Guidelines on how to prepare a winning CV

Transcription

1 Guidelines n hw t prepare a winning CV A curriculum vitae (CV) is ften the first glimpse a wuld-be emplyer r fund-dnr will have f yu. It is als likely t be ne f many that wuld-be emplyers review. Therefre, yur CV needs t stand ut and be cncise and catchy. Apart frm what t put in and what t leave ut f yur CV, describing yur wn strengths and abilities isn t easy. What we have tried t d with the fllwing guidelines is t make the prcess easier and ensure that yu end up with a prfessinal dcument which shws yu hw t pitch yur skills and stand ut frm the crwd. In the current ecnmic climate, emplyers are lking t cnsistently imprve n prductivity and match a prspective emplyee s skills and experience with the jb needs, bth nw and in the future. What is the difference between a CV and a resume? Generally a CV is lnger than a resume and is mre tailred tward btaining an academic r educatinal jb. Resumes tend t be custmized fr specific jbs, ften in the private sectrs. Hwever, a number f cuntries use these terms interchangeably. Fr early career scientists, a resume shuld generally be 1-2 pages, while a CV can be lnger and has n set limit althugh the average is 3-5 pages fr early/mid-career. What d peple lk fr in a CV? As with resumes, peple wh are reviewing CVs ften d s very quickly, s the essential element is t make yur CV easy t read and prvide the necessary infrmatin in an easy t access frmat. General guidelines fr CV-building There is n single frmula r recipe fr an academic CV, which means yu actually have sme freedm and creativity t design the rganizatin and cntent f yur wn CV. Belw we prvide sme general guidelines and ptential sectins t cnsider in cmpsing yur wn CV. Avid mistakes at all csts: changes in fnt type, frmatting, r grammatical errrs will sink yur CV t the bttm f the jb applicant pile. Use a spell check and have yur CV read by smene else; Read the instructins in the jb ffer very carefully; Always ensure that yur CV is well frmatted and easy t read. Avid bizarre fnts and clrs (i.e. n bright clrs). Use a clean fnt (e.g. Times New Rman Arial, r Garamnd) n smaller than 12 and decide n the length accrding t the needs f the applicatin; Use bullets and categries wherever pssible as it will make yur CV easier t read; Use actin verbs such as managed, designed, imprved, develped, etc. when describing yur cntributins t previus prjects and wrk; The use f sub-headings (e.g. Educatin, Prfessinal Experience, etc.) will help ptential emplyers find the infrmatin they require with ease; Yur experience and educatin shuld be listed in reverse chrnlgical rder (starting frm mst recent);

2 If yu are just starting yur wrking life, having previusly been a student, prvide mre in depth infrmatin regarding yur academic achievements and include any internship dne r wrking experience gained. Alternatively, if yu already have sme wrking experience, place the Prfessinal Experience sectin first befre mentining Educatin; Once yu have a final versin, make a cpy f yur CV int a PDF this will avid any ptential frmatting prblems between cmputers, perating systems, etc.; Update frequently the key t keeping a CV current is frequent and attentive updating after all the dcument is meant t be a detailed histry f yur wrk and cntributins t yur field f study; Avid Unclear r vague infrmatin. Use facts and measurable results wherever pssible; Using I r me ; Trying t cver gaps in emplyment histry. These can be explained during the interview prcess; Reasns fr leaving a prir jb, unless required by the new emplyer; Salary expectatin; D nt include a phtgraph (althugh this varies by cuntry) r use clipart. Keep it simple; Never criticize anyne in a CV; D nt include age r marital status, as in many cuntries it is illegal t ask fr persnal details. Cmmn Sectins f the CV Gal r bjective CVs usually dn t have a stated gal. Persnal infrmatin Usually limit t cntact infrmatin and affiliatin; , address (ptinal), phne, website/blg, LinkedIn etc. Educatin Undergrad, MSc, PhD r ther tertiary degrees (n high schl), and mentin graduated with hnrs r graduated with distinctin if applicable; Include thesis title and cmplete dates fr research related degrees; Prvide mre detail abut the MSc r PhD prject here if it s still in prgress; list advisr, prjected cmpletin date, etc. Current and Previus Emplyment Avid listing summer jbs at restaurants, amusement parks, etc. If that is the nly jb yu have ever had, try t shw the relevance/experience gained that wuld be useful t the jb yu are applying fr. As a general guideline, yu shuld fcus n the wrk experience that best supprts yur applicatin, hwever candidates at an earlier stage in their careers may have less leeway. In any case yu may wish t adpt a skills-based apprach in which case yu will cncentrate n yur relevant wrk experience nly and summarize less relevant, past experience;

