As part of the application process, prospective employers might ask you to submit a CV, or curriculum vitae, instead of a simple resume. Learn what sets this document apart from a standard resume.
A curriculum vitae (CV) is a document outlining your professional experience, education, and achievements. It鈥檚 used in specific fields, such as academia or science, because it often features sections you won鈥檛 find on a resume, such as publications you鈥檝e authored or grants and funding you鈥檝e received.聽聽
If you plan to enter a field that requires a CV, learn what you should include and tips for formatting your CV. Afterward, strengthen your writing skills with the University of Michigan鈥檚 .
A curriculum vitae (CV) is a resume used for specific fields. It weighs many factors beyond experience when considering a candidate. Potential employers will want to understand aspects like your research, any committees you鈥檝e served on or chaired, and whether you鈥檝e been published anywhere to determine whether you鈥檙e a good fit for the position. As such,聽 a CV can be several pages long and typically includes an exhaustive list of every educational, academic, institutional, and professional accomplishment of your career.聽聽
You may sometimes hear 鈥淐V鈥 used interchangeably with 鈥渞esume,鈥 but the two are different documents, especially when considering length. Learn more about the key differences between a CV vs. a resume.
CVs tend to be longer documents than resumes, which adhere to a certain length depending on the amount of experience you鈥檝e acquired in your career. CVs, on the other hand, are anywhere from two to eight pages. The longer you鈥檝e worked in your field, the longer you can expect your CV to be. For example, a professor with hundreds of publications will have a CV that is several pages long.聽
As you build your CV, try not to get too worried about length. Instead, try to focus on including the most relevant information for the role you鈥檙e applying for.聽
There are specific instances when you should use a CV. These include applying to certain types of roles, opportunities such as grants or fellowships, and in different professional settings that require a more extensive history of what you鈥檝e done.聽
Academic or research positions: Faculty appointments, post-doctoral positions, research fellowships, and graduate school applications聽
Medical or scientific positions: Clinical or laboratory roles, scientific research opportunities, and research grants.聽
International jobs: Many jobs outside the US require a CV rather than a resume
In specific professional contexts: Speaking engagements, grant proposals, board positions, and consulting roles.聽
A full CV should include a comprehensive review of your professional career and educational training, and all the skills, achievements, and associations applicable to the position you seek.聽 Use the sections below to guide what you should include, but note that you don鈥檛 need to include sections irrelevant to your work.聽
Start crafting your CV by including your contact information. This should consist of your:聽
Full name
Mailing and/or physical address
Phone number
Email address
Social media profiles, if appropriate
You鈥檒l want any potential employer to know how to connect with you easily.
CVs position academic experience before work experience because careers in education, science, and research often demand that professionals engage in lifelong learning. It鈥檚 important to keep up-to-date with your industry鈥檚 best practices and technological developments, and you can show the work you鈥檝e completed in this section of the CV.
Be sure to include a comprehensive listing of:
All degrees, including the degree title, graduation year, and the name of the school
Training opportunities, with the title of the training, the name of the instructor, and the date completed
Coursework, whether online or in-person, with the name of the school and date completed
Professional Certificates
Licensure, including the license name and number, licensure agency, and the issuance and expiration dates
Some professionals may have completed continuing education that does not apply to the position they are applying for. If this is the case for you, carefully consider whether you gained additional skills that could transfer to the position. If you can鈥檛 find a strong connection, you can omit it from your CV.
CVs have a section outlining professional experience. Using an easy-to-read format, you should include:
The company or organization that employed you
Your job title
Location of the company
Start and end dates
A short summary of your responsibilities and achievements associated with the position
Keep the summary as objective as possible, with proven achievements to stand out. Think in terms of measurable objectives with clear statistics that show improvements rather than vague statements based on emotion. Word it appropriately so you do not take full credit for a team's work.
Employers want to ensure you can complete the tasks as assigned with the right technical skills. They also want to see that you鈥檝e gained workplace skills that will allow you to work within a team or serve effectively in a .
In the of your CV, be exhaustive. Technical skills include software programs, laboratory mechanisms, and protocols that are best practices in your industry. If you aren鈥檛 sure of your workplace skills, survey former associates or friends to learn your strengths. You may be an excellent team player, demonstrate leadership skills, or have the ability to work on multiple projects successfully, for example.
