A CV is a short written document that lists your education and the jobs you have already done. You send it to an employer when you want work. It may also list skills and languages. CV is short for curriculum vitae, Latin for “the course of a life.” In British and international English, CV is the usual word. In American English people more often say résumé. The tone is formal: facts, dates, no jokes. Though actually, the letters CV stand for other things too. In Japanese anime credits, CV means the voice actor (“character voice”). In old navy lists, CV can mean an aircraft carrier. Those are different uses of the same two letters.