Career Guide The Academic CV

Transcription

1 Career Guide The Academic CV For teaching and research positions

2 The Academic CV Inside You ll Find... Purpose of the C.V Page 3 Difference between a Resume and a CV Page 3 What Makes a Strong CV and a Weak CV.. Page 4 Common Mistakes... Page 4 Writing the Academic CV: Basic Format.... Page 5 General Academic CV Page 5 Formatting Tips for Academic CV. Page 6 Deconstructing the Academic CV: Layout.. Page 7 Deconstructing the Academic CV: Layout (cont d). Page 8 Additional Resources Page 9 2

3 What is an Academic C.V.? A curriculum vitae (CV) provides an overview of your academic background as well as teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details. It is used most often when applying for faculty positions at Colleges and Universities, as well as for research positions, fellowships /grants/ awards. Note: As with a resume, you may need different versions of a CV for different types of positions. Always focus on what is most relevant for the potential employer. For example, an academic position may anticipate inclusion of your dissertation committee ; a non-academic employer would not. What s the Difference Between a Resume and CV? Some employers ask applicants for a resume, others ask for a CV (Curriculum Vitae) and some seem to use the terms interchangeably. It s not surprising that many people get confused about what employers want. Here are some guidelines you can follow: Resumes and CVs are different depending on where you are in the world and it often has to do with length and type of information included In the U.S. resumes and CVs are almost always completely different documents. CVs are a detailed history of your professional path and can be many pages long. In the U.S. a CV is generally used for academic positions such as faculty or research positions at colleges or universities but can sometimes often be requested by research institutes. (For more information on resumes, please see the Career Development Center website for our Career Guide: Resumes) What Your Resume Should Do Your resume should provide a brief summary of your work history, educational attainment, relevant skills and accomplishments which has been tailored to the job you are applying for. It is important that your resume be (a) concise (use bullet lists instead of long sentences and paragraphs) (b) relevant to the position you are applying for and (c) persuasive. Personal information in a resume should be limited to residence address and contact details. Everything in your resume should be a crisp, precise overview of your professional and academic accomplishments and relevant skills. The resume should be two pages at the most! What Your CV Should Do Your CV will contain a longer list of your experience. Your CV should emphasize issues that are considered to be of significant importance in your discipline and also should conform to standard conventions within your discipline. CVs include a brief listing of each of your experiences, accompanied by job descriptions. It is important to demonstrate your familiarity and expertise in a field within your CV. An example of a distinction: A resume would contain a bulleted summary such as : Published several articles on impact of healthcare policy in major professional journals over past two years. The academic CV would list each article along with co-authors, title, publication and date. 3

4 What makes a Strong Academic CV? What makes a Weak Academic CV? At any given career moment, your CV should provide a current, accurate list of all your professional accomplishments. A STRONG CV does the following: Includes a comprehensive listing of professional experiences. Has been proofread for correct spelling and grammar. Uses simple and consistent formatting. Is organized so that the reader can find important information quickly. Uses reverse chronological order throughout the document. Lists all publications in the same reference style. Is up to date. A WEAK CV does the following: Uses complicated formatting. Has spelling and grammatical errors. Includes information about unrelated hobbies or interests that do not show professional experience or qualifications. Padded with extra words or spacing to make it appear longer. Remember: Your Curriculum vitae (CV) tells a story of your professional life, documenting your career and showcasing your accomplishments. A well-crafted CV can help you land an interview-- instead of having your materials buried in a stack with other applications! Common Mistakes made with Academic CVs The Curriculum Vitae is a great tool when you are searching for a job but can be an obstacle if not written and formatted well. There are too many cases where in spite of being exceptional and having excellent credentials, people do not get called in for an interview because of poorly executed application documents. The following are some common mistakes: The Curriculum Vitae is too long - One of the most common mistakes is that people insert every experience they have acquired in their professional lives. What you need are only the relevant experiences that will prove you are a value-addition to the organization where you are applying. The Curriculum Vitae is too spread out - This is another common mistake. Your best attributes, the ones which would make you the best candidate, should be on the first page. This is the page that the hiring manager will scan and if they do not find something that would hold their attention, they might not turn the page to see the rest. The Curriculum Vitae has spelling/grammar mistakes - There is no greater putoff than a CV that has spelling and grammar mistakes. (Remember, principal investigator is correct; not principle ) The Curriculum Vitae has inconsistent formatting. Use either APA or Chicago style in every section of your document. 4

