CVs

Overview

In the United States, the curriculum vitae, otherwise referred to as “vita” (without the “e”) and abbreviated as “CV,” is a comprehensive overview of your educational background and academic qualifications.  The literal translation from the Latin is “the course of one’s life.”  The CV is to the worlds of academe and research what the resume is to other job markets, i.e. the cornerstone of any job application.  CVs are also typically requested for fellowship and internship applications.  Your CV should be well-organized and easy to follow, should highlight your strongest qualifications, and should be tailored to each opportunity sought.  Maintaining a CV is an iterative process.  You should adopt the practice of regularly updating your CV (say, annually or semi-annually), which will grow in length as you progress in your career.

While there is no limit to length, the CV must concisely convey information.  In the early stages of the applicant screening process, search committee members will probably spend less than one minute scanning each CV to reduce a large pool of applicants to a manageable list of qualified candidates.  To increase your chances of making the short list, you should prepare an attractive CV that clearly and succinctly identifies the qualifications that make you a good fit for the position.

GSAS Career Services offers programs every semester on preparing CVs.  Check our Current Events for a schedule of upcoming programs.  Remember that standard CV customs and formats differ from one discipline to the next.  While general guidelines are presented here, you are strongly urged to consult with faculty in your department for guidance.  Given that CV styles change over time, it can also be instructive to look at the CVs of junior scholars in your field, particularly those who hold the kinds of positions that interest you. 

General CV Tips

Keep a Master Document

A good way to begin crafting a CV is to record all of your educational, academically-related, and field-related history.  Keep an up-to-date, electronic master list that you can revise to customize individual CVs for specific opportunities.  In customizing your CV you may want to rearrange sections (e.g. teaching before research or vice versa), include or exclude a section (e.g. community service for a job at a small teaching college but not for a research position), or expand or reduce the detail within a section. 

Customize Your CV

Your CV should always include information about your basic qualifications, but you can send different messages by presenting that information differently depending on the institutions or departments to which you are applying.  Remember that search committees may receive dozens, if not hundreds, of CVs.  The information that has the most meaning to them should come early in your CV to grab their attention.  Institutions have different missions, goals, and “brands,” and you should present your qualifications in such a way that makes it easy for readers to imagine you as a member of their community.  For example, you may want to highlight your teaching experience for a small liberal arts college, whereas a research university would likely be more interested in your research, awards, publications, and presentations.

There are many ways to customize a CV.  You may decide to list another reference based on the desired specialization of a particular position.  Or you may choose to include extra-academic information (e.g. in a section on service or affiliations) if appropriate to the mission of the institution. Keep in mind that the cover letter provides an opportunity to elaborate on your fit. 

Choose an Appropriate Format and Organization

A good CV is clear, easy to process quickly, and captures the reader’s attention at first glance. Your language should be succinct and unambiguous. Your format and organization should be logical, consistent, and should guide your readers smoothly through the document.

Below are basic recommendations:

• Choose an attractive font.
• Depending on the font, use a 10- to 12-point font size with 1”- to 1.5”-inch margins.
• Enlarge/bold your name on the first page.
• Include your name & the page number in a header/footer on each page after the first.
• List dates to the right as opposed to first in entries (left).
• Use reverse chronological order within sections.
• Avoid underlining.
• Use caps/bolding/italics selectively and consistently.
• Avoid personal pronouns.
• Use action verbs; numbers are also effective in descriptions.
• Use parallel grammar and minimal punctuation.
• Use section headings to guide your audience; sub-headings in lengthy sections further facilitate this process.
• Be careful not to pluralize section headings that cover only one entry.
• You may choose to include a “Revised [date]” notation in a footer. 
• Proofread, proofread, proofread—there is no excuse for typographical error.
• Have colleagues review your CV.

Think about how information is processed visually.  Material near the top of the page tends to draw more attention than material at the bottom.  The eye crosses the page from left to right, which means that the most important information in a given entry should receive visual emphasis on left.  Compare the following two entries:

PhD, Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

May 2008

versus

2002-2008, University of Virginia Department of Chemistry, Doctorate of Philosophy

Note also the effectiveness of using white space between the date and the other information in the first entry.

There is no exhaustive list of CV sections.  In making your document your own, rely on your judgment and faculty advice.  Below is list of common CV sections for general guidance:

Contact Information Education Dissertation Abstract Honors and Awards Grants Professional Licenses/Certifications Research Experience Teaching Experience Research Interests Teaching Interests/Competencies

Technical and Specialized Skills Related/Other Experience Professional Development Publications Presentations Service (academic, professional, community) Affiliations/Memberships Foreign Language Abilities/Skills Consulting References

While you should aim to be concise yet thorough in your CV, remember that standards vary by discipline.  Check with your department for field-specific guidelines.  Typically, CVs for ABDs and new PhDs range from 2-4 pages, but it is not uncommon for the exceptionally accomplished to produce longer documents. 

Finally, if sending hard copies of your materials use high quality “resume” paper in white or off-white (sold in the University Bookstore) and submit only single-sided laser quality copies.  Use paperclips, not staples, to assemble your documents.

Sample CVs

“The Basics of Science C.V.’s: A Sample Teaching C.V.,” Mary Morris Heiberger and Julie Miller Vick, Chronicle of Higher Education (2003)

Sample CV - Research (.pdf, 97KB)

Sample CV - Teaching (.pdf, 133KB)

Resources

Recommended Reading

"The Basics of Science C.V.’s,” Richard M. Reis, Chronicle of Higher Education (2000)

"How Candidates Can Stand Out (in a Good Way)," Susan Resneck Pierce, Inside Higher Ed (2009)
Advice for senior administration candidates in academia but still very relevant.

Chronicle of Higher Education “CV Doctor” series
A highly instructive archive of CV revisions with annotations.

"Tips for a Successful CV,” Sarah Webb, Science (2006)

"Tips on Writing A Curriculum Vitae,” (.pdf) American Chemical Society

Good information on crafting CVs and sample documents may be found in The Academic Job Search Handbook (Fourth Edition), Julia Miller Vick and Jennifer S. Furlong (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008)