not required or even expected to put information of such a personal nature on their resumes.  The purpose is to prevent discrimination in hiring based on age,  gender,  or marital status. 

B:  Oh,  I didn't know that. 

A:  An American employer would never even ask for a photo on a resume.