5 Writing the Academic CV: Basic Format A curriculum vitae is written in reverse chronological order and in the third person. Unlike a resume for a non-academic job search, a CV can be longer than one page; at the start of your career, it will most likely be two to three pages in length. A CV is headed by the applicant s name and contact information. The information that follows is grouped into categories, each with a simple heading. The organization and presentation of your CV is extremely important. Review your total universe of material before deciding what to include, what to feature, and what to omit. Review all potential data in the following categories: (IMPORTANT: The type of opportunity you are applying for, together with your personal background will determine the order of the following categories. For example, a Rhodes Scholarship (Honors Category) should be featured as prominently as possible.) Education (degrees, dissertations, theses, applicable college studies) Recent graduates should include their dissertation committee members UNLESS they will not be references. List the committee Chair first. Honors (licenses, credentials, scholarships, assistantships,) Grants should be listed in a separate category on Funding. Experience (Teaching and/or research, trainings, specializations, expertise) Publications (Typical order is the following: peer-reviewed journal articles, then books and book chapters, followed by reports, monographs, and any other published materials) Presentations (seminars, conferences, symposia) Employment appointments (consulting, practica, pro bono, workshops) Interests (projects, research, addenda, affiliation committees, study abroad, volunteer work) Committees and Professional Service Languages (service, non-tourist travel) Professional Memberships Certifications and Licensure Depending on your background and the positions for which you are applying, you may also use categories such as the following: teaching interests, professional service, archival experience, or related professional experience. The order in which categories are listed on your CV suggests an order of priority, and you may wish to tailor the order and perhaps content of your CV to appeal to different audiences. General Academic CV It may be difficult to decide at first what is appropriate to include in your CV. A CV lets you give information that is unique to you. Try putting in everything you can think of at first pull it out later if it doesn't seem pertinent. The CV needs to be clear, concise and crisp. It should make a good first impression. Be honest. If you haven't accomplished anything in a particular category, then leave it out. Don't create things to fill in the spaces. Customize A CV is your first point of contact with an employer. It's important that your CV speaks directly to the objective, addresses criteria, and above all else is relevant to the position. 5

6 Formatting Tips for Academic CVs: It is always a good idea to ask your advisor or mentor in your field for a copy of his/her CV, as there are many different standards for content, style and format. Also it is helpful to go to the sites of prestigious colleges and universities and look at the online CVs of professors in your field of interest. 1. The CV should be arranged in reverse chronological order. It should be apparent immediately where you are presently. 2. If using bullet points, use active verbs that are quantified with achievements. 3. Ensure that all statements are true; many organizations ask for proof for your claims or they run a background check. 4. The language of a CV is abbreviated and succinct. Resist the temptation to append explanatory sentences or language which will distract the reader from the basic information being presented. 5. Check the spellings and punctuations carefully. 6. Abstain from using any abbreviations, jargon, or acronyms. 7. Your contact information should be clear and correct; this should have your address, telephone number, address. 8. Use an easily readable font - it should not be too small - Arial/ Times New Roman/ Tahoma 10/12 point would be best. 9. Use high quality paper if printing for an interview. 10. The Curriculum Vitae should be laser printed for high clarity and neatness. 11. Always keep a copy of the Curriculum Vitae you sent to each company - this is very important, since each CV would be specifically tweaked to match the job and hence, you might not remember exactly how it was presented when you are called for the interview. 6

7 Deconstructing the Academic CV: Layout CONTACT INFORMATION Give your full name, current address, telephone number and you can be reached at. PETER NAPARANO 58 Arlington Street, Medford MA (617) EDUCATION List in reverse chronological order, starting with your current place of learning. Include the name of the institution, the degree sought or completed, and the date of completion or date of expected completion. Ph.D., Dual Degree in Politics and Health Policy Research, Brandeis University, Doctoral Dissertation Entitled: Federalism and Contemporary Health Policy (Susan Smith (Chair), John Taylor, Sandy Masters, Phyllis Bolton, Marsha Pratt, Kim Sanderson) Later, you will add separate categories for "Post-graduate Training" (includes residencies and fellowships), "Practical Experience". HONORS Any academic, organizational or community awards are appropriate, but you must use your own judgment as to whether an achievement that you value would be valuable to the person reading your CV. Princeton Graduate School of Education Advanced Doctoral Student Award, PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE List the position, organization and dates of employment for each work experience. Try to confine this list to those experiences which are related to your field or that show breadth in your work experience. Joslin Diabetes Center - Research Assistant ( ) Implemented and evaluated a clinic-based intervention for coordinating the care of pediatric patients and improving their compliance with maintaining regularly scheduled appointments with their providers. 7

8 Deconstructing the Academic CV : Layout (continued) PUBLICATIONS List any papers published by title, place and date of publication. If this list is very lengthy, you may want to append it separately or note "Provided Upon Request." If you have incomplete articles you can add a section of Works in progress and follow the same format. Additionally you might want to include relevant sections of: Book Reviews (peer reviewed), Research Papers (non-published). Houston, Dana, M. (2010). Health Information Technology in Massachusetts. A Private/ Public Partnership? What Should the State s Role be in Facilitating Health IT Adoption? Massachusetts Health Policy Forum. 34 (2), PRESENTATIONS List presentations by title, place, and date. You may use a header such as Invited Presentations or Conference Presentations. PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP OR ASSOCIATIONS List any professional organizations to which you belong and the years of your membership. Include leadership positions held, if any. Academic appointments such as a postdoctoral fellow or instructor in education can go here as well with the school, years, division and or relevant project Editorial Board Member, LBJ Journal of Public Affairs LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin CONSULTANCIES AND ACTIVITIES List your relevant consulting and related activities in this section. It will help to develop a broader picture of your personality and character. List title, organization and years active. Research Consultant, City of Cambridge Kids Council ( ) SERVICE (to the Community and/or to the University) If they enhance your CV and candidacy it is helpful to list these - only professional; no personal information. 8

9 Additional Resources on Preparing a Strong Academic CV 1. How to Prepare Your Curriculum Vitae Acy Jackson and Kathleen Geckeis, The Curriculum Vitae Handbook: How to Present and Promote Your Academic Career Rebecca Anthony and Gerald Roe, Preparing the Perfect CV, 5th Edition Rebecca Corfield, CV handbook: A curriculum vitae owner s manual Will Coghill-Behrends & Rebecca Anthony, The Global Resume and CV Guide Mary Anne Thompson, 2000 (includes information and advice by country) 9