Curriculum Vitae Questions

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PhDhopeful

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How long should your CV be? I know that it varies depending on how much experience you have. Someone told me that under no circumstances should it be longer than a page. Then my professor told me that wasn't necessarily true.

Secondly I don't know whether to list one of my internships as research experience. Maybe someone could help:
I worked at museum as a research assistant. My job was to find images and obtain permission to use those images in our exhibition. I phoned places like the library of congress and talked to them about background information concerning the exhibition. I did a lot of work locating images and literature online and presenting the information that I found in departmental meetings. I know that the title of my job was "research assistant" but should I count it as research? I have heard different answers from different people and assumed as usual that this would be a great place for feedback.

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I would not list the museum stuff, as it is not related to psychology. My CV is two pages, although some of it is bullet points with research tasks I've participated in so that professors get a sense of what tasks and skills I've acquired.
 
My CV is about 14 pages long. The content builds a case to insurance companies why I demand a higher reimbursement. In college, I had a professor who had a 50 page cv, although he was quite proud of himself.

I found this on line for you:

Curriculum Vitae

Vitae, also known as curricula vitae or c.v., are documents that detail your academic and professional accomplishments. Vitae are more comprehensive documents than resumes. They are most often used for academic or research positions, whereas resumes are the preferred documents in business and industry. [Note “vitae” (vee-tie) is the plural form; “vita” (vee-tuh) is singular]

Vitae are commonly used in applying for the following:

Admission to graduate school or as part of an application packet for a graduate assistantship or scholarship
Grant proposals
Teaching, research, and upper-level administrative positions in higher education
Academic departmental and tenure reviews
College or university service appointments
Professional association leadership positions
Speaking engagements
Publishing and editorial review boards
Research and consulting positions in a variety of settings
School administration positions at the superintendent, principal, or department head level
While resumes are rarely more than one or two pages long, vitae can be many pages in length. Although there is no limitation on the length of vitae, it is important that they, like resumes, be written concisely. Common lengths for curriculum vitae are one to three pages for bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates; one to five pages for doctoral candidates; and five or more pages for an experienced academician or researcher.

Besides conveying information about who you are, your education, and your professional experience, a curriculum vita also includes information about professional publications, presentations, committee work, grants received, and other grants based on each person’s experience. The following list is provided as a guide for determining which categories of information to include in your c.v.

Education
Master’s thesis or project
Dissertation title or topic
Course highlights or areas of concentration in graduate study
Teaching experience and interests
Research experience and interests
Consulting experience
Internships or graduate practica
Fieldwork
Publications
Professional papers and presentations
Grants received
Professional association and committee leadership positions and activities
Certificates and licensure
Special training
Academic awards, scholarships, and fellowships
Foreign study and travel abroad
Language competencies
Technical and computer skills
Although curricula vitae are often similar to resumes, the preferred style, format, and content varies from discipline to discipline. Before writing a c.v., you should become familiar with the requirements of your academic field by asking faculty members in your department and contacting professional associations for additional guidelines and examples. CCO advisors can review your vita and make suggestions through Walk-in Advising or an Individual Advising Appointment.

Courtesy of Virginia Tech Career Services

On to: Curriculum Vitae Sample
Back to: Creative Sample
 
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I've only heard the one page rule when referring to resumes, not CVs. A vita tends to be much longer because it can include numerous positions, research projects, and publications. You can see how including all of the stuff that PsychevalIII posted CVs would be much, much longer than a single page.

As an undergrad or recent graduate applying to Ph.D. programs you aren't likely to have a lot of stuff on your CV. Application committees understand this and aren't looking for you to fill it up with irrelevant details. What's relavent and what's not is open for debate, though. At this point in your career, I would include the museum internship. If you have psychology related research experience then list that under a heading of "Research" and then list your museum research as "Other Research" or something similar. The experience you gained on the musuem job was valuable and shows at the very least, you can do literature reviews and present your findings to a group. Graduate schools want to be sure that applicants have research skills, so why not include anything that can show you have these skills? Don't go overboard, but if your experience illustrates you have the skills graduate schools are looking for then include it.
 
thanks all, especially darkwegmo I think i'm on the right track now.:D
 
just getting this straight...no one has heard this one page rule? My friend who is applying to clinical programs in the fall says that the professors from her extremey respectable school are telling her no more than one page, I am going to make mine more I just wonder where this came from
 
I have, but it is dependant upon experience. I was a pseudo non-traditional student (Bach. in Psych & Biz) with a career in Biz, but I had a lengthy psych experience before jumping ship. I had to account for my gap, so I listed applicable Biz stuff (a ton of research, I/O consulting, etc), to show what I did in the gap of years. Ironically I was told by a bunch of places that I could have gotten into any I/O program, but my heart was in clinical.
 
