Diane writes:
I am currently preparing an educational CV. I see your outline on the website. Do I label each area and then add my personal data? I’m really confused on how the layout should be and my CV is due this week. I appreciate any help you may render.
The Career Doctor responds:
In the U.S., the curriculum vitae — often called a CV or vita — tends to be used more for scientific and teaching positions than a resume. In other parts of the world, a CV is more common than a resume.
The key thing to remember are the similarities between a resume and a CV — both have similar purposes — as marketing documents that provide key information about your skills, experiences, education, and personal qualities that show you as the ideal candidate. Where a resume and a curriculum vitae differ is their use, format, and length. CVs typically have additional categories and are not limited to a certain number of pages.
The typical academic vita has most of these categories/headings:
- Personal/Contact Information
- Academic Background
- Professional Licenses/Certifications
- Academic/Teaching Experience
- Technical and Specialized Skills
- Related/Other Experience
- Professional/Academic Honors and Awards
- Professional Development
- Research/Scholarly Activities
- Grants
- Service
- Academic/Research Interests
- Affiliations/Memberships
- Foreign Language Abilities/Skills
- Consulting
- Volunteer Work
- References
As with resumes, do not include personal information (age, marital status, etc.), photos, salary information, and the like.
And as with all job-search documents, it’s best not only to carefully edit and proofread your CV, but because vitas vary by profession and discipline, I would also ask a trusted colleague or mentor to review and critique it for you.
Read more - and see some samples — in my article, Preparing a Curriculum Vitae (CV), published on Quintessential Careers.
