Often referred to as an “academic resume,” the curriculum vitae (CV) is a brief biographical resume of one’s educational and work background. The term, Latin in origin, means “the course of one’s life or career.” A CV is used when applying to graduate or for professional programs, academic postings, or employment with international firms.
How is a CV different from a resume?
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Curriculum Vitae |
Resume |
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| Audience |
Academics in your field of study |
Employers hiring you for a specific position |
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| Length |
Highly flexible |
1–2 pages |
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| Focus |
Represents your academic achievements and your scholarly potential |
Represents skills, job-related experience, accomplishments, and volunteer efforts |
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| Essentials |
List of publications, presentations, teaching experience, education, honours, and grants |
Skills and experiences related to the job you’re seeking |
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| Extraneous |
Complete list of publications, presentations, and titles of classes you’ve taught
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Activities unrelated to academic pursuits |
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| List of references |
Include |
Don’t include |
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| Goal |
Present a full history of your academic credentials, including teaching, researching, awards, and services |
Present a brief snapshot of your skills and experiences that communicates your ability to perform the job you’re seeking |
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Outline
The following categories reflect common CV sections; however, this list is not finite. Adapt them to fit your experiences or as a basis for creating a CV that makes you the candidate of choice. You may want to order your sections in the following manner, or rearrange them to highlight your strongest assets. However, the Education section should go at the beginning or close to the beginning and Community Service and References at the end (if included).
Contact information
List name, address, email and telephone at the top of the CV. Do not include the words “Curriculum Vitae” or “Resume”.
Research interests
Be specific and precise but strike a balance between being specific enough yet communicating congruence between your objectives and the academic position. A discussion with your advisor may help you ensure compatibility.
Education
List degree, school, dates, city, province/country in reverse chronological order.
Thesis/dissertation abstract
Include the title of your thesis/dissertation and a summary of your research if more explanation is required. You may wish to check with your advisor about the wording.
Coursework
Include the most relevant courses. You can remove this section after you obtain your first academic job.
Work experience
List your work experience in reverse chronological format. Includes job title, employer, dates, city/country, and one to four statements describing your main duties. Begin your duty descriptions with a verb and be clear about the tasks you completed for the job.
Laboratory skills
List any special skills using important equipment.
Special skills
List computer skills, additional languages or experience with special equipment (if not listed in the above section).
Scholarships, awards, honours, achievements
List these items including: name, grantor, and date. If the title of the award does not communicate the reason for the reward, highlight what the award recognized. If the value of the scholarship or award is high, you may wish to include the dollar amount. Do not include awards from your high school education or awards granted over 5 years ago. If you only have one award, you may wish to include it in the education section.
Publications, presentations, works-in-progress
Include publications you’ve authored or co-authored. Provide title, authors, dates, and publisher. Only include unpublished manuscripts if they are being considered for publication. For presentations, include the title of the presentation, the name of the organization, the location of the meeting, and the date.
Professional associations
Membership in related professional associations attests to your career commitment and the level of enthusiasm you have for your intended areas of study. If you do not belong to one, join as soon as you can.
Community service
Include community responsibilities and/or university-wide committee memberships.
References
List the names and titles of three references.