In business and even possibly in resumes for psychology-related jobs for hospitals, 1 page resumes is standard. However, CVs are very long and are pretty much always longer. For professors, you can see CVs over 50 pages.

Basically, for grad school apps, I would say, don't worry about the length at all. I also had a couple of things on my resume that were relevant for grad school, but not quite research experience or clinical experience. I called it "volunteer experience" on mine, but "other experience" would work too.
 
I've never heard a CV should be only 1 page -- in fact, as others have stated, it should be as long as it needs to be. There's too many sections/areas to cover adequately in 1 page.

On the other hand, I have heard that cover letters should not be longer than 1 page.
 
I have an MBA and worked for a summer on Wall Street in a high profile finance/investment banker position. Should I include this on my CV under professional positions? I'm applying for my PhD in clinical.

Thanks.
 
CV should include all you have accomplished relevant to your field. A resume should only include relevant issues and accomplishments to the job you are applying for, and should be brief. If the peopel at the job you are applying for do not know the difference between a CV and resume I would be concerned.
 
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My CV is 8 pages now. As an undergrad it would probably have been 1, maybe 2. So I think as you enter grad school it's almost expected to grow to the point it'd be impossible to put everything on 1 page.
 
I did a search and nothing came up -

Anyone have any links to examples of CVs? I have one written, but I think it looks unconventional, and I'm not sure I've listed everything the correct way...
 
Don't look up samples; just look up real profs. 99% post their cvs on their web sites.
 
Hey guys, I was hoping I could get some advice for sending out an academic cv.

How are good cv's organized? How can you make it look aesthetically pleasing? (I know that's not super important, but I don't want it to look sloppy). How much description of each research position I've had should I include? I've had 4 research positions, all with significant involvement in the research, and all of which led to a thesis, and I'm just not sure how much detail is appropriate to include for each position; I want to sell myself accurately but I also don't want to drone on for too long.

If anyone is feeling super kind and would be willing to share an example or template of a good CV, that would be amazing!
 
For general formatting you can bold, center, italicize, and underline the headings, but make the actual content be in plain Arial or Times New Roman. You could probably break it up something like this:

Education
Honors/Awards
Research Experience / Publications
Professional memberships
Presentations
Relevant Employment

If your research assistant positions have led to publications that you authored you should cite them in APA style. If not, you could write something like...

"Research assistant to So-and-so, PhD investigating The Topic of Your Research. University/Institution, Years of Project. Responsibilities: data collection, IRB submissions, etc."

This article is primary targeted toward undergraduates interested in pursuing graduate studies, but it offers some nice advice for formatting.
 
A number of graduate programs have grad student webpages which often have pdf or word versions of their CVs. I found this was helpful in getting me started and saving me lots of time on formatting. If I recall University of Utah clinical program was one example of this. I think this is a great idea because it also shows a lot of respect for grad students as colleagues.

For general formatting you can bold, center, italicize, and underline the headings, but make the actual content be in plain Arial or Times New Roman. You could probably break it up something like this:

Education
Honors/Awards
Research Experience / Publications
Professional memberships
Presentations
Relevant Employment

If your research assistant positions have led to publications that you authored you should cite them in APA style. If not, you could write something like...

"Research assistant to So-and-so, PhD investigating The Topic of Your Research. University/Institution, Years of Project. Responsibilities: data collection, IRB submissions, etc."

This article is primary targeted toward undergraduates interested in pursuing graduate studies, but it offers some nice advice for formatting.
 
I've had 4 research positions, all with significant involvement in the research, and all of which led to a thesis, and I'm just not sure how much detail is appropriate to include for each position; I want to sell myself accurately but I also don't want to drone on for too long.

Wow! 4 research positions!! I wouldn't be worried about droning on because that is really impressive! ;)

Out of curiosity, how did they all lead to a thesis?
 
Hi I'm currently working on putting together my CV. I figured there is a thread for SOP but not for CV questions even though the CV can be a pretty important part of the app too (or so I've heard). I guess I'll start!

Does anyone know what the APA format for adding being a "panel moderator" at a regional conference is?

Also, does anyone know whether it's common, when applying to grad schools, to also indicate your research interests on your CV?

Thanks!
 
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MOD NOTE: I combined a few CV threads, as they'd be more useful in one place. -t4c

Thanks, Therapist4Chnge. I didn't post in this thread originally because I was just worried that if I posted in a thread started earlier than this year (2010) I may not get any replies.
 
