To write a Curriculum Vitae, the focus is on updating and
polishing it. Below is advice on maintaining and updating your
CV.
- Begin to exclude details on earlier experience such as
graduate school assistantships. You may still note the
experience without discussion of the responsibilities.
- If certain categories of your vita are growing
substantially, begin making subcategories (e.g., Publications
may be divided into articles, books and reviews.)
- Ask others to review your CV. In addition to having them
look for typos and grammatical errors, ask them what items they
notice and remember ... "if the most important items stand out,
you're in good shape"
Additional advice:
- Look at the CVs of your peers and role models. Many
faculty members post their CV online. If it is not online,
you could ask them if you can see a copy. Notice the
formatting, organizational techniques, and wording that
works well.
- Keep your CV updated. It can be difficult to remember
presentations, awards, workshops, service work, and more.
You want to be recognized for your efforts, and one way to
do that is to include key events, committees, and more on
your CV.
- Consider removing personal information (such as your
birth date) from your CV to protect your privacy.
- Ensure your CV is easy for others to read and that the
key information is easily accessible. Things to check:
- Is your CV is in an electronic format that can be
viewed easily by others (e.g., .pdf file)?
- Does the font size/type scan and fax well?
- Does the layout look good to others? Talk to someone
who is good at visual layout and design. They might have
recommendations that would make your CV more visually
appealing. Ask someone who is detail oriented to review
your CV. You might be surprised by the corrections they
recommend. Discuss the organization of your CV with
others -- is there another way the information can be
presented so that it's clearer to others? These tips may
require reworking your CV "from the ground up," but the
changes will probably be worth it.
- Is your name highlighted in your list of
publications, especially if there are multiple authors?
Highlighting your name makes it easier for others to see
your name.
- Is your name listed on every page? Are there page
numbers? Your name and the page number serve as
reference points for readers.
Updating a CV can be time-consuming and is a task that can be
quickly pushed to the bottom of your to-do list. To save time in
the long run, considering updating your CV at regular intervals.
Having an updated CV ready to go will reduce the stress of
having to update it at the last minute.
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