Perfecting My Resume

Theresa M. Duello, PhD

Associate ProfessorDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Associate Director of Diversity InitiativesEndocrinology-Reproductive Physiology Program

University of Wisconsin-Madison

tmduello@wisc.edu

Curriculum vitae or CV –A history of a person’s professional life and

qualifications.

vitae – singularvita – plural

Resume – A document that contains a summary of relevantjob experience and education

Resume . . . . . . . . A hybrid . . . . . . . . . Curriculum Vita

Changes will parallel your advancement through the educational system into the career of your choice

Resumes

Duello version

Rules of resumes

There are very few rules in resume writing. They are:

• Include only relevant information• Do not have any spelling errors or other typos• Be 100% truthful

According to L&S Career Services

Absolutely!

The rest is personal preference with the help of careeradvisors, professors, mentors, and other people who know a lot about resumes or your field. Ultimately,it needs to come down to what you want. All we can give you is suggestions based on our experience, such as:

• Use nouns instead of active verbs to begin your descriptive lines

Supervised vs Supervision of . . . Developed vs Development of . . .

• Do not use personal pronouns (I, me, my)

• Do not use unnecessary punctuation

• Use bullet points Use indentation to set off categories.

Why do you need a curriculum vita?

1) To have a record of your professional history

2) To organize what you would submit in an application to graduate or professional school

3) To plan what you would want to include in an essay/ personal statement for graduate or professional school

4) To inform those you ask for letters of recommendations of your activities

Remember that you are providing the CV to a stranger.

Common problems and solutions -

Problem: Incomplete contact information Solution: Complete contact information

Problem: Not list anticipated graduation date Solution: List anticipated graduation date.

Problem: ‘Objective’ too vague/global or incorrect. Solution: It is not required to state an ‘Objective’, but if you do make sure it is specific to the position for which you applying. (Can state objective in cover letter.)

Have different ‘versions’ for different ‘purposes’.

Problem: Don’t know where to list certain activities. Solution: If you need another category, invent one.

Problem: Having relatives or close friends edit your resume. Solution: Have several people from your field of interest critique your resume.

Not just people who love you. Not just people with whom you share living space. Not only the one graduate student or professional

student you happen to know.

Problem: Poor description of research. Solution: Speak as a scientist. Do not just list techniques. You are not applying to be a technician.

“Talk the talk. Walk the walk.”

Problem: Inability to connect references to experiences. Solution: Indicate supervisor or principal investigator with activity, but do NOT list contact information.

Bold or underline headings. Don’t use both.

Do not abbreviate. University of Wisconsin-Madison, not UW

GPA on a 4.0 scale GPA 3.3/4.0

Do not use parentheses around dates (or anywhere else)

Capitalize ‘Present’ Ex: 2006 - Present

Do not number lists of activities

At least one inch margins

Abbreviate months.

Phrases. Not sentences.

Absolutely no personal pronouns.

Never put contact information for employers/supervisors in the body of a resume or CV

Research or Laboratory Experience does not include chemistry/physics/biology course labs

Extracurricular activities are only organizations, not ‘interests’ or hobbies

Where?

Anticipated Grad May 2012

Certifications/Licensures

Add a category if you need one -

Professional Societies

Campus Student Organizations

Margins too small. Not easy to read.

splitting?, feeding, reproduction

No lab slang

tmduello@wisc.edu608-363-7456

Resume/CV Hybrid

One inch margin all around

No OBJECTIVE on CV

EDUCATION is always next.Then LICENSURES if any.Then HONORS AND AWARDS

Name andcontact info

One fontOnly headings in BOLD

Do not need to BOLD andunderline and use italics anduse colons. Just messy.

No lines dividing

InstitutionMajorGPA on scaleGraduation

Double space

The first part is standard. Now things begin to vary.

What would make sense?

What would make sense?

If you are looking for a research position, RESEARCH EXPERIENCE goes next.

If you are looking for a teaching position, TEACHING EXPERIENCE goes next.

If you are looking to do community outreach position, COMMUNITY OUTREACH goes next.

If you need another category, make one up!

Your titleDepartmentInstitutionCity, State

Not ‘Smith lab’Indicate PI or Supersivor

What you did.

Why it is importantMaybe what you found.“Demonstration of two forms . . “

Noun

Same as when you interview -

I worked with Dr. Theresa Duello in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology who studies the disparate burden of infant mortality to African American women.

This is what we did . . . .

This is what we found . . . .

This is why it is important . . . . Significance!

Standard bibliographic format

Standard bibliographic format

Can summarizeactivities

Nevers

These are some categories that shouldn’t be includedon a CV.

• Height, weight, and social security number

• Reasons for leaving previous jobs

• Pictures of yourself

• Salary information

• References

Note: Some people put date of birth, place of birth, marital status on CV.

References on separate pageNot ‘References upon request’

Curriculum Vita

Please see me IF –

You are a medical student interested in a visiting rotation in Surgical Oncology

You are a medical student interested in a visiting rotation in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

You are an MD with an oncology specialty or a PhD interested in a career in patient-oriented therapeutic research who would like to train in our Academic Clinical Oncologist Training Program.

Thank you SNMA for allowing me to present.

The pleasure is mine!

Theresa M. Duello, PhDtmduello@wisc.edu