ACADEMIC CAREERS: CVs

Getting Started

Your curriculum vitae (CV) is the most significant document in your academic application packet. Your CV is a running record of your academic and professional achievements and experiences. Typically, CVs for doctoral candidates, postdocs, and recent grads are 3-6 pages. To get started with your CV review this handout and ask your advisors and mentors for additional samples.


Remember that CVs will vary depending on academic discipline—check with faculty members and colleagues
within your department and discipline. Understand that the purpose of every document in your application
packet is to show how you are forward-thinking, valuable, and a great match with the job description.

Consider tailoring your CV for each job description. This takes time and energy but targeting your materials in the beginning should save you time in the end (in other words, you submit fewer applications and get a job in a shorter amount of time). Finally, always have somebody proofread your materials before you send them out. Having a misspelled word on the first page of your vitae is a good way to get your materials discarded.

LINK TO CV EXAMPLES

Formatting and Organization

Your CV should be easy to read. Search committees read dozens if not hundreds of CVs so you want to make their experience of reading your CV as pleasant as possible.

  • Use 11 or 12 point font.
  • Set your margins to approximately one inch.
  • Make good use of white space so your achievements don’t run together.
  • Consider using bold, underline, or capitalization for important information. Be consistent with how you use these formatting strategies throughout your CV. In some disciplines less is always more.
  • Put your name in bold letters one or two font sizes bigger than the rest of the CV.
  • Include a header with your name and page number on each page in case the pages get separated.
  • Do not use abbreviations and acronyms that may not be understood by individuals outside your university or discipline – spell out the words.
  • Do not write big blocks of wordy text. Craft elegant, short descriptions of experiences.
  • Do not print your CV on both sides of the paper (when your CV is copied for search committee members, the backsides might be overlooked).
  • Print your CV on plain, white, heavyweight paper using a laser printer if submitting a hard copy.

You should organize your CV so that the most relevant and compelling information is near the beginning and the less pertinent information is near the end.

  • The organization of your CV should be based largely on the job description and job priorities. If the
    position emphasizes research, make sure your research experience is prioritized in your CV.
  • Split long lists into subcategories. If you have presented at many conferences, you could divide your
    list of presentations into subcategories by type (poster or session), professional affiliation, etc.
  • Organize the entries within each section in reverse chronological order.

CV Section Categories

There are many potential categories to include on your CV. While the first two categories are fairly standard across disciplines and job descriptions, the titles and order of the rest of your categories will vary based on your personal strengths and contributions as well as the target discipline or field.

Include your name (big and often bold), address, phone number, and one professional email.

  • If you receive mail on campus, it’s a good idea to list your campus address too. This also demonstrates your university affiliation.
  • Make sure your voicemail box has an appropriate greeting.
  • If your current last name is different than the last name you used on publications, presentations, or other activities, you may include a statement to this effect in this section (Previously Known As, Also Known As, etc.), or put the other last name in parentheses between your current first and last name.

List your degrees in reverse chronological order. For each entry, include degree type, field of
study, school, geographic location, and graduation date.

  • You can decide, based on relevance, if you want to include institutions you attended but from whom you did not receive a degree. Generally you will not need to do so.
  • If you are ABD, include the word ‘expected’ with your anticipated completion date and consider including a brief statement regarding the status of your dissertation so the search committee has some idea how realistic your anticipated completion date is (e.g. Defense scheduled for XX, Four of five chapters completed, etc.). Include the title of your dissertation, and perhaps your master’s thesis, under the associated degree. Additionally, you can include 1-2 sentences describing your topic if it might help you convey your fit with the position or the unique value you can contribute to the department.
  • You may choose to include the name of your chair and other committee members as well. In some disciplines, it is common to include your examination fields in the education section. Check with someone in your department.
  • Finally, include your minor area of study if relevant to the job description.

List your honors in reverse chronological order. For each entry, include the name of the award, the granting institution/organization, and the date awarded.

  • Additionally, some vitae include a one-line description of the award to help others understand its significance (e.g. One of three awarded each academic year, Selected from 1000 applicants for innovative teaching, etc.).
  • If you have received research grants, you can include them here or in your “Research Experience” category. In some fields it is customary to list the dollar amount of the grant if exceeding a certain amount of money.
    If you have won multiple awards, consider dividing this section into subcategories such as research, teaching, and academic achievement.

