CVs & Résumés for Graduate Students

Ian Robertson

Learning Objectives

By the end of the session, you will be able to…

Differentiate between a CV and a résumé Describe the key principles of effective CV’s and

résumés Identify the types of information commonly included Describe how information is commonly organized

Out of Scope

Cover letters

Interviews

Work search

Career planning

Résumés and CVs

What is a résumé?

What is a CV?

A Few Notes on Terminology CV = Curriculum Vitae = Latin for “course of life”

Résumé = French for “summary”

In this part of the world (western North America)… CV = a document with an academic teaching or research focus résumé = a document with a non-academic focus

In many parts of the world, both terms are often used synonymously and the terms “academic résumé” or “academic CV” are used to differentiate

Some Commonalities

Both CV’s and résumés are…

Summaries of your education, experience and accomplishments

Documents that support your professional career development, most commonly in the work search or grant application processes

Formatted to be scanned by the person looking at them rather than carefully read through from beginning to end

Some Differences

CV’s…

Are focused on academic work with an emphasis on research and teaching

Aim to provide comprehensive information

Are often long – 5, 10, 20 or more pages

Résumés…

Are focused on non-academic work with an emphasis on related competencies (skills, knowledge and attributes)

Aim to summarize key information

Are generally 1 to 2 pages maximum

Key Principles Common to Both Content is organized into relevant, clearly defined sections,

generally with more relevant information higher in the document

Work and academic experiences appear in reverse chronology

Formatting choices (fonts, margins, etc.) are consistently applied, make scanning easy and highlight critical information

Document is free from grammatical mistakes or typos

Content and format decisions are made with the reader in mind

Résumés

What kinds of information do you typically find on a résumé?

What is necessary and what is optional?

Résumé Content

Core information

Personal Contact Info Education Work Experience Competencies (skills,

knowledge and attributes) References

Optional information

Objective Summary or Profile Community Involvement Additional Training and

Certification Professional Memberships Interests

Résumé Formats

1. Chronological

2. Functional

3. Combination

Résumé Formats

Chronological

Most common format - generally preferred by employers

Statements describing competencies appear only under specific work, volunteer or educational experiences

Easier to prepare than other formats

Résumé Formats

Functional

Fairly common format Statements describing competencies appear only

in thematic groups separate from the list of work, volunteer and educational experiences

More difficult to prepare than a chronological résumé

Résumé Formats

Combination

Fairly common format Statements describing competencies appear in

thematic groups AND under specific work, volunteer or educational experiences

Most difficult format to prepare effectively

Competencies

Skills

Knowledge

Attributes

UVic Competency Frameworks

Faculty of Graduate Studies has developed A set of 9 competencies for graduate students

Co-op and Career has developed A set of 10 core competencies common to all programs Additional program specific competencies A set of 4 international competencies

Faculty of Graduate Studies: 9 Competencies

Intellectual & Creative Capacity

Knowledge Development

Knowledge Translation Teaching &

Dissemination Research Development

& Project Management

Leadership & Personal Resourcefulness

Global Citizenship & Civic Engagement

Integrity & Ethical Conduct

Career Development

Co-op & Career: 10 Core Competencies

Personal Management Communication Managing Information Research and Analysis Project and Task

Management

Teamwork Commitment to Quality Professional Behaviour Social Responsibility Continuous learning

Accomplishment Statements…

Describe the competencies (skills, knowledge, attributes) you demonstrated in specific experiences

Are expressed in terms of visible behaviours Are not vague (“experienced in research”, “responsible

for classroom instruction” do not cut it) Follow a consistent format beginning with a descriptive

action verb and followed with concrete, contextual information

Describe the outcomes you achieved (include numbers to quantify when possible)

Accomplishment Statements

Competency – Teaching and Dissemination

“Designed and delivered a new course entitled ‘Beyond tonalism and atonalism’ which engaged students in an experiential exploration of new directions in contemporary music”

Accomplishment Statements

Competency – Research and Analysis

“Used in vitro single cell neurophysiological recording and stimulation to study developmental emergence of two serotonin-mediated forms of synaptic plasticity”

“Synthesized findings from 12 research studies on organic blueberry farming to identify best agricultural practices and prepare information sheet distributed to berry farmers in British Columbia”

Accomplishment Statements

Competency – Leadership and Personal Resourcefulness

“Organized and led a group of student and faculty representatives from nine humanities and social science departments to promote issues of concern to indigenous students on campus”

Accomplishment Statements

Competency – Communication

“Listened effectively to an average of 40 technical support customers a day to better understand their needs and successfully implement solutions”

Accomplishment Statements

Competency – Project and Task Management

“Used customized project management software to coordinate the recruitment and training of 32 new employees over a six-month period”

Sample Résumés

Competency – Project and Task Management

“Used customized project management software to coordinate the recruitment and training of 32 new employees over a six-month period”

CVs

What kinds of information do you typically find on a CV?

What is necessary and what is optional?

CV Content

Core information Personal Contact Info Education Awards & Distinctions Research Interests Research Experience Teaching Experience Publications & Presentations Professional Affiliations References

Optional information Objective Summary or Profile Professional Service Non-academic Work

Experience Competencies (skills,

knowledge and attributes) Additional Training and

Certification

CV Format

CV’s are generally organized according to a chronological format… however…

… There is no rule against following a functional or combination format

Competencies, if they are expressed at all, are usually listed under the relevant experience or summarized in a Profile or Highlights section

New Academics/Professionals Your résumé and CV may closely resemble one another

A Research Interests section is probably the easiest section to add in right away to begin building a CV

Look for opportunities in your program to gain experience building key sections of your CV: Research Experience, Teaching Experience, Publications, Presentations, Professional Affiliations

Talk with your supervisor and other faculty members about CV building opportunities

Established Academics/Professionals Your résumé and CV should be clearly differentiated documents

Be meticulous in compiling all your experience in the key sections of your CV: Research Experience, Teaching Experience, Publications, Presentations, Professional Affiliations

Ask your colleagues for feedback

Services and Support

Résumé and CV resources are available on our website: http://www.uvic.ca/coopandcareer/

The Career Educators from Co-op and Career are available to review your draft résumés and CVs

We look forward to working with you!