MARIANNE GREEN

FINDING JOBS IN ACADEMIA HETC PROGRAM

WINTER, 2013

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Preparing Your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and Cover Letter

Purpose of this workshop: 2

Provide information on CV (curriculum vitae) preparation and dissemination

Indicate the difference between the use of the term CV in the U.S. and in other countries

Prepare for academic positions at colleges and universities.

Your application package for an academic position includes:

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Curriculum Vitae (academic resume)

Cover Letter

Letters of Recommendation

Research or Teaching Statement

Additional Materials

Web Portfolio

Chapter from your dissertation, writing sample

Course evaluations

What does Curriculum Vitae mean? 4

CV means “Course of Life”; it is a document used primarily in an academic setting.

The CV may be used for:

Admissions to graduate school

Graduate assistantships or post doctoral fellowships

Scholarships

Grant proposals

Application for faculty or administrative positions

Speaking engagements

Appointment to committees

Curriculum Vitae/CV or Vita 5

Uses of CV (continued) Leadership in professional or community organizations

Annual review for faculty and professional staff

Tenure review for faculty

Consulting positions

Publishing and editorial review boards

Basic rules for CV construction 6

General advice:

Use techniques to help the reader find relevant information easily- positioning/key words.

Create a professional product that reflects your skills and abilities.

Have your CV reviewed by faculty in your department.

Keep your CV current and ready to share at all times.

CV: Style and Form 7

Style and form of CV No limit on number of pages

Each page, following the first page, should be numbered (3/4, 4/4).

Put your name on each page.

No job objective is necessary.

May include names, addresses and other identifying information for references at the bottom of CV.

Use reverse chronological order within categories.

Use formatting techniques such as indenting, uppercase, bold and italics consistently.

CV: Style and Form cont. 8

Dates: line up in column down left or right side of page.

Use same font throughout- conservative.

Proofread!

Use high quality, white or off white paper for your “mailable” CV.

CV: Style and Form cont. 9

Educational background should have a prominent place on the CV following contact information.

Include all degree granting institutions in reverse chronological order. Include dissertation, thesis topics and advisors. Entire committee- optional.

Honors and Awards category may follow Education or may follow Research.

CV – Categories order in accordance with position you are trying to match

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Education; Academic Preparation

Teaching Experience

Research

Research interests

Publications

Skills: Foreign language and Technical Skills

Conference Presentations

Community Service

Campus Leadership

International Experience

Professional Associations (Affiliations; Memberships)

Administrative Experience

Consulting

Professional Development

References

Category I: Identifying/contact information 11

Name

Address (Home, Office or both)

Cell phone number- “professional” message

Professional email address- not UD!

Personal web page (professional)

LinkedIn URL (optional)

Education 12

Categories- order should reflect requirements of position

Academic Preparation/Education/Academic Background is the first category * A post-doc may put his/her current research

in a unique category that comes before the Education category.

Explain advanced degrees from non-USA institution in terms of equivalent U.S. degrees

Only degree granting institutions mentioned

If you receive 2 degrees from one school, mention school once

Master’s Project or Thesis- title and name of adviser.

Dissertation- topic and name of adviser

Members of Committee- may be necessary in some fields.

Education 13

Category II: Teaching (Research) Experience 14

University (mention one time only,with titles beneath). Department. Date

Your title (e.g. Lecturer, Lab Instructor, Teaching Assistant, Guest Lecturer, Tutor).

Course title and number.

Description of course: accomplishments, class size, level, your responsibilities and scope.

Can include mentoring and advising experience if actual teaching experience is sparse.

Teaching Experience 15

Use Action Verbs to describe your teaching activities

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Taught; instructed; tutored; mentored; advised; educated; lectured; graded; prepared; assigned; trained; oversaw; coached; reviewed; demonstrated; designed.

Use present tense for current activities and past tense for past activities. Use the first person implied, not third person.

Teaching Interests 17

Mention classes that you would like to teach in the future.

Make this align, if possible, with the requirements of a job posting you are interested in.

Research Experience 18

List chronologically starting with most recent University. Location. Department. Dates.*Post-doctoral research may be located before the Education section in some cases.

