CV issues - Should I use my resume?

[foremma]

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Hi all,

Although I have over a year of research experience undergrad, my work was never published. Similarly, I am working full time now for a research lab, and am currently heavily involved in data analysis for a meta-analysis, in addition to other research tasks. However, as of now, when I am contacting hopeful POI's, I have no publications.

Therefore, is it best to just send my resume to professors, or should I make a CV instead? I'm just not sure how to format it without any publications...

If anyone has any sample CV's they used during apps to grad school, I would sincerely appreciate any examples you can provide me with.

Thanks in advance for everyone's time.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Honestly, relatively few people have any publications when they apply to doctoral programs. They aren't a requirement to have a CV.

 

[bcliff]

I'm a year out of UG, and my CV is about 4 pages. I included a section for poster presentations and 'manuscripts in submission' for papers that I'm working on (I also don't have any pubs yet). I also have a section for 'noted coursework' (graduate coursework I took during UG); 'study abroad', and I put a blurb for every specific study I've worked on (what the study is investigating, my responsibilities on the study, the population we worked with, etc.), even if I've worked on multiple studies in the same lab. I also included professional memberships like APA, PsiChi & specific APA divisions that I'm a member of.

As I start to publish/present more and have more research/clinical experience I'll probably cut out the 'noted coursework'; 'study abroad'; and other filler sections.

IMO, having a CV makes you seem like you know what you're doing even if you don't have a whole lot to include. Also, since there's no set in stone format for a CV, it lets you highlight your strong suits more than a typical resume does. I also feel like a POI can learn more about an applicant from their CV than from a simple resume.

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

Heck, I mean put everything you have on it and don't worry about the publication, you'll be just fine.

 

[foremma]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I have structured my CV in the following order, and would appreciate any feedback!

EDUCATION
MANUSCRIPTS IN PREPARATION (1 paper and info about the meta-analysis we are conducting in general; it consists of near 100 papers)
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
SKILLS

Am I missing anything, or going in a wrong order? I assume it is okay to put manuscripts before research experience, even if it is only in prep (it is to be submitted within the next 2 weeks)

 

[Chez613]

id flip the order of research experience and pubs. Also I dont know how research heavy of a program you are applying to, but either way, at least consider having a section on clinical experience. not sure if that overlaps with your "community" section. but from what iv'e seen (in my somewhat limited experience, (also applying this fall) many people have a clinical exprerience section).
Also consider adding a section about your professional affiliations, student member apa, aps, psi chi? etc. it may seem silly but some/i think lots of people do it
Good luck to us all!

 

[syzergy]

id flip the order of research experience and pubs.

I disagree, but to each his own. I'm not sure what type of programs you're interested in but manuscripts (even in prep) are pretty rare for most applicants.

I'm in a research heavy program with academic interests so I make sure to highlight my research as much as possible. This is my CV format for now. I'm constantly changing the layout depending on how I'm feeling that day. Huge paper I need to write? Maybe I'll just edit my CV for the 100th time.

Education
Publications
Manuscripts in Prep
Posters & Presentations
Reports & Manuals
Research Experience
Clinical Experience
Professional Organizations
Honors

 

[thewesternsky]

syzergy- My CV is in a similar order to yours, but the OP is not yet in graduate school. Their "pubs" section is actually only manuscripts in prep. As such, I'd highlight research experience first, because I believe their RA work will carry more weight than manuscripts which are not even submitted yet. 🙂

In general on a CV, you want to highlight the most positive aspects of your experiences. You should present the info in an order that does that, which means it will vary slightly from person to person and application to application.

 

[bcliff]

Slightly unrelated, but does it make sense to include grant & scholarship award amounts on a CV? I've been told that it lets a school know you're able to support yourself throughout school and makes you a 'safer' investment of the program's time & resources.

 

[foremma]

id flip the order of research experience and pubs. Also I dont know how research heavy of a program you are applying to, but either way, at least consider having a section on clinical experience. not sure if that overlaps with your "community" section. but from what iv'e seen (in my somewhat limited experience, (also applying this fall) many people have a clinical exprerience section).
Also consider adding a section about your professional affiliations, student member apa, aps, psi chi? etc. it may seem silly but some/i think lots of people do it
Good luck to us all!

Thanks! Community section is dedicated to affiliations on campus with psychology/mental health organizations. I'm not sure if labeling it as "clinical experience" is necessarily appropriate, because I only did some e-mail peer-to-peer counseling support on campus and helped run a mental health club... Would you count those as "clinical experience"?. However, I do have clinical experience outside of campus that may be better fit for that. Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

 

[Lisa44201]

Slightly unrelated, but does it make sense to include grant & scholarship award amounts on a CV? I've been told that it lets a school know you're able to support yourself throughout school and makes you a 'safer' investment of the program's time & resources.

Certainly grants (and keep those on there when you go to apply for Real Jobs, too); not sure about scholarships.

 

[foremma]

So, i know GRE/GPA can be taboo at times.. but what about when reaching out to profs and having it on your CV during initial (only initial) contact? they won't see my application for a while, so i figured it cant hurt, right?