Building Your Curriculum Vitae (CV)

What is a CV?

A curriculum vitae - or CV - is a document very similar to a resume but more comprehensive, containing multiple pages, outlining your entire work and academic history.  In Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, employers expect a CV. In the U.S., a CV is used primarily when applying for positions in academia (faculty positions) or science fields (research-intensive positions), fellowships, grants or awards.

General Tips

• Use 10-12 point font size, with exception of name which can be larger
• Use same font throughout (Times New Roman, Verdana, Arial recommended)
• Use bolding, CAPs, italics to have words stand out, NO underlining
• Make sure document is printed single-sided
• Use one inch margins all around
• Include your full name and page number on each page starting with page two
• Do not use any graphics

Differences Between a CV and a Resume

Length:

CV - Two pages or more (as long as it needs to be)
Resume - typically one page, but can be two pages depending on experience

Content:

CV - includes area-specific listing of education, academic background, and experiences
Resume - all-inclusive summary of skills, experiences, and education

Purpose:

CV - detail background and qualifications
Resume - get a job/secure an interview

Your CV Should Be...

• Clear: Be sure to organize the content in your CV so that it makes sense to those reading it.
• Concise: Include those experiences that are relevant and necessary.
• Complete: Make sure to include everything you need; don’t leave out important experiences.
• Consistent: Be consistent in the styles or fonts that you use so that your CV comes across as professional.
• Current: Make sure your CV is up-to-date.  You never know when you may need to produce it.

Categories to Include in a CV

Contact Information (Full name, address, email, and phone number(s))

Education (always first on a CV after contact information):

• Most current education listed first
• Institution, location, degree obtained, major, graduation month and year, GPA
• Thesis/Dissertation titles listed

Honors and Awards:

• Includes scholarships, fellowships, honors, distinctions, professional recognition, prizes
• List most recent first
• Honors/Award Title, date received
• No descriptions

Research (if applicable):

• List most current first
• Make sure you include advisor, person you were working under
• Include any grant funds that you received
• Briefly describe positions

Experience:

• Can be divided into categories including Relevant Experience, Professional Experience, Teaching Experience, Other Experience, etc.
• List most recent first
• Includes anything you were paid to do
• Include job titles, organization, location, dates, description
• Description should be bulleted list

Extracurricular and Volunteer Experience:

• List most recent first
• Do not describe
• Include student organizations
• This list can get long… it’s better to have long-term items or very relevant items and a shorter list than everything listed

Publications and Presentations:

• Publications include abstracts, scholarly works, books, chapters, editorial boards, professional papers, technical papers, refereed journal articles, editorial appointments, articles/monographs , and book reviews
• Presentations include conference presentations, conference leadership, workshop presentations, invited lectures, lectures and colloquia
• Generally in order of publication so you just add on new publications at the end, but can also be in order of most recent first
• Always bold your name in authorship
• Include submitted and/or pending publications or presentations
• Presentations should be pertinent
• Make sure to keep copies of your publications and/or presentations

Interests:

• Interests are hobbies
• A list of four is a good target number

References:

• Name, title, address, email address, and phone number
• Three to four references is sufficient

Additional Optional Categories:

Research Interests
Certifications and Licensure
Professional Affiliations
Foreign Study
Courses Taken
Laboratory Skills
Technical/Computer Skills
Languages

Complete Printable CV Guide