Developing and Enhancing your CV

UK Preparing Future Faculty Program

Curriculum Vitae (CV)“course of life”

Much more detailed than a résumé

Summarizes your educational background & experiences

Can be useful to your references when writing letters for you; awards, consulting….

CV vs. Resume

Résumé Usually 1-2 pages More suitable for

corporate jobs Often contains a

“career objective” Usually generic and

used for a range of jobs

Format may be graphically creative

CV May be 1 to 30+ pages More suitable for

academic institutions, nonprofits

Doesn’t have “objective” but may have brief statement of research interests

Often tailored to specific institutional type or emphasis

Format is conventional and conservative

2 uses of the CV

In the United States, a "CV" or "vitae" is "a comprehensive, biographical statement emphasizing your professional qualifications and activities." It is used in pursuit of an academic or research position.

In other countries, the CV is the standard résumé, although the format and some of the information may differ from customary practice in the U.S.

CV contentsDependable contact information; include web page if professional and adds valueEducation (include degree status, advisor, dissertation title, completion date)Teaching experiencesResearch experiencesEmployment (professional)Honors, awards, patentsGrants, fellowships

PublicationsPresentationsSpecial skills, languagesService (professional)Licenses and certificatesProfessional organizations and conferencesComplete reference contact information (mail, phone, e-mail, fax)May have short (2-3 sentence research summary)

A typical CV starts with …

Higher Education: Ph.D., university, location, dates Dissertation title Advisor

Graduate Certificates or other certs.M.A. university, location, date Thesis title (optional)

B.A., major, university, location, date (Could add study abroad experience, etc.)

ExperiencePlace highlights and strengths first in order of most recent experience Tailor the order in which you list your experiences according to the job requirements and emphases Required info for experiences: Title, dates, institution, location (city/state or city/country) Description of duties

Use statements NOT sentences Format with bullets at the beginning of each statement

(paragraphs are too much to read) Begin each statement with an action verb Use present tense if still performing in a certain job Use past tense for jobs in the past

“Experience” may be multiple sections

Teaching ExperienceResearch ExperienceClinical ExperienceRelevant non-academic experience ….

Use organization of your CV to highlight information relevant to the particular position

Other categories might includeResearch OverviewConsulting Experience, Academic ServicePresentations and Publications Committee WorkRefereed Journal ArticlesAdvisingOutreachConference Presentations Workshop PresentationsInvited AddressesColloquiaEditorial AppointmentsBook ReviewsGallery Talks

Keynote AddressesAreas of Expertise (Specialization, Competence)Graduate PracticaInternshipsSpecialized Training/SkillsTeaching AssistantshipsAwardsGrantsFunded ProjectsExhibitionsLanguagesProfessional Membershipsetc….

Your CVShould be concise, well-written (clear, jargon-free)Proofread carefully – no misspellings or grammar errors, get details correctProfessional look and feelBe realistic and honestCommunicate degree status appropriatelyEasy to scan visually and organized so that important information is easily found

12-point font, easily readableSingle-sided printing; white paperYour name on every page; pages numberedNo gimmicksNo offensive or provocative language or examples Consistent formattingHigh-quality printing or pdf

Important Points

There is NO one best format – you may have a couple of versions depending on the type of institution to which you are applying (teaching vs research emphasis).Know what styles and formats are common in your discipline.Citation formats should be in appropriate disciplinary style (APA, MLA, Chicago, …)Look at lots of CVs, and get lots of feedback, before you submit yours.

DODOInclude relevant

information

Reverse chronological order

Provide accurate contact information (e-mail address that you check regularly; phone with voicemail)

Include information about undergraduates and/or graduate students you have mentored in research

Don’tInclude GPA, birth date, Social

Security #, Marital status, hobbies, sex, race, religion, politics, exam scores, high school activities, license numbers

Mix font stylesInclude “non-professional” e-mail

addresses (lvrboy@romance.com, slacker@lazy.net or other non-professional information

No padding!

As a graduate student Generally you will lump together more categories on your

CV than will faculty. As you gain experience you will want to refine categories and distinguish more types of experiences.

“Publications," for you, might include everything. Later on you will definitely need to distinguish between "Refereed Articles" and "Articles" and "Reviews" and "Book Reviews," etc… Make sure and know what the norm is for your discipline!

More experiences call for more specific categories