Composing and Academic CV
Contributed By: Faith Blackhurst
If you are considering a career in academia, then it may be
time to start thinking about how to build a strong CV that can help you secure
the kind of position you want. This blog post will teach you what a CV is and
what it should look like, as well as how to compose your own CV, improve it,
and receive feedback from mentors.
What is the difference between a resume and a CV?
Resumes are typically used for non-academic positions. They
tend to be purpose-driven (job specific), more compact (1-2 pages), and
primarily focused on your experience, education, and skills. In constrast, CVs are
required when you apply to academic positions, which typically involve teaching
and/or research). Sometimes international employers require CVs instead of
resumes, as do grant and fellowship/scholarship applications. The content will
reflect an individual’s entire career path and combines the strategies of autobiography
and salesmanship. CVs are more comprehensive than resumes (2-4 pages for
student or junior professor, 10+ pages for experienced faculty) and can include
sections on teaching and research experience, publications, awards,
presentations, honors, and additional many types of additional details. The
format and content of CVs is quite flexible and will be heavily influenced by
your discipline. For example, scientists may include sections on data sets,
while artists may include performances or exhibitions.
Now that you understand what a CV is, take a look at sample
CVs to imitate successful models. Here are some of the best resources I
found.
Sample CVs
Several from Arts and Social Sciences (*This is by far the
best resource I found): http://hwpi.harvard.edu/files/ocs/files/gsas-cvs-and-cover-letters.pdf
Biomedical scientist: https://career.ucsf.edu/grad-students-postdocs/career-planning/academic-jobs/applying/academic-samples
Spanish:
English:
How do I write a CV?
On the most basic level, your process should look something
like this. Collect all necessary information, tailor it to the specific job
description, make it look beautiful, proofread, and submit.
- Collect
- Create a “Master CV”
with everything you have done that could be relevant to a position (even
if it doesn’t seem relevant right now)
- Be sure to save job
description (it may disappear off job sites)
- Format
- Tailor to specific purpose
- Check for scannability
- Proofread
- Submit
CVs: General Tips
1.
Write and format it to be skimmed
·
balance text with white space, use headings
effectively
·
Be consistent with placement of dates, verb
tense, etc.
·
BUT use brief paragraphs and not bullet points
2.
Use
reverse chronological order
3.
Put
education credentials first
4.
Order by level of importance for specific applications
(format flexible)
5.
Avoid institution-specific terminology (class
codes, job titles)
6.
Emphasize topics you envision yourself bringing
up in the job interview
Lastly, I recommend searching for your academic mentor’s CV.
You may be able to find their CV with a simple Google search. If not, ask them
if you can see it. What ideas do you get from it? How is it organized? What do
they emphasize? Which areas may you need to improve in or develop to have a
strong CV? Sharing your own CV with mentors can be a great way to get feedback
as well. Just remember that your mentor may not have applied to an academic
position in several years, and it may be helpful to get feedback from your
peers or from the Internship and Career Center as well.
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