What is a Curriculum vitae?
A Curriculum vitae (CV) is a marketing tool and may be one of
the most important documents that you write in your
professional life. It is the sum and substance of your work
history and education and indicates a particular career direction.
It should demonstrate credibility and be interesting. Because your CV is like a personal
advertisement, it should convince a potential employer that you are an outstanding
candidate for the job and that you will contribute to the organization.
Your CV has to sell you in short order. While you may have all the requirements for a
particular position, your CV is a failure if the employer does not instantly come to the
conclusion that you "have what it takes." The first hurdle your CV has to pass - whether
it ends up in the "consider file" or the "reject file" - may take less than thirty seconds.
To prepare a successful CV, you need to know how to review, summarize, and present
your experiences and achievements on one page. Unless you have considerable
experience, you don't need two pages. Outline your achievements briefly and
concisely.
Your CV is your ticket to an interview where you can sell yourself!
What your Curriculum vitae should include:
Personal data The only required information is your name, address, phone number,
and e-mail address. Be sure to provide both permanent and current address, and the
telephone numbers.
Career objective An objective tells potential employers the sort of
work you are hoping to do. A concise statement indicating your
career goals is recommended if you have specific career desires.
Otherwise, include your objective in your cover letter to a specific
employer or for a specific job.
Summary of skills/professional expertise A concise statement highlighting your
strongest skills and areas of professional expertise can be an advantage to you,
especially if you have a mix of experiences in your career history.
Education One rule of thumb is that unless you are more than five years
out of school, your education section should precede your experience
section. List the names of the institutions you attended with the most
recent listed first. List the degree received plus your major area of
study. Include special programs from your university, such as junior
year abroad, a six-month internship, etc. Indicate either the degree
name or the degree initials. Indicate the area of specialization or major
after the degree title. Include the thesis topic in italics if it relates to your professional
goals. Mention academic honours including a brief explanation of honours or awards
that are not self-explanatory, particularly for international students. It is not necessary
to include your grade point average unless requested by an employer.
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Work experience Internships and volunteer experience can be
considered in this section if they relate to your professional goals, or
you can create a section called "Additional or Related Experience,"
or "Community Service." In a CV, work and education may be listed
in chronological order however many employers prefer the reverse
chronological order (put your last job first and work backward to your
first). It should include title of position, name of organization, location of
work (town, state), dates of employment, describe your work responsibilities with
emphasis on specific skills and achievements. When describing work experience,
summarize your accomplishments rather than listing job tasks. Students and recent
graduates often fail to make an effective presentation of their experience because they
use too narrow a definition of work experience. First of all, relevant "work" experience
is in no way limited to paid employment. Also consider including nonpaid work,
volunteer work, part-time and temporary positions, internships, unstructured work, self-
employment, odd jobs, and miscellaneous informal services you may have provided to
your academic department or a favoured professor.
Publications List those publications that relate directly to your career
goal. Employers most interested in publications will be teaching
hospitals, research organizations, consulting, and international
organizations. It is usually recommended to create a separate list
and indicate on your resume that publications are available upon
request.
Computer skills It is advisable to provide information about your computer skills.
Languages If you are fluent or conversant in several languages, list the
languages you speak and/or write as follows: "Fluent in French, proficient
in Japanese, knowledgeable in Spanish." Think carefully about your level of
proficiency. Do not overrate your skills as you may be asked to demonstrate your
language ability during an interview.
Interests One or two lines about your outside interests, hobbies, or travels can
sometimes add interesting information to the interview and may spark conversation.
You may add key or special skills or competencies, leadership
experience in volunteer organizations Generally, avoid information
about your marital status, children, or age in this section (unless
you feel it is relevant to the work you will be expected to do).
References You can write "References Available upon Request" if you have
space. Employers will ask directly for references, so prepare a list with names, titles,
addresses, and telephone/fax numbers. Ask people if they are willing to serve as
references before you give their names to a potential employer. Give careful
consideration to your choice of references, as some will be more appropriate to an
employer than others.
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Curriculum vitae Writing Tips
Content
• Run a spell check on your computer before anyone sees
your resume.
• Get a friend (an English major would do nicely) to do a
grammar review.
• Ask another friend to proofread. The more people who
see your resume, the more likely that misspelled words
and awkward phrases will be seen (and corrected).
• The use of power verbs denote that you took action. Examples include words
like "accomplished," "achieved," and "managed." When reviewers see these
action words, they realize that you are a person that takes initiative: you are a
self-starter.
• The use of power words helps measure the result of the actions you took.
Examples of power words are "positive," "results," and "significant."
• Emphasize your recent work experience. In today's changing world, reviewers
don't care what you were doing fifteen-twenty years ago.
• Try to highlight your strengths, and minimize your weaknesses.
Design These tips will make your resume easier to read and/or scan into an
employer's data base.
• Use white or off-white paper.
• Use 8-1/2- x 11-inch paper.
• Print on one side of the paper.
• Use a friendly font (Arial, Times or Courier) size of 10 to
14 points
• Use nondecorative typefaces.
• Choose one typeface and stick to it.
• Avoid italics, script, and underlined words
• Do not use horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, or shading.
• Do not fold or staple your resume.
• If you must mail your resume, put it in a large envelope
• There is no consensus as to what length your resume should be. The
length depends on the depth and scope of your individual experiences.
Try to keep it to either one full page or two full pages. Leaving it at 1½
pages isn't as professional as one or two full pages.
• Keep paragraphs brief: no more than five to six lines. If you have a long
paragraph on your resume, break it up into several shorter ones.
Eliminate every unnecessary word.
Putting your resume/CV on-line Once you are satisfied with your resume/CV you
should consider putting it online. There are a number of international recruitment
agencies that will post your resume for free on the internet
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Sample Curriculum Vitae
NAME
Address
Phone Number
Email
SUMMARY STATEMENT (Optional)
Discusses key strengths
EDUCATION:
Date Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Ph.D Degree Concentration,
Dissertation
Date Institution, City, State
MA Degree Major
Thesis
Date Institution, City, State
BA/BS Degree Major
POSTDOCTURAL TRAINING (If applicable)
FELLOWSHIPS
Dates Field of Research Place Title
INTERNSHIPS/RESIDENCIES
Dates Specialty Hospital
LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION (If applicable)
Date Type of License or Certification
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
TITLE Date
Place, City, State
Description of responsibilities, leadership roles
PUBLICATIONS
Use standard format
PAPERS PRESENTED
GRANTS/AWARDS
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
SKILLS
LANGUAGES
COMPUTER
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References
Altavista Careers (2001), JobsontheWeb(2001), Virtualville (2001) and MIT Online
Resources (2001)
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