When to Use a Curriculum Vitae

When to Use a Curriculum Vitae When should job seekers use a curriculum vitae, commonly referred to as CV, rather than a resume? In the United States, a curriculum vitae is used primarily when applying for academic, education, scientific or research positions. It is also applicable when applying for fellowships or grants.

When asking for a job in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, or Asia, expect to submit a CV rather than a resume. Keep in mind that overseas employers often expect to read the type of personal information on a curriculum vitae that would never be included on an American resume, such as date of birth, nationality and place of birth. United States law on what information job applicants can be asked to provide does not apply outside the country.

The Differences between a Resume and a CV There are several differences between a curriculum vitae and a resume. A curriculum vitae is a longer (up to two or more pages), more detailed synopsis of your background and skills. A CV includes a summary of your educational and academic backgrounds as well as teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details. As with a resume, you may need different versions of a CV for different types of positions.

Like a resume, a curriculum vitae should include your name, contact information, education, skills and experience. In addition to the basics, a CV includes research and teaching experience, publications, grants and fellowships, professional associations and licenses, awards and other information relevant to the position you are applying for. Start by making a list of all your background information, then organize it into categories. Make sure you include dates on all the publications you include.

General CV Format Here are some general CV formatting guidelines, shown in order of how they would normally appear on a CV:  Contact information: At the top of every CV, you should include your name, the title "Curriculum Vitae," and your contact information (this could include your current address, your permanent address, your telephone numbers, your fax number, and your email address).  Professional or Research Objectives: This part of your CV states the reason that you have composed and are distributing a CV. Your objective can be as brief as one sentence (if it is general) or as long as a paragraph. This section should be an overview of your intellectual interests and expertise.  Education: The education section of the CV serves as a means of providing a more thorough picture of your education than a resume provides. If you are working towards a graduate degree(s), place this information prior to your undergraduate information. Some of the items that might be included here would be degrees and the dates you received them; names of universities, colleges, or professional programs that you have attended; the title of your doctoral dissertation, master's thesis, or undergraduate thesis; your degree program (in graduate school) and your major/minor (undergraduate); Diplomas or certificates.  Honors and Awards: such as departmental awards, fellowships, dean's list standings, scholarships, and memberships in academic honors associations.  Thesis or dissertation abstract: a paragraph or two, including the title and the date of completion.  Research Interests: Consider your audience when phrasing the specifics of your research interests.  Research or Laboratory Experience: Detail the extent to which you have experience in the lab or other types of hands-on research. Include the title of each project and whether it's been published in any journal(s), as well as the names of the professors or other supervisors, and whether the project is ongoing.  Work Experience: Any work experience outside a research or academic setting would also be included in here.  Teaching Interests and Experience: List any teaching experiences that you can document appropriately (include the class title and a brief description, if necessary). You can also include tutoring experience or group leader experience .  Specialized Skills: List all skills - interpersonal, leadership, organization, academic, analytical - and their applications.  Publications, Presentations, Works-in-Progress: Provide the appropriate references for any publications that you have contributed to, co-authored, or authored. If you have any works that are being considered for publication, include these as well. For papers that you have presented at academic conferences or professional associations, give the title, the name of the conference, the location of the conference, and the date.  Professional Associations or Memberships: Membership in professional associations should be listed as a separate competent of your CV. If you are not a member of any professional organization, find out which one is important to your discipline and how you can earn eligibility for membership.  Background: This is usually personal information that doesn't fit into other parts of the CV including citizenship status, prolonged residence or studying abroad, and uncommon work or educational experiences.  Community Service: If you have substantial volunteering experience or contributions to a community, put them in a section together apart from the Work Experience section. This can include membership in campus-wide organizations (generally those that are service-based). Activities List all the clubs that you have been active in. If this includes officer positions, list those too.  Travel: Some of this may already be covered in the Background section. Don't include tourist visits here, but list study abroad experiences. Include the cities, states or regions, and countries alphabetically. Briefly describe the experience and the duration of your visit.  References or Letters of Recommendation: This optional component is for listing the people who you asked to write recommendations for you. That is, you must have the permission to use people as references. Include the person's name and title. You may also use a general phrase here, such as "references available on request"

CV Format - Examples of Section Headings  Depending on your background and your area of specialty, there may be other sections you would want to include when you format your CV. This may also depend on what the purpose of your CV is. For example, if your CV is for job searching, you may include one set of information, but of the CV is for admission to a graduate program of study, you may want to include different information. Here is a list of other section titles that you may consider for your CV:

 Degrees Dissertations Theses All other college studies Clinics Training Specialization Expertise Profession Interests Employment Class projects Research Study abroad Teaching Workshops Continuing education Seminars Conferences Symposia Publications Translations Presentations Papers Lectures Exhibitions Volunteer experience Service Languages Additional activities Technical skills Computer skills Licenses Credentials Honors Scholarships Fellowships Assistantships Grants Appointments Consulting Practica Travel (non tourist) Laboratory skills Sports Awards Bibliography Addenda Affiliation Pro bono Committees

 If you have done any design work or artistic work of any kind, you would also include a link to your online portfolio on your CV. This is common for user experience designers and web designers, as well as human factors engineers and others that would have a design style they might want to showcase. Sample Curriculum Vitae - Academic

John Smith Street, City, State, Zip Phone: 555-555-5555 Cell: 555-666-6666 [email protected]

Objective:

Assistant Professor, Psychology

Education:

Ph.D., Psychology, University of Minnesota, 2006 Concentrations: Psychology, Community Psychology Dissertation: A Study of Learning Disabled Children in a Low Income Community

M.A., Psychology, University at Albany, 2003 Concentrations: Psychology, Special Education Thesis: Communication Skills of Learning Disabled Children B.A, Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, CA, 2000

Experience:

Instructor, 2004 - 2006 University of Minnesota Course: Psychology in the Classroom

Teaching Assistant, 2002 - 2003 University at Albany Courses: Special Education, Learning Disabilities

Research Skills:

Extensive knowledge of SPSSX and SAS statistical programs.

Presentations:

Smith John (2006). The behavior of learning disabled adolescents in the classrooms. Paper presented at the Psychology Conference at the University of Minnesota.

Publications: Smith, John (2005). The behavior of learning disabled adolescents in the classroom. Journal of Educational Psychology, 120 - 125.

Grants and Fellowships:

RDB Grant (University of Minnesota Research Grant, 2005), $2000 Workshop Grant (for ASPA meeting in New York, 2004), $1500

Awards and Honors:

Treldar Scholar, 2005 Academic Excellent Award, 2003

Skills and Qualifications:

Microsoft Office, Internet Programming ability in C++ and PHP Fluent in German, French and Spanish

References:

Excellent references available upon request.