Your title (e.g. research assistant)

Special skills sets developed (software, test equipment, etc.)

Results of research

Future research projects

Research Experience 19

Research and Work Experience 20

Use action verbs to describe your research activities

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Researched; analyzed; presented; designed; investigated; explored; discovered; studied; tested; inquired into; simulated; probed; studied; examined; charted; monitored; measured; tested; experimented with; developed; uncovered; patented.

Research Interests 22

Include some future research plans that can, if possible, gibe with the research agenda of potential employers.

Publications 23

In chronological order within separate headings for:

Refereed Articles

Book Sections/Conference Proceedings

Abstracts

Articles in Progress

To shorten the CV, you can choose “Selected Publications,” etc.(When research does not relate to current research)

Presentations 24

Conference Presentations

Posters

Invited Lectures (May also be in the Teaching Section)

Other Academic-Related Categories: 25

University Service , Leadership, Community Service, Memberships in professional societies- with dates.

Professional Development- HETC Program

Skills: Technology and foreign language skills.

Additional Information (unusual hobbies)

References: Name, Title, Institution, Address, Phone, Fax, email. May be annotated for teaching and research purposes.

Service, Awards 26

Professional Development, Skills 27

CV-Production and formatting Considerations

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Create different versions of your CV so you are prepared for sending it in different forms, as per requests.

Paper

Good quality bond- white or off-white- no linen threads to impede duplication, scanning or faxing.

Use bold print and capitalization; avoid underlining and italics or fancy fonts because they scan poorly.

Use Times New Roman as your font.

CV production (continued) 29

Web CV- (Suggested but not required)Create a “professional” web site and link to your CV and other documentation. (Avoid personal data on your “professional” web site.)

Create a Google profile and LinkedIn Profile to control your web presence.

Electronic

Create a plain text version of your CV in case you are asked to email it or paste into text box.

Caveats 30

Caveats for CV preparation and dissemination:

Follow directions!

If you fax or email your CV, follow up with a hard copy of your CV on good paper. This shows an extra measure of interest.

For email: carefully label each attachment

Keep extra copies of your CV with you at all times for networking possibilities.

Caveats (continued) 31

Avoid personal information: date of birth, marital status, health, children, or a photograph. Only information directly related to your eligibility for the position should be included.

Please note that some countries require personal information on an applicant’s CV.

Include a cover letter or electronic “cover note” with your CV.

Be accurate; proof read carefully; have at least two people check over your documents, ie. your advisor; a professor, etc. Don’t rely exclusively on spell check.

Suggestions for CV distribution: 32

Distribution of CV

Accuracy counts!

Use white or off white paper without linen threads or water marks

No staples- use paper clips

Mail flat in a 9x12 envelope

Make sure cover letter mentions all enclosures under the signature

For emailing, make sure cover letter mentions attachments

Cover letters for CV 33

Preparing your cover letter Try to direct it to a specific individual.

Mention something specific and positive about the institution to which you are applying.

Indicate how your experience/academic background will contribute to the institution as reflected in the job posting.

Use terminology that appears in the ads.

Provide examples***

Try to communicate something of who you are as a person.

Use the traditional business format: block style, justified margins, shorter paragraphs, etc. (See sample)

Minimize the use of “I” to start first paragraphs.

Accuracy counts.

Cover letters for CV (continued) 34

Send shorter cover letter when asked to email them.

Use the middle paragraphs to show a match between job requirements and your qualifications.

After your signature, list any other documentation enclosed in envelope: abstract, writing sample, proposal, CV, letters of recommendation, etc. For emailed letters, list attachments with name.

Cover letters (continued) 35

Types of cover letters Letters of Inquiry

Written to organizations when you are asking if a job is available.

Letters of Application Written in response to a known job vacancy

Electronic cover letters Be very concise; carefully prepare subject line, stay polite and respectful

Cover letter is not needed when resume is provided in person.

Converting CV into Resume 36

Resume

A document that highlights experience and training related to a particular position. Used to locate a position outside academia. Needed for applying for non academic jobs.

Limited to two pages (one page is preferable for new professionals)

Contains primarily relevant information.

Pitched to a particular job