How to Write a CV for a First Job

Your first CV provides the foundation for a document you'll use throughout your academic career.

Writing a CV for a first job creates a record of your achievements that you will add to over the course of your academic career. CVs are much like resumes focused on academic teaching and research positions; unlike resumes, CVs can range up to seven pages without being considered too long. CVs not only list your experiences, but structure them in a format that tells cohesive narrative about your abilities. Cover at least your contact information, education history, teaching work, research experience and publications when writing your CV.

Instructions

1. Begin your CV as you would a resume, listing your name and contact information. Use a professional-looking e-mail address (preferably one that incorporates your name), and provide a permanent mailing address if you are moving during your job search.

2. List your education history, beginning with your most recent academic program and stretching back to your first post-high school academic work. Include dates attended, degrees received, location and GPA for each program. For any dissertations, also write the title, advisor and a short abstract of the work. List any academic honors and awards you received, but do not include non-academic awards such as football scholarships.

3. Describe your teaching experience by listing previous classes and other work with students. Provide several short sentences describing each class taught; concise sentence fragments such as "Planned group contextual inquiry assignments" are acceptable. Also list your teaching competencies ("Skilled at instructing large groups of freshman") and interests ("The bio-psychology of addiction").

4. Include a section outlining your research experience. Begin by listing research positions by position title, associated faculty and supervisors, labs and dates worked. As with teaching experience, use brief sentences to convey the purpose and outcome of your research experiences. Also list procedures and skills mastered during each experience (e.g., "Perfected high-resolution photographs through electron microscope").

5. List any academic publications you have authored or edited. Pieces in professional journals, chapters in books and entire works such as monographs receive precedence; but also list conference papers and research reports here if you feel they give a better picture of your activities in your field.

6. Add other sections to your CV as needed; work on academic committees, memberships in professional associations and languages spoken are all possibilities. Keep your CV professional; do not include hobbies or other overly personal information. If you list references, include full contact information for each person and only cite individuals who can speak about your academic or professional promise.

References

• UC Irvine Campuswide Honors Program: How to Write a Resume
• Hanover College Psychology Department: A Psychology Student Handbook--Writing Your Vita
• UC San Diego Career Services Center: Writing Your Curriculum Vita
• Purdue Online Writing Lab: Writing the Curriculum Vitae

Resources

• MIT Global Education and Career Development Center: Curriculum Vitae