Be sure to highlight achievements earned throughout your career. These can include:
Awards and honors: List the award's name and the organization that presented it. Include the year, the frequency of the honor, and any other information that helps you stand out.
Scholarships and grants: Include the name of the grant, the amount of funding, the awarding institutions, and the date received. If applicable, include information on the project or research for which you used the grant or scholarship.
Accolades: You can include less formal acknowledgments of your work in your CV under a separate section. List the circumstances in which you received these accolades, from whom, and the event date.
Membership in professional organizations can show dedication to your field and serve as a powerful networking opportunity. List the associations in which you are most active first. Be sure to include:
Name of the professional association
Location or chapter
Title, if you have held a leadership role
Date of membership
Especially in academic and scientific fields, published work is an important way to stay relevant and engaged among your peers. Include all publications with the following full citation details:
Names of all co-authors
Date of publication
Name of publication, including volume, page, and DOI number
Summary of the paper
Presentations are another way to demonstrate your expertise in your field. List all times you鈥檝e spoken publicly on topics related to the position you seek by including:
Title of the presentation
Name of the conference and its organizers, if applicable
Date
Venue location
Conference participation demonstrates your active engagement in your field and ability to contribute to professional discourse. Include both presentations you've given and conferences you've attended as a delegate, noting your role (presenter, poster session, panelist), the conference name, location, and date.
Awards and honors showcase recognition from peers and institutions, validating your expertise and contributions to your field. List these chronologically with the award name, presenting organization, and year received, including brief descriptions for less well-known awards to provide context for readers.
Teaching experience reveals your ability to communicate complex ideas and manage classroom environments, which is particularly important for academic positions. Include course names, levels taught, institutions, dates, and any special responsibilities like curriculum development or student mentoring.
Grants and fellowships demonstrate your ability to secure funding and validate the significance of your research or academic work. List these with the amount awarded (if appropriate), funding organization, project title, and dates, including your role if it was a collaborative grant.
As with a resume, keep the format clear and easy to follow when drafting a CV. Other formatting tips include:
Use headings for clarity.
Check with the standards in your field and lead with the most relevant section. For example, if you鈥檙e applying to an academic job, you鈥檇 want to highlight your education first.聽
Within each category, elaborate as necessary to demonstrate skills and accomplishments. Use bold font or underlining to draw attention where required.
List items within each category by chronology.聽
Be consistent with formatting within each category.
Add a footer with your name and page number in case the pages get shuffled.
Once you determine you need to submit a CV, you鈥檒l want to create one that meets your potential employer's expectations. Follow these tips to enhance your CV:
You may have seen resumes evolve over time to become much more visual and eye-catching. That鈥檚 not the case for CVs. These documents tend to follow a standard format, and it鈥檚 a good idea to follow it so you show potential employers that you are aware of the standards and can follow suit.聽
CVs need to be easy to read, and that starts with the correct font. Pick a font that is sans-serif, meaning the letters lack decorative lines. These fonts are minimal and modern, allowing the eye to focus on the content rather than the design. Some appropriate fonts to use are:聽
Arial
Helvetica
Proxima Nova
Futura
Calibri
Keep the font size between 10 and 12. Any smaller will make reading challenging, and any bigger will make the document longer than necessary.
Keep margins (the white space that separates the words from the edge of the page) between 0.5 and 1 inch. Larger margins create white space that unnecessarily adds to the document's length, while smaller margins make the wording seem crowded.
These techniques organize the words on the page, giving the eye a subtle rest. For example, consider using bullet points for quicker reading when listing your accomplishments, awards, or skills. Create a header with a slightly bigger and bolder font for each section. The more you break down your content, the more enjoyable it will be to read.
An , or ATS, is a program employers use to sort large resume batches by words or phrases specific to the position's requirements. These words or phrases, known as ATS keywords, are often found within the job listing.聽
You鈥檒l also want to include role-specific keywords, such as the exact title of the position you鈥檙e applying for and the company's name. Add these to the career objective section at the beginning of the CV.
The job description may also include other ATS keywords specific to your industry. A quick Google search of your industry and 鈥渞esume keywords鈥 can often show other words worth including.
Removing all typos and having a clean CV shows prospective employers and decision-makers your attention to detail. Before submitting your CV as part of a job application, check it for spelling, grammar, and syntax. Ask a friend, associate, or family member to do the same. An error-free document shows professionalism and the care you put into your work.
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