3 Any jb that yu list, make sure t indicate its relevance t the current jb under cnsideratin; Present this list in reverse chrnlgical rder. Hnrs and Awards Avid high schl awards r achievements unless relevant t yur career; Avid anything nt pertinent t the current jb; Add fellwships, grants, awards fr best psters r talks, etc. Peer-Reviewed Manuscripts and ther Peer-Reviewed writing List these first, with thse in review n tp; Avid including abstracts nly include Authrs, Year, Title, and Jurnal infrmatin; Numbered vs. listed by year? Chrnlgical vs. reverse chrnlgical? decide which yu prefer; Include DOI numbers and Impact factrs. Other publicatins the fllwing sub-headings may be useful: Gvernment reprts; Bk reviews; Bks (include in peer-reviewed sectin if that is the case); Outreach publicatins / ppular science articles; Lab manuals; Indicate media cverage under a separate sub-heading. Presentatins/Psters Invited vs. cntributed (pssibly with separate sub-headings); List cnference, lcatin, authrs, and any awards wn by the presentatin/pster. Grants and Fellwships Travel grants are entirely apprpriate fr graduate students; Internal grants wn within yur institutin; Outside research funding is a majr plus. Prfessinal Activities/Service and Affiliatins Memberships in different scieties; Participatin n grant panels; Organizer, chair, r discussant n different panels; Editrial bard and jurnal reviews; Certificatins r accreditatins (pssibly as a separate sectin). Outreach Activities utside f the academy, including Cmmunity events like talks t grups Science Cmmunicatin (such as Twitter engagement, and fllwers, any scialmedia events rganized, interviews with media, vide materials created r ther cmmunicatin dcuments created; if yu have included these under Persnal Infrmatin abve, d nt repeat) fr example: Je Blggs ResearchGate;

4 Je Blggs LinkedIn; Webpage. Teaching/Advising Curses yu ve taught, guest lectured, r assisted with; Students yu ve mentred r advised. References (ptinal; generally nt prvided befre an interview) E.g. Letters f recmmendatin frm previus emplyers. Characteristics such as reliability are imprtant and nt measured in an academic transcript. Further guidelines Always keep a MASTER CV that yu update frequently and which stres all yur experiences; Tailr yur CV fr yur audience. Lk fr institutinal requirements when undertaking specific applicatins; Include a few keywrds frm the jb ffer text and (ptinally) frm the rganizatin s website, but nte that sme institutins cull sme f the CV s by searching fr keywrds; When ready t send yur CV by always include yur name in the CV, the assessr may be receiving hundreds f CV s, and yu want yurs t be nticed. Dn t just label yur file CV ; If the CV is t be sent in electrnic frmat, it is pssible t include hyperlinks that take the reader t sites shwing mre in-depth details abut accmplishments.

5 An example f a CV - the right CV fr the jb The first page needs t present yur name clearly. The reader will knw that the dcument is a CV, s the wrds curriculum vitae d nt need t be smack yu in the face Jseph A. Blggs is better than Jseph A. Blggs Simple address details shuld be given Jseph A. Blggs Junir Researcher Bilgical Labratry Tel: Water Research Facility Fax: Newtwn, pstcde Imaginaryland j.blggs@gmail.cm Next, it is usual t give smething abut yur qualificatins. Cnsider what ther factrs make yu uniquely emplyable and add sme details, such as rganizatinal membership (see Prfessinal Activities sectin abve), any special skills r ntewrthy achievements including vlunteering. Each categry f infrmatin shuld stand ut smehw. The fllwing example shws a way f ding this. It needs t be visually appealing as well as infrmative.

6 Jseph A. Blggs Junir Researcher Bilgical Labratry Tel: Water Research Facility Fax: Newtwn, pstcde Imaginaryland j.blggs@gmail.cm Educatin BSc. Bilgy (University f Dgsville) 2006 MSc. (University f Catsville) PhD. The eclgy and cnservatin f lwland stream invertebrates (Alphaland Cllege) Experience E.g. pst dc Leadership psitins Grants and cntracts awarded Publicatins and cnference prceedings Other significant activities (use sme f the categries suggested abve) E.g. Vlunteering r cmmunity engagement Acknwledgements We wuld like t thank Julian D. Olden (Schl f Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University f Washingtn, USA) fr input n this dcument, and als Steven Lang (Rhdes University Jurnalism Department, Grahamstwn, Suth Africa) fr useful cmments and suggestins n earlier versins f this dcument.