Also, does anyone know whether it's common, when applying to grad schools, to also indicate your research interests on your CV?

Thanks!

I listed my research Interests at the very top of my CV right under my education. The reasoning is this: They'll see what I want to focus on in grad school..... and then see everything I've already done as an undergrad.

I use to have it at the bottom of my CV but I spoke to a professional CV builder and she recommended putting it at the top.
 
I am glad to have read this thread! I am a non-traditional PhD hopeful with no formal psychology research, and while I am in a masters program where I will get relevant experience, I have done a great deal of research as part of my professional career (technology). I have no trade publications from my current work, but reading this thread, I think I can point out a few relevant set of skills (including experience doing data analysis, interviewing, competitive analysis research) . I would place this under "Other research", right? Thanks!
 
I listed my research Interests at the very top of my CV right under my education. The reasoning is this: They'll see what I want to focus on in grad school..... and then see everything I've already done as an undergrad.

I use to have it at the bottom of my CV but I spoke to a professional CV builder and she recommended putting it at the top.

Thanks MadWolf! That actually makes a lot of sense :) Good timing too, I was planning to submit my first app tomorrow! :)
 
I'm trying to figure out how to list an "in progress" paper on my CV. It's a case study of a (completed) year-long intervention. Obviously all of the data/information is gathered and it's outlined, but I haven't written a single word outside of the outline. I have another paper that I'm listing as "in preparation" that is much closer to being ready to submit; if someone asked for a draft of that paper, I could share it, with permission of my co-author. If someone asked for a draft of the "in progress" paper, though, I don't have anything to share, but it feels substantial enough to include on my CV in some way. (I hope to draft the paper in January, so it should be written but not submitted by interview season, if I get any interviews!) I also don't want to look like I'm padding by including two "in preparation" manuscripts.

Advice?
 
My CV applying to programs was 8 pages. I worked in clinical research for 8 years before starting my program, so I have about 4-5 pages of presentations and published abstracts/manuscripts (don't worry - that's NOT the norm). The remainder of the content was relevant work experience (I never listed that numerous restaurants I worked for during undergrad), research experience, university activities, professional affiliations, volunteer activities, awards and scholarships, research interests, computer & technical skills, personal interests (this is optional, but I included things like hiking, camping, cooking...I thought it revealed elements of my personality :D), and professional references.

Be realistic about anything pending. Is it really "in preparation?" Where are you with it? Is it actually drafted or pending submission? Interviewers may ask you about any pending manuscripts, presentations, etc. and you don't want to appear flaky. If you didn't know the exact status and could back it up with evidence (i.e. an actual draft or, in the case of a pending draft, corroboration with a mentor), then it's merely "padding" your CV. Get some words on paper, so you can be honest about your "draft" at the time of application submission.

I'm a 4th year in a clinical psych PhD program and the content of my CV has changed considerably because it's geared towards internship applications. However, it's only one page longer (I cut out a lot of the other stuff as I saw fit, replacing content with even more relevant stuff).

I agree with a previous post: to search actual CVs on the internet. Many professors post their CVs and you can tailor yours to your purpose (i.e. I don't have sections for grants, (official) dissertation topic or licenses...yet). Keep the goal insight: You need to present very well in comparison to your fellow applicants. The only other documents you have to accomplish this goal are your personal statement, transcripts and LORs. Just ask yourself: Is it RELEVANT? If so, how would you explain the relevance in an interview. Anything you submit is "free game" for interviewers to evaluate you as a candidate. :luck:
 
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I don't have sections for grants, (official) dissertation topic or licenses...yet). ]


Thant might be silly question, but what do you consider a "grant" or "funding"?
On my CV I have listed some smaller research grants that I have applied to and received under "funding", one of them being an undergraduate research grant for my honors thesis.
 
I'm trying to figure out how to list an "in progress" paper on my CV. It's a case study of a (completed) year-long intervention. Obviously all of the data/information is gathered and it's outlined, but I haven't written a single word outside of the outline.

On some of my prof's CV's I have seen things like this under "research in progress". If you haven't written a single word yet, you can't claim that you have a manuscript in preparation.
 
For those at the internship phase of their careers, my program informed me that CVs should be less than 10 pages in length. I believe the quote was "you have not accomplished enough to justify a longer CV." :laugh:
 
Thant might be silly question, but what do you consider a "grant" or "funding"?
On my CV I have listed some smaller research grants that I have applied to and received under "funding", one of them being an undergraduate research grant for my honors thesis.

Anytime you get money to do research or other activities that you had to submit a competitive application for I think would count. Either way, I think it belongs on there somewhere. It doesn't need to be a million dollars from NIH to count at this level.

