CVs & Résumés for Graduate Students Ian Robertson.
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Transcript of CVs & Résumés for Graduate Students Ian Robertson.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the session, you will be able to…
Differentiate between a CV and a résumé Describe the key principles of effective CV’s and
résumés Identify the types of information commonly included Describe how information is commonly organized
A Few Notes on Terminology CV = Curriculum Vitae = Latin for “course of life”
Résumé = French for “summary”
In this part of the world (western North America)… CV = a document with an academic teaching or research focus résumé = a document with a non-academic focus
In many parts of the world, both terms are often used synonymously and the terms “academic résumé” or “academic CV” are used to differentiate
Some Commonalities
Both CV’s and résumés are…
Summaries of your education, experience and accomplishments
Documents that support your professional career development, most commonly in the work search or grant application processes
Formatted to be scanned by the person looking at them rather than carefully read through from beginning to end
Some Differences
CV’s…
Are focused on academic work with an emphasis on research and teaching
Aim to provide comprehensive information
Are often long – 5, 10, 20 or more pages
Résumés…
Are focused on non-academic work with an emphasis on related competencies (skills, knowledge and attributes)
Aim to summarize key information
Are generally 1 to 2 pages maximum
Key Principles Common to Both Content is organized into relevant, clearly defined sections,
generally with more relevant information higher in the document
Work and academic experiences appear in reverse chronology
Formatting choices (fonts, margins, etc.) are consistently applied, make scanning easy and highlight critical information
Document is free from grammatical mistakes or typos
Content and format decisions are made with the reader in mind
Résumés
What kinds of information do you typically find on a résumé?
What is necessary and what is optional?
Résumé Content
Core information
Personal Contact Info Education Work Experience Competencies (skills,
knowledge and attributes) References
Optional information
Objective Summary or Profile Community Involvement Additional Training and
Certification Professional Memberships Interests
Résumé Formats
Chronological
Most common format - generally preferred by employers
Statements describing competencies appear only under specific work, volunteer or educational experiences
Easier to prepare than other formats
Résumé Formats
Functional
Fairly common format Statements describing competencies appear only
in thematic groups separate from the list of work, volunteer and educational experiences
More difficult to prepare than a chronological résumé
Résumé Formats
Combination
Fairly common format Statements describing competencies appear in
thematic groups AND under specific work, volunteer or educational experiences
Most difficult format to prepare effectively
UVic Competency Frameworks
Faculty of Graduate Studies has developed A set of 9 competencies for graduate students
Co-op and Career has developed A set of 10 core competencies common to all programs Additional program specific competencies A set of 4 international competencies
Faculty of Graduate Studies: 9 Competencies
Intellectual & Creative Capacity
Knowledge Development
Knowledge Translation Teaching &
Dissemination Research Development
& Project Management
Leadership & Personal Resourcefulness
Global Citizenship & Civic Engagement
Integrity & Ethical Conduct
Career Development
Co-op & Career: 10 Core Competencies
Personal Management Communication Managing Information Research and Analysis Project and Task
Management
Teamwork Commitment to Quality Professional Behaviour Social Responsibility Continuous learning
Accomplishment Statements…
Describe the competencies (skills, knowledge, attributes) you demonstrated in specific experiences
Are expressed in terms of visible behaviours Are not vague (“experienced in research”, “responsible
for classroom instruction” do not cut it) Follow a consistent format beginning with a descriptive
action verb and followed with concrete, contextual information
Describe the outcomes you achieved (include numbers to quantify when possible)
Accomplishment Statements
Competency – Teaching and Dissemination
“Designed and delivered a new course entitled ‘Beyond tonalism and atonalism’ which engaged students in an experiential exploration of new directions in contemporary music”
Accomplishment Statements
Competency – Research and Analysis
“Used in vitro single cell neurophysiological recording and stimulation to study developmental emergence of two serotonin-mediated forms of synaptic plasticity”
“Synthesized findings from 12 research studies on organic blueberry farming to identify best agricultural practices and prepare information sheet distributed to berry farmers in British Columbia”
Accomplishment Statements
Competency – Leadership and Personal Resourcefulness
“Organized and led a group of student and faculty representatives from nine humanities and social science departments to promote issues of concern to indigenous students on campus”
Accomplishment Statements
Competency – Communication
“Listened effectively to an average of 40 technical support customers a day to better understand their needs and successfully implement solutions”
Accomplishment Statements
Competency – Project and Task Management
“Used customized project management software to coordinate the recruitment and training of 32 new employees over a six-month period”
Sample Résumés
Competency – Project and Task Management
“Used customized project management software to coordinate the recruitment and training of 32 new employees over a six-month period”
CVs
What kinds of information do you typically find on a CV?
What is necessary and what is optional?
CV Content
Core information Personal Contact Info Education Awards & Distinctions Research Interests Research Experience Teaching Experience Publications & Presentations Professional Affiliations References
Optional information Objective Summary or Profile Professional Service Non-academic Work
Experience Competencies (skills,
knowledge and attributes) Additional Training and
Certification
CV Format
CV’s are generally organized according to a chronological format… however…
… There is no rule against following a functional or combination format
Competencies, if they are expressed at all, are usually listed under the relevant experience or summarized in a Profile or Highlights section
New Academics/Professionals Your résumé and CV may closely resemble one another
A Research Interests section is probably the easiest section to add in right away to begin building a CV
Look for opportunities in your program to gain experience building key sections of your CV: Research Experience, Teaching Experience, Publications, Presentations, Professional Affiliations
Talk with your supervisor and other faculty members about CV building opportunities
Established Academics/Professionals Your résumé and CV should be clearly differentiated documents
Be meticulous in compiling all your experience in the key sections of your CV: Research Experience, Teaching Experience, Publications, Presentations, Professional Affiliations
Ask your colleagues for feedback
Services and Support
Résumé and CV resources are available on our website: http://www.uvic.ca/coopandcareer/
The Career Educators from Co-op and Career are available to review your draft résumés and CVs
We look forward to working with you!