Curriculum vitae - a little help, please

[ToothMonkey]

I'm in the process of updating my pathetic pre-dent resume to pass for a respectable CV. I have a few questions, and while I've googled up plenty of info on CV writing it would be nice to hear directly from others in my field.

1) Is two pages too long? I could probably squeeze it into one if that would be preferable.

2) Do I really need to describe any jobs I held prior to dental school, even if they had nothing to do with dentistry? It seems pointless to waste space trying to spice up a generic data entry position with resumese "action words" (like that's going to impress anyone ). OTOH, I have no employment experience in the field of dentistry (only volunteerism), so the work experience section of my CV will be pretty sparse otherwise.

3) Should I include a line on hobbies/interests? I've heard conflicting opinions on this.

4) Should I include a section for references (even if it only says "references available upon request")? Again, conflicting views here.

Thanks in advance for any help.

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[jmjfb23]

As far as hobbies go I would include certain things that show off your dexterity - like if you play the guitar or piano or if are an avid artist or sculptor. You could include other things too, but those are things that might stand out. As far as references go I would imagine the ones that you are required to send in with your application should be good enough. 2 pages isn't too long, I was told if it is two pages to make it front and back of one page, not sure if that is true. For work experience somethings are good and others don't matter, working at a gas station during the summer doesn't mean a thing, but you can probably make a lot of things work in your favor. I think in my application I talked about how bartending help me develop different people skills and how my working as a tutor made me realize how I love helping people and made me possibly think about going into academics. If you can spin it to your advantage and show how it would help you in dentistry then I don't see how it could hurt your application.

 

[tooth decay]

I'm in the process of updating my pathetic pre-dent resume to pass for a respectable CV. I have a few questions, and while I've googled up plenty of info on CV writing it would be nice to hear directly from others in my field.

1) Is two pages too long? I could probably squeeze it into one if that would be preferable.

2) Do I really need to describe any jobs I held prior to dental school, even if they had nothing to do with dentistry? It seems pointless to waste space trying to spice up a generic data entry position with resumese "action words" (like that's going to impress anyone ). OTOH, I have no employment experience in the field of dentistry (only volunteerism), so the work experience section of my CV will be pretty sparse otherwise.

3) Should I include a line on hobbies/interests? I've heard conflicting opinions on this.

4) Should I include a section for references (even if it only says "references available upon request")? Again, conflicting views here.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Yes, two pages is too long. Remember that most readers want to see if you can highlight the important events in your life in one page. Only mention relevant type positions including anything technical that can embellish your CV(unless you had any one position for a prolonged period of time). For dental school, unless you were a hygeinist or something dental related, just list your dental volunteer experiences. Dental schools really do not care about you working at a fast food joint. If you feel compelled to list hobbies/interest, no more than one line. The term "references available upon request" should suffice. If you wrote or published papers, or made professional type presentations, list them.

 

[aphistis]

Yes, two pages is too long. Remember that most readers want to see if you can highlight the important events in your life in one page. Only mention relevant type positions including anything technical that can embellish your CV(unless you had any one position for a prolonged period of time). For dental school, unless you were a hygeinist or something dental related, just list your dental volunteer experiences. Dental schools really do not care about you working at a fast food joint. If you feel compelled to list hobbies/interest, no more than one line. The term "references available upon request" should suffice. If you wrote or published papers, or made professional type presentations, list them.

"Curriculum vitae" and "resume" aren't synonyms. The short, 1-2 page documents used for seeking private jobs are resumes. A curriculum vitae can (indeed, should) be much longer than a resume. Your CV should be a succinct but thorough compilation of all the significant accomplishments of your academic career. My own CV, for example, is currently a little less than four pages.

 

[Jaybe]

"Curriculum vitae" and "resume" aren't synonyms. The short, 1-2 page documents used for seeking private jobs are resumes. A curriculum vitae can (indeed, should) be much longer than a resume. Your CV should be a succinct but thorough compilation of all the significant accomplishments of your academic career. My own CV, for example, is currently a little less than four pages.

This is true. A 'CV' is really not the same as a resume. People in the business world would totally not get it if they saw an academic CV.

That said, an extensive CV for a gunner of a 4th year dental student may only be 4 pages. I am one year out and mine just swelled to 7 pages (includes every lecture given, CE attended, Courses taught, Licenses held, etc.)

My Department Chair is about 50 years old. His CV is about 45 pages long.

My point is that you should not focus on length, but make a nice presentation of all pertinent information. A short "personal" section is absolutely appropriate, but not necessary. This is where you could briefly state family stats, hobbies, etc.

 

[ItsGavinC]

A general outline that you may follow would be:

- Personal information (birthdate, birth location, spouse, children & ages, etc.)
- Education (list the most recent first and only list post-high school)
- Professional experiences (outstanding or notable accomplishments or experiences)
- Special activities
- Continuing education
- Hobbies & interests

 

[dinesh]

http://dineshmartin.com/cv.pdf

That's one someone helped me do up a few years ago, format wise.
It's pretty old though, need to update.