Do you know the difference between a CV, resume, memoirs, autobiography, and obituary?
Let’s be honest. Navigating through different types of life documents can be weirdly confusing.
Are you asking yourself: Why are there five ways to talk about a person’s life?
Which one gets published after you die? Are some more formal?
Which one lands you an interview? Let me break down the differences for you, so you never mix them up again.
CV: The academic life story
Curriculum Vitae literally translates to “course of life.”
It’s from Latin, a language today mostly used in law, medicine, and biology.
Think of the CV, Curriculum Vitae, as a comprehensive professional and academic life record.
It’s typically multiple pages long and includes details such as coursework, education, work experience, research, publications, certifications, awards, and teaching roles.
For sure, it’s great for academia, but for most hiring managers, it’s just information overload.
Hiring managers do not want your whole career; they want quick, skimmable info, not your life’s full timeline.
CV: “Here’s everything I’ve ever done.” | Resume: “Here’s what makes me perfect for this job.”
- Used for: Academia, research, medical professions, international jobs
- Length: As long as it needs to be
- Goal: To show the full scope of your professional credentials
In short, if you are applying to be a professor or a researcher, you are bringing your CV to the table.
Resume: Your greatest hits (to get job interviews)
It is like the Netflix trailer for your professional story: quick, focused, and designed to grab attention.
The resume is meant to give the hiring manager and recruiter a quick glimpse of your most impressive achievements and qualifications; just enough to spark interest and make them want to learn more (i.e., call you for an interview).
It’s your personal marketing pitch focusing on your work experience over the last 10-15 years.
You include only what’s most relevant:
- Two pages with 650-750 words
- Focused on skills, work experience, and achievements
- No fluff. Just the stuff that lands interviews
Used for: Most corporate, nonprofit, or creative jobs
Length: Typically 2 pages
Goal: To get a job interview
If your CV is a full novel, your resume is the movie trailer.
Memoirs: Your personal moments that mattered
Memoirs are a slice of someone’s life story, told with emotional depth and personal insight.
They are not the whole story and don’t always follow a strict timeline.
- Focus on a theme, event, or era (e.g., “My Year in Paris”)
- Written in the first person as in I and me.
- More emotional and reflective than informational
Used for: Personal expression, publishing
Length: Varies (book-length)
Goal: To share meaningful personal experiences
Memoirs are less about what happened, more about how it felt.
Autobiography: Your full life story
Autobiographies are chronological life stories.
Think of them as a detailed map of someone’s entire journey from childhood to present (or near-death).
- Covers major life events
- Often includes historical and cultural context
- Written in the first person
Used for: Legacy, publishing, historical record
Length: Book-length
Goal: To tell one’s full life story
If a memoir is a chapter, the autobiography is the whole book.
Obituary: The final summary
An obituary is a short piece written after someone dies, summarizing their life, accomplishments, and family connections.
They are often found in newspapers or these days also online.
- Highlights key life moments
- Includes birth/death dates, survivors, and sometimes funeral info
- Usually written by a family, a newspaper editor, or a funeral home
Used for: Public notice, remembrance
Length: Short (few paragraphs to a full page)
Goal: To honor a life and inform others
It’s the closing paragraph of a life story, meant to be shared with the world.
And the very final comment in this blog
Life is complex and so is how we capture and communicate it.
But now you have got the cheat sheet to know what’s what, whether you’re job hunting, storytelling, or just trying to make sense of a eulogy.