Include your formal teaching experiences. List your job title, course title, name of university, and dates or terms taught.

  • Consider stating whether you taught undergrads or grad students, small or large sections.
  • If you have taught at multiple universities or colleges, consider organizing subsections for each institution.
  • Briefly describe your duties because they vary across disciplines and universities (e.g. “primary instructor of class” or “instructor of record”)
  • Those with no formal teaching experience may consider combining this section with “Presentations” or naming the section “Guest Lectures” or similar.

Students with extensive research experience might need to divide this category into
several categories or into smaller subsections. Below is a description of some typical topics to discuss in a “Research Experience” category.

  • Postdoctoral positions will be listed first or in a separate “professional appointments” or similar
    section. A “professional appointments” section will come before “research experience” in a vitae.
  • Other Research Positions: List research teams of which you have been a member. For each entry, include name of research team or project, university/organization, dates, and perhaps your supervisor’s name if his/her name is recognized and respected.
  • List grants you have received for research if you did not list them in your “Awards” category. For each entry, indicate the name of your project, name of the grant, name of the granting institution or organization, date received, and perhaps dollar amount.
  • It is possible to list research Interests. List a few topics you plan to research in the near future. Be prepared to talk about these interests during an interview.

List your published works in reverse chronological order according to publication date. Use
the reference style appropriate to your discipline.

  • If you have multiple publications, consider dividing them by type such as articles and book chapters, or refereed and invited papers.
  • If an article has been accepted for publication, indicate ‘in press’ or ‘forthcoming’ in lieu of the
    publication year. If you have several accepted articles, consider a subsection for them.
    Consider bolding your name on each publication, particularly in fields where multiple authors are common.
  • You may also include works you have actually submitted for publication and label them as ‘Submitted for Publication.’ If you have multiple works that fit in this subsection, you might consider splitting this subsection into two: ‘Works in Progress’ and ‘Works Submitted for Publication.’
  • Works in Progress: List articles that you are preparing to submit for publication and label them something like ‘In Preparation.’

Some students may include this as a subsection of the “Research Experience” category.

  • Include subsections based on location, professional organization, topic, etc. For each entry, indicate name of presentation, name of organization/conference/event, location, and date using the reference style appropriate to your discipline.
  • It is acceptable to list university colloquiums, guest lectures, and other types of presentations here,especially if you have not presented at professional conferences. However, presentations at your home institution will not be considered with the same weight as other presentations.

List additional experience related to your field, if applicable. Common names for this category: “Consulting Experience”, “Clinical Experience”, “Fieldwork.”

List special types of training you have received that demonstrates your commitment to learning a skill that is important to the job description.

  • For each entry, include the name of the training, name of the organization that conducted the training, location, and date. Attendance at general conferences is usually not included here.

List committees, boards, task forces, and other activities through which you have contributed to the department, university, or professional community.

  • For each entry, include your title (volunteer, member, chair, etc.), the name of the group or project, and the dates.
  • If you volunteered your time to help with community events related to your field (judged a high school science fair, volunteered at the history museum, etc.), you can include these activities.
  • If you have many activities to include in this category, consider forming subsections based on scale (department versus university), arena (academic versus community), title (member versus leader), or topic (violence prevention, staff searches, etc.).
  • This section is often more important for job descriptions that prominently list service as a job requirement and schools with a distinct social justice mission.

List memberships in state, national, and international professional associations.

  • For each entry, list your status (member, president, etc.) and the name of the organization.
  • Be sure to spell out the name of the associations, rather than using acronyms.
    If you have limited affiliations or service activities, consider combining this category with the “Professional Service” category and calling it something like “Professional Service and Affiliations.”

List your foreign language competencies, including the name of the language and some
indication of your fluency. This section is most common in humanities disciplines and some social sciences.

List your references on the last page of your CV by themselves. List your references in order of
importance.

  • For each reference, include name, title, organization, mailing address, phone number, and email
    address.
  • Also, consider including a statement that describes your relationship with these individuals.

Additional Resources