Writing C.V.s for (graduate) students

[pbutter]

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure where to put this topic, but hopefully you can help me out.

I'm not satisfied with my C.V. format and I am wondering if you could provide tips/advice and/or web links for sample and real C.V.s for students.

Before anyone mentions this, I did perform a google search prior to posting, but the results were usually not in the right field or not tailored for students (graduate students specifically).

Some more specific questions I have at the moment are:
-If I were to list scholarships and awards, do I need to include a $ amount and indicate whether or not it's institutional/national?
-Should I and how do I list journal article manuscripts that are currently in preparation (e.g. still in writing process)?

Thanks a lot in advance! (I hope my question is clear. If not, I apologize )

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[RxnMan]

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure where to put this topic, but hopefully you can help me out.

I'm not satisfied with my C.V. format and I am wondering if you could provide tips/advice and/or web links for sample and real C.V.s for students.

Before anyone mentions this, I did perform a google search prior to posting, but the results were usually not in the right field or not tailored for students (graduate students specifically).

Some more specific questions I have at the moment are:
-If I were to list scholarships and awards, do I need to include a $ amount and indicate whether or not it's institutional/national?
-Should I and how do I list journal article manuscripts that are currently in preparation (e.g. still in writing process)?

Thanks a lot in advance! (I hope my question is clear. If not, I apologize )

Here's a pretty good resource. I know, it's for MD faculty, but you can just delete the sections that are not relevant to you. I use a cut down version myself. I also just posted some CV advice in the Physician-Scientist forum.

- Scholarships I never mentioned how much they were, but grants, yes. Awards (for research, academics, etc.) I did not. I stated the award name, where it took place, and the date:

Poster Competition Winner, Graduate Research Fair, University of California, 1990.

Don't forget to also list whatever got you the award!

- I'm torn about listing pubs prior to publication. I know they're a ton of work, but nothing's materialized yet - they aren't published yet! Anyways, many people do, and they generally have them listed as authors, working title, journal they were submitted to, and (Submitted) or (In Progress) as appropriate. Good luck.


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[Doodledog]

- I'm torn about listing pubs prior to publication. I know they're a ton of work, but nothing's materialized yet - they aren't published yet! Anyways, many people do, and they generally have them listed as authors, working title, journal they were submitted to, and (Submitted) or (In Progress) as appropriate. Good luck.

In a truly formal setting, such as an NIH-formatted CV for a grant, or a CV for a faculty appointment, then only those publications that are "in press" are to be listed. In press is defined as having a final letter from the publisher that clearly states the paper is accepted. Any other publications that haven't made it that far should be taken out of the CV and described elsewhere in the application (e.g. a covering letter).

Now, having said that, lots of folks, especially students and post-docs list papers as "in preparation" or "under review", especially for more usual uses of a CV such as job hunting! Although this is common, one should be very cautious about it, especially listing multiple papers that way, as more senior folks don't often like this. It is seen as a "future promise" and not really meaningful. Sometimes one can compromise, especially at the student phase and say "Submitted - pending acceptance of revisions." In general, it probably is okay for students to list submitted papers, but I wouldn't list "in progress" - someone will think/ask "Why isn't it submitted YET?"

 

[RxnMan]

Tildy - those are pretty much my thoughts too. Yes, pubs take a lot of work, and one should use that to their advantage when applying for a job. And I agree that "In Press" should be fine, because at that stage, everything is approved and finished, you're just waiting for the journal to catch up and print it. But even in that case, they often e-publish it and give you a journal citation, which you can put down instead of "In Press."

I've toyed around with a "Current Projects" section of my CV, where I can put down a blurb describing an ongoing project. That way I can get the "In Progress" -type items on my CV, and at the same time be very clear that they are not finished.

OP - I don't know if you noticed, but a nice thing about the AAMC CV is that it has spaces for teaching experience, which as a grad student, you probably have.

 

[Faebinder]

I wish I could post my CV but I love my anonymous status.


1) Do I list oral/poster/video presentations that I am listed on but did not present?

