A curriculum vitae (c.v.) is a comprehensive document of your experience and achievements. It is typically longer than a resume because it includes a more detailed listing of education and academic degrees, recognized achievements such as major research works, published articles, and professional affiliations and credentials.

 

When is a c.v. appropriate?

Applications for positions in academia, including: school administration, institutional research and consulting, and higher education positions in teaching, research and administration

Applications for graduate or professional schools

Independent consulting opportunities

Proposals for fellowships or grants

 

When compiling a vitae for employment purposes, highlight your strengths and tailor your c.v. to the positions for which you are applying. Since academic institutions vary in their missions and objectives, you may need to arrange the information on your vita differently for different audiences. You may want to list your publications, presentations, and awards first when applying to research institutions and list your teaching experience first when applying to teaching positions at community colleges.

 

IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION

Include your name, address, complete telephone number, and e-mail address and be sure to put your name and page number on each subsequent sheet of your c.v.

 

EDUCATION

A c.v. for a faculty or postdoctoral position typically starts with one’s education, assuming that the desired position is in alignment with one’s educational path.  If you are applying for a non-academic position or for a position that is not as clearly related to your educational history, an objective stating your goal may be helpful.

 

List all degrees, graduation dates or date your degree is expected, institutions and their locations, in reverse chronological order.  For example:

Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology expected June 2009

Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 

If you attended an institution but did not earn a degree, you do not need to list it on your vita unless the training you received was vital to your career--a language course taken abroad, for instance.  However, be sure to include the title of your dissertation and the name of your advisor.

 

 

AWARDS, HONORS, FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS

List any academic distinctions, teaching awards, fellowships, honors, or grants you have received since you entered college in reverse chronological order. Include the name of the department and institution bestowing the honor.  If your list is small, you may want to merge your awards in your Education section.

 

EXPERIENCE

Depending on the types of experience you have, you may want to list all positions under one large Experience section or divide the section into different subsections such as Teaching Experience, Research Experience, or Professional Experience.  For non-teaching positions, list your title, the employer’s name and location, the dates of employment and a brief description of your responsibilities.  For teaching experiences, include all full-time, part-time and adjunct teaching experience. For each position, list your title, the dates of employment (or quarter and year), the name of each course you taught, and a brief description of your responsibilities. Since job titles vary from university to university, you need to tell the employer something about your level of involvement in the course design, preparation of materials, weekly instruction, and grading.

 

PUBLICATIONS

Include bibliographic citations of articles, pamphlets, research reports, poems, stories and book reviews that you have published.  Use the form of citation appropriate to your field.

 

PRESENTATIONS

List all papers you have delivered, or will deliver, along with the names, dates, and locations of the conferences or meetings where you presented that work.

 

RESEARCH AND TEACHING  

If you choose to include this section, list no more than four or five areas under each heading, in order of preference. When listing your teaching competencies, be sure to list general categories, as well as specializations, so that employers know you are capable and willing to teach the undergraduate and general education requirements offered in their departments.

 

TRAINING  

List any special professional training you received in this section. Such training may include special courses on teaching techniques, professional seminars offered through your professional organization, or technical or computer training you completed in addition to your regular coursework.

 

LANGUAGES

List the languages you have studied, as well as some indication of your level of expertise. For example, you may have a "reading knowledge of French," be "fluent in Spanish," or have a "working knowledge of Italian."

 

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

List the major professional organizations to which you belong. If you have served actively in the organizations, indicate the level of your involvement.

 

University, Department, Professional Service

If you have served on any committees (such as graduate advisory or search committees in your department, or any appointed or elected position in the university or in your professional organization), list the experience here. You may also note in this category any talks you gave or meetings you arranged in the department about professional issues in your field. Demonstrating service will tell employers that you are a good citizen in your current department and institution.

 

REFERENCES

At the end of your vita, list the names, titles and academic affiliations of your references. List your references in order of importance (for instance, your dissertation director first, followed by other members of your committee or other advisors who know your work well). In some fields, it is customary to list addresses and telephone numbers of your references; follow the standard in your field.

 

LINKS

America’s Career InfoNet

This website has extensive “how to” information for writing your c.v.

 

CV Doctor

The Chronicle of Higher Education has a “CV Doctor” column which gives advice to candidates on writing effective c.v.’s.  

 

Quintessential Careers

This site has a list of articles on c.v. writing tips and c.v. samples.

 

Step-by-Step CV Writing Guide from The Ohio State University

This useful guide walks the user through each c.v. heading and gives specific examples, including how to cite publications.

 

Writing a Curriculum Vita from The University of Michigan

This guide gives useful background information on c.v.’s as well as two strong examples.