Creating a Curriculum Vitae

As you're creating your curriculum vitae (CV) drafts, remember that what's listed first depends on your background or the available job. Those beginning their careers will generally begin with their education while those further along in their career will generally begin with their experience. Generally, the earlier in a document a particular block of information comes, the more emphasis it is given by the reader.

Curriculum Vitaes (CVs) are summaries of educational and academic background designed to outline qualifications and credentials for an academic position, fellowship, or grant. Depending on experience, CV length can range widely, but always aim to present a clear and well-organized CV that highlights your capabilities — you want to make the recipient want to interview you.

Elements of a CV

• Applicant Information (on first page, your name, address, phone number, fax number and e-mail address. Your name should appear at the top of each subsequent page as an identifier)
• Medical Training
  • Fellowship
  • Residency
  • Internship
• Education (list in reverse chronological order)
  • Graduate
  • Undergraduate
• Licenses and certifications
• Professional affiliations
• Professional experience
• Research (postdoctoral, doctoral, and possibly undergraduate research — list names of the institution, professor, project, and dates)
• Publications, Papers and Presentations (this should be separated into categories such as Books, Abstracts, Reviews, other publications, etc., if you have enough. Use standard bibliographic form for publications; include dates/locations with titles of your presentations)
• Personal information such as hobbies or other skills (this is optional; consider the recipient and the organization culture when deciding whether this is appropriate to include or not)
• References (include full name, title, institutional address, telephone, e-mail. Three references are expected. Remember to let your references know they are listed and furnish them with a copy of your CV they can reference when contacted)

CV Resources

• Heart Rhythm Society tips for writing an effective CV
• Comparison of major résumé formats, including CVs

Visit the job searching section of About.com for additional ideas on how to write your CV, formats and templates including English, French, German and Spanish sample CVs. Note however that sample CVs, readily found on the Internet and in publications, shouldn't be mimicked in every detail but used as ideas for how to present your own information most effectively.

• The Curriculum Vitae Handbook by Rebecca Anthony and Gerald Roe (Rudi Publishing: Iowa City, 1994) includes sample CV's for various disciplines and tips for how to write CV's in various contexts
• The Academic Job Search Handbook (3rd Edition), by Mary Morris Heiberger and Julia Miller Vick also provides sample cover letters and CV's