Yes, it's part of your work and you should place it on the CV as well.

2) Scholarship amount? No. This is a science CV not an application for a scholarship.

3) Award amounts? From awards and honors? No.

4) Grant amount? Yes absolutely, it's research money and believe it or not the more money you were given for research the more it implies your research is/was important.

5) Manuscripts in preparation, in revision, submitted, resubmitted... all should be listed on the CV for yourself.. I delete that section of the CV when I need to hand my CV to someone unless they are interested in my research, then I leave it for them to see the total topics i have or am tackling.

 

[pbutter]

Thanks RxnMan, Tildy, and Faebinder for the advice on CV writing and the link to AAMC, that was the type of CV format I was looking for! Also, a "Current Projects" section sounds like a good idea rather than listing the few papers I have currently in the works.

I have a couple more questions at the moment:

I did some work for a professor last summer and this summer I will be returning to continue the same project. Should I list the two work periods as separate work experiences or should I combine it into something like the following:


Research Assistant 2007, 2008
Description of duties, etc.
[Sorry, I'm not sure how to format this bit on this forum, but that's the general idea]

Another related question is with regards to writing dates. For example, if I did summer research, should I write May-Aug. 2007 or simply leave it as 2007? Same thing with scholarships/awards/etc., should I show period held/time awarded down to the month or is listing the year sufficient?

Thanks again for the help!

 

[Mr CV]

This should help, however do not confuse CV writing advice associated with the US CV with the UK CV. The UK CV is very similar to the US resume. The UK CV should not be written on more than 2 pages unless you are posting it to a job agency or maybe working within a few specific organisations.

<a href="http://www.cv-service.org/how_cv_graduate.html" How to Write a Graduate's CV </a>

 

[RxnMan]

Thanks RxnMan, Tildy, and Faebinder for the advice on CV writing and the link to AAMC, that was the type of CV format I was looking for! Also, a "Current Projects" section sounds like a good idea rather than listing the few papers I have currently in the works.

I have a couple more questions at the moment:

I did some work for a professor last summer and this summer I will be returning to continue the same project. Should I list the two work periods as separate work experiences or should I combine it into something like the following:


Research Assistant 2007, 2008
Description of duties, etc.
[Sorry, I'm not sure how to format this bit on this forum, but that's the general idea]

Another related question is with regards to writing dates. For example, if I did summer research, should I write May-Aug. 2007 or simply leave it as 2007? Same thing with scholarships/awards/etc., should I show period held/time awarded down to the month or is listing the year sufficient?

Thanks again for the help!

I've used "Summer 2003" to describe work during a summer (e.g. May - August) and I've used separate dates on the same experience (as in your example). I use a 2 column format, with dates on the right, so I listed it as:

Jan-Dec 2003
Jun-Aug 2004

Yes, it's a lot of dates, and it can be a pain for a reader, but only if you don't have things listed chronologically.

 

[Faebinder]

Specify months when listening experiences. Combine similar experiences and just list both time periods.

Your objective is to make your CV as easy to read as possible without losing information. Bulking up the CV is viewed negatively by many.

 

[rss202]

Just building my CV now for next years match, thanks for all the helpful information. My one question was how do I list research experience that is not publishable, for example work on private projects that may be confidential in nature? Thanks for your help. Rohit Soans

 

[Faebinder]

Not published work = research experience. Put it under research experience.

How detailed do you wish your research experience to be on your CV depends on the level of education you are at.

Med Students/Students .... Detail them out a little.
Residents/Attendings/PHDs... dont care for too much detail.

 

[pbutter]

I have another question. This is a somewhat trivial matter, but which section of the CV do 'travel grants' for attending conferences fall under for students?

Some people put it under scholarships and awards section:
e.g., http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~vleblanc/My_CV.html

And others write it under the grants section:
e.g., http://pages.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/~marina/Newweb/cv.htm

Since I don't have any other grants, would it be better to list it in the scholarships and awards section, or not at all?

Thanks in advance for your answer!

 

[RxnMan]

I list mine under awards, but then again, you could just put them where it makes you look best.