CURRICULUM VITAE (CV)

A “curriculum vitae,” or “CV,” is a document that you may use instead of a resume to apply
for academic jobs. It typically follows the same format as a resume. The main difference
between a resume and a CV is that the CV can be multiple pages, and typically includes
additional sections (see our list below for brainstorming ideas).

Your academic CV should:

 Convey clearly the variety and depth of your academic and professional experiences.
 Follow the combination format in which the CV is arranged according to categories of
experience with specific entries listed chronologically (most recent first).

CV ELEMENTS

 Identifying Information: name, address, phone numbers and e-mail address. Leave
off date of birth, marital status, number of children, or other information that is not relevant.
 Education: begin with your most recent or expected degree. List degrees, majors,
institutions, and dates of completion (or expected date) in reverse chronological order (most
recent first). Also include your minors, subfields, and honors.
 Dissertation or thesis: provide the title and a brief description of your work, its
theoretical framework, your conclusions, your director (and readers, if their names or
departments add breadth or new perspectives to your area of research).
 Awards, honors, fellowships, scholarships, grants: recognition of scholarship by
the university or in the field is very important. Membership in honorary societies belong in
this section too, unless they have already been listed under your "Education" section.
 Professional experience: this category is often divided into several possible
categories such as "Research Experience," "Consulting," "Fieldwork," "Teaching
Experience," or "Postdoctoral Work," as well as many others, depending on your discipline.
Reverse chronological order is again the rule.
 Publications, invited papers, exhibits, conference presentations, etc: this category
may be modified to read "Papers and Publications," "Programs and Workshops" or other
titles that accurately reflect the professional work you have produced in your discipline.
These should be arranged in reverse chronological order and may be subdivided into sections.
You may include works in progress.
 Teaching, research interests: list the courses you are prepared to teach and topics
that indicate your present and future research directions. If your background would allow you
to teach in several fields, you may want to include a list of graduate courses taken.
 Academic Service: list all departmental and university groups, committees, or task
forces on which you served. Student groups are valid as well. You should demonstrate that
you have demonstrated leadership and you will assume certain departmental administrative
duties if hired. If relevant to the position, community service may also be included.
 Memberships or professional affiliations: list all professional groups (e.g.,
American Counseling Association) to which you belong and any offices you have held.
 Languages: list all languages you read and speak and note those in which you are
fluent.
 Elements of a CV
 Your details - Include your name, address, phone numbers and email address so
any interested employers can contact you easily. Information such as nationality, age
and driving licence status are optional.
 Personal statement - One paragraph that immediately captures the attention of
your reader and entices them to find out more about you. Be careful not to cram too
much in. Instead take your main skill and relate it to the job you're after to show
employers why you meet their needs.
 Work experience - List your most recent position first, continuing in reverse
chronological order including the name, location, website and dates of your
employment for each company you have worked for. Aim to use bullet points
wherever possible to highlight your responsibilities and achievements in each role so
the person scanning your CV can quickly match up your experience with their job
description.
 Education - Again, in reverse chronological order, give brief details of your
academic and professional qualifications along with the grades you achieved. If you're
looking for your first job since leaving education, include this information above any
work experience.
 Skills - Whether you realise it or not you will have picked up many skills over the
years, some tangible, some less so. Include every IT package or programme you have
used as well as any foreign language skills you have gained, and state whether you're
at a basic, intermediate or advanced level. Skills such as communication and project
management are harder to substantiate and should be backed up with examples.
 Hobbies and interests - Including these is optional and often used to fill up space
at the end of the document. The idea is to give the interviewer a more rounded picture
and, perhaps, something more personal to discuss at an interview.
 References - It's not necessary to list referees on your CV, but you should state that
details are available on request. If this is your first job, it's a good idea to nominate
tutors or mentors. You'll obviously need to choose references that you're confident
will give positive remarks, but you should also make sure they would be easily
contactable by potential employers when the time comes.
 A clear and simple layout - Always keep your CV to two pages of A4. It should
be clear to anyone reading your CV where to find the information they're looking for,
with enough ‘white space' to ensure they're not overawed at first glance.