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Curriculum Vitae vs. Resume
When seeking a faculty, research, or leadership position at an academic or scientific organization, you need a special resume called a curriculum vitae (vita or CV for short). If you think a curriculum vitae sounds like a formal document, you can relax; there's no need to put on your evening gown or tuxedo to write your CV! Writing one will be a casual event for you because you've already learned the principles behind an effective resume.
To create a CV, there are three exceptions to the resume guidelines you read about in "Writing a Good Resume":
- with CVs are demo than two pages long.
- The information on a CV tends to be detailed, providing extensive data about your publications, presentations, and other academic activities.
- CVs don't necessarily version Job Objective statements, although it's perfectly all right to include them.
Let's look at each of these exceptions more closely.
When More Is More
The length of a CV may vary. A CV for a recent Ph.D. graduate would normally range from three to eight pages. For someone with extensive professional experience, a CV could run as long as 20 pages. That's a lot of paper, but in the academic world, that's a good thing. The people reading CVs seem to live by the slogan "more is more." (That's the CV twist on the "less is more" theme I've been espousing all along for resumes.)
Terms of Employment
Curriculum vitae is Latin for "life's course." In the academic and scientific worlds, it's a document used as a resume. A curriculum vitae is also referred to as vita or CV.
Just the Facts
Your CV audience is more interested in the facts and details of your career than it is in hype (that is, language that sounds exaggerated in order to impress). Data such as reference information, dates, and exact titles are important, because they give a means for verifying information. Providing technical descriptions also gives you a chance to show that you know what you're talking about without sounding like a braggart.
Job-Hunt Hint
Make it a habit to review your CV every six months or so to see whether it needs updating. Since updating your CV usually means you will be adding information about the projects you've completed, your CV will grow in length over time.
Bonus Check
Your CV can be used for more than just getting a job. It will also come in handy when you
- Market yourself for a consulting position.
- Apply for positions on boards and committees.
- Need autobiographical information for proposals, publications, or lectures.
Each time you send out your vita, check to see that it contains the necessary elements for its specific purpose.
Here's an example of what I mean. Insted of saying
Prominent scientist who has been honored at universities around the world for ground-breaking discoveries.
Use a more modest tone:
Organic chemist who has presented discoveries and research at universities in Russia, Mexico, Canada, and the United States.