Resume vs CV vs Biodata: What's the Difference in India?

In India, the words resume, CV and biodata are often used as if they mean the same thing. Job posts ask for a "CV", relatives talk about your "biodata", and online templates call everything a "resume". But they are different documents with different purposes — and using the wrong one can hurt your chances, especially with applicant tracking systems.

Quick comparison

What is a resume?

A resume is a short, targeted summary of your skills, experience and achievements, written for a specific job or job family. It's what nearly all private-sector employers in India — IT, startups, banks, consulting, FMCG, manufacturing — expect when they say "send your CV" or "upload your resume".

A good resume:

• is one page for freshers and up to two pages for experienced professionals;
• starts with a short summary and skills;
• lists experience in reverse-chronological order with quantified achievements;
• is tailored with keywords from the job description;
• leaves out personal details that don't relate to the job.

Our ATS-friendly resume format guide shows the structure.

What is a CV?

A curriculum vitae ("course of life") is a complete record of your academic and professional history. It's standard for:

• university teaching and research positions;
• PhD and postdoctoral applications, fellowships and grants;
• doctors, scientists and senior medical professionals;
• some government, international organisation and European applications.

A CV includes sections a resume usually doesn't: publications, conferences, research projects, teaching experience, grants, patents, professional memberships and references. It can run to many pages.

In practice: when an Indian company job post says "CV", it almost always means a resume. If you're applying for an academic or research role, send a full CV.

What is a biodata?

A biodata ("biographical data") is a document that focuses on personal details: date of birth, gender, religion, caste, nationality, marital status, father's and mother's names, height, languages known, hobbies and permanent address, along with education.

Biodata was once common for government job applications and is still widely used for marriage proposals. For modern job applications, it's outdated.

Why biodata details hurt your job applications

Many fresher resumes in India still carry biodata-style sections: photo, date of birth, father's name, religion, marital status, a "Declaration" and a signature line. These cause problems:

• They waste space that should show your skills and projects.
• They can introduce bias — conscious or unconscious — based on age, gender, religion or marital status.
• They add noise for the ATS, which has to parse irrelevant fields and may mis-sort information.
• They look outdated to recruiters at modern companies and MNCs.

Remove: photo, date of birth, gender, religion, caste, marital status, parents' names, height and weight, full permanent address, passport details and "Declaration: I hereby declare…".

Keep: name, city and state, phone, email, LinkedIn and portfolio links.

Exceptions: if a specific employer or government form explicitly asks for some of these details, provide them in the application form, not necessarily on your resume.

Which one should you use?

• Private-sector jobs and internships: resume.
• Academic, research, medical and some international roles: CV.
• Government jobs: follow the official notification's application format exactly — most now use online forms.
• Marriage proposals: biodata. Never send this for a job.

Converting a biodata into a resume

1. Delete the personal details listed above.
2. Add a 2–3 line summary with your target role and top skills.
3. Add a Skills section using keywords from job posts. Our resume keywords database helps.
4. Expand Projects, Internships and Experience with action verbs and numbers.
5. Use a single-column, ATS-friendly layout.
6. Keep it to one page if you're a fresher — see how long a resume should be.

Freshers can start from our resume guide for freshers or download our free ATS resume template.

Check your resume

Not sure if your document reads like a resume or a biodata? Upload it to our free ATS checker. It checks sections, length, keywords and formatting, and flags issues that make it harder for ATS software and recruiters to find your strengths.

Key takeaways

• A resume is short and targeted; a CV is complete and academic; a biodata is personal.
• Most Indian employers asking for a "CV" actually want a resume.
• Remove biodata details such as photo, DOB, religion and parents' names from job resumes.
• Use a CV only for academic, research, medical or specific international roles.