That said, if its something like a travel award for a few hundred dollars, you may want to consider putting it under a more general heading (i.e. "Awards") or something like that.
 
Does anyone have suggestions on what should go into a CV as a graduate student? I'm a first year and don't have publications or posters yet. I've been involved in several different research projects and have TA'ed for 2 classes this past semester. Thanks!
 
I'd like to add to the education section of my CV that I will be starting a PhD program this fall. But I'm not sure if there's a standard format and/or language to use to indicate this. Does anyone know, or have suggestions? Thanks in advance.
 
I'd like to add to the education section of my CV that I will be starting a PhD program this fall. But I'm not sure if there's a standard format and/or language to use to indicate this. Does anyone know, or have suggestions? Thanks in advance.

You can just put "PhD [or PsyD], University of X, Anticipated 20XX" in your "education" section or even include an anticipated MA/MS as well if your program gives one en route.

Does anyone have suggestions on what should go into a CV as a graduate student? I'm a first year and don't have publications or posters yet. I've been involved in several different research projects and have TA'ed for 2 classes this past semester. Thanks!

Personally, I organize my "Research Experience" section by professor/lab, not project. YMMV. If you have manuscripts submitted or in prep, you can generally indicate this in a "publications" section, although views on putting in prep publication vary (some see it as padding, but I think it makes sense for undergrads and beginning grads who don't have that many publications out again. Again, YMMV.) As for TAing, I have a separate section for teaching experience on my CV.

Anytime you get money to do research or other activities that you had to submit a competitive application for I think would count. Either way, I think it belongs on there somewhere. It doesn't need to be a million dollars from NIH to count at this level.

That said, if its something like a travel award for a few hundred dollars, you may want to consider putting it under a more general heading (i.e. "Awards") or something like that.

Personally, I put small grants or awards (anything under a thousand dollars or so or at the university level) under "awards" and large national grants in which I've been named (or, in one case, was funded under for a few years) under "grant funding awarded," but I don't know how standard that is, if at all.
 
Does anyone know how I should list a school that I attended, but didn't attain a degree from on my CV? I attended 2 years of med school, but decided to jump ship and try the PsyD route instead.
 
http://clinicalpsychgradapp.wordpress.com/


I found this website really helpful when I was just beginning to look into Graduate school, application process, etc. There is so much to consider, so it was really nice to have it all organized and laid out in this way. Hopefully others find it useful as well!

There is also a section about CVs and an example of the authors actual cv.
 
Hi all,

Quick question: I will be presenting a poster at a multicultural conference in Feb. We've already gotten it accepted. Should I include this in my CV? If so, is there a specific way to add in poster presentations that haven't taken place yet?

Thanks!
 
Hi all,

Quick question: I will be presenting a poster at a multicultural conference in Feb. We've already gotten it accepted. Should I include this in my CV? If so, is there a specific way to add in poster presentations that haven't taken place yet?

Thanks!

I just stick it on there with all the others. I have a few coming up this year and early next year so I just include the dates they will occur. It all looks the same.
 
Hi all,

Quick question: I will be presenting a poster at a multicultural conference in Feb. We've already gotten it accepted. Should I include this in my CV? If so, is there a specific way to add in poster presentations that haven't taken place yet?

Thanks!

yes, at the end, you say "Poster Accepted at the xxth annual XXX conference. City, State" vs "Poster presented at ..."
 
yes, at the end, you say "Poster Accepted at the xxth annual XXX conference. City, State" vs "Poster presented at ..."

You know what is really badass, is when you put the 100 conferences you attended and not even bother with abstracts anymore :).
 
You know what is really badass, is when you put the 100 conferences you attended and not even bother with abstracts anymore :).

That's funny, a student/colleague of mine just told me that she plans to put an educational clinical conference that she attended on her CV. I had never heard of that before. I would be too embarrassed to try that.
 
Wow, I can't even imagine putting that on my CV.
 
:laugh: I apparently push the envelope a little more with my CV than many here. I have a selection of those on my CV as well just because they portray a few unique skills that aren't captured elsewhere (non-linear modeling, matlab programming, etc.). Just tacked on at the end, but I added them in after I saw the CVs of a couple new hires at major university who all had similar things.

Honestly, I think as long as things are clearly labeled and related, I don't know that its going to be as big a deal as people here are imagining. Not everyone is going to read a CV carefully, but hopefully they are going to do more than just count pages. It would probably look suspicious if you have 4 pages of attended workshops with no posters, no publications, one practica experience, etc. but I really doubt it would be held against someone who had it as a minor part of a solid CV. That's based on the faculty I've met though, so your mileage may vary.
 
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