CV Tips and Guidelines

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT KANSAS RECRUITMENT & RETENTION CENTER: [email protected] |

What makes a CV different from a resume?

A resume (meaning, “to sum up”) is job oriented and highlights skillsets.

A CV (meaning, “the course of life”) represents a chronological overview that includes education, specific training, and

career experience.

• CV is not limited to 1 to 2 pages.

• CV includes awards and recognitions; research and publications; as well as hobbies and interests.

• CV should be updated periodically to ensure it includes all aspects of career, research, and recognition.

A resume can be in any three formats: chronological, functional, or combinational. Whereas a CV is chronological

beginning with most current.

What to include in your CV:

Identification

• Contact info at top of page: formal name, city, state and at least two means of contact: email address, home

phone and cell. Include credentials.

• Important: if your primary email is an academic email address, be sure to include an alternate, such as a

personal email address.

• Personal email address should be professional.

Personal Statement (optional – can include in Cover Letter, instead)

A concise, two to three sentences explaining where you are in your career, your goals, and why you would be a good fit.

Some advisors recommend including this in your cover letter, instead.

Education

• Only include earned degrees and/or certifications and dates earned.

• Include institutions full name, the degree/certification obtained, month/year bestowed, major/minor(s),

city/state/country.

Clinical Rotations

• List clinical rotations by Specialty, Name of Hospital/Clinic, City – dates

Certifications

• List all current accreditations, certifications, or licensures, but do not include actual license numbers.

Awards and Honors

• Include volunteer and professional recognitions, academic distinctions, military decorations, and scholarships.

• Name of award/honor, the year received and granting organization.

• Only include a one-line description if the item is not self-explanatory.

Professional experience

• Complete timeline of paid employment relevant to pre-and post- graduation or completion of a program. This is

also where military experience can be included. Most recent position at the top.

• Include: dates (use month/year format); job title; employer name/city/state.

• Describe your role and responsibilities, skills developed, and results achieved. Be sure to highlight those skills

that transfer to the medical field.

CV Tips and Guidelines

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT KANSAS RECRUITMENT & RETENTION CENTER: [email protected] |

*Research and Publications:

• Include research conducted or assisted. Details: dates, funding granted, name of research leader, your role/title,

and summary of the project and your responsibilities.

• List published work authored, co-authored, or contributed. Details: Title of article or presentation; type of item;

your role; date presented or published, and where published.

Teaching Experience

• Include teaching, tutoring, classroom assisting, curriculum development or similar activities. Also, training fellow

undergraduates, peer mentoring or student orientations are applicable.

• Details: Name of institution, your role, the subject, month/year.

Volunteer Experience

• Details: name of organization; type of org; your title/role; dates involved and brief description of your

contribution. Be sure to include any leadership roles.

• If volunteer service includes sitting on multiple boards or board appointments that are highly relevant, consider

creating a separate section for Board Memberships

Activities and Personal Interests

This includes non-professional pursuits, including sports, music, art, hobbies, and certifications in such.

This area demonstrates a well-rounded individual and showcases relevant skills. Sports and performing in an orchestra

require teamwork. Distance running demonstrates self-discipline.

Be prepared to discuss as often these items are a great conversation starter especially when meeting with a team.

Professional Affiliations

• List career-related groups, committees, or societies you participated or participate.

• Name of affiliations, dates involved and your position or role. It is best to focus on current affiliations.

Other qualifications

• Can include non-medical talents and skills, foreign language fluency, cultural experiences, personal interests,

and motivators.

Formatting Tips

• Readable fonts, typically 10 or 12 point and a professional font, such as Arial or Calibri.

• Keep variations of font or font size to a minimum. Can be distracting.

• Only bold or italicize section headers and titles of books and academic journals

• Avoid underlining text (can be mistaken for a hyperlink)

• Do not use all caps.

• Use bulleted lists instead of dense paragraphs. If paragraphs used should be concise.

• Include a running header or footer with your last name, first initial and page number

• If you print your CV, use black ink on high quality white or off-white paper.

Final Strategies

Use gapping and parallelism strategies. Gapping is the use of incomplete sentences to present information more

concisely. Example: “Composition Instructor (2012-2014). Planned Course Activities. Graded all assignments.”

Parallelism is keeping the structure of your phrases consistent throughout the document. Example, if you use verb

phrases in one portion of your CV, use them throughout.