Curriculum Vitae (CV) Writing

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV) Writing Medicine Erin Lowery VCU University Career Center Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services Virginia Commonwealth University

2. Agenda • CVs • Purpose • CVs vs. Resumes • Content • Organization and Appearance

3. Purpose of a CV • What is your purpose in writing a CV? • To obtain an interview • To supplement an application • To prepare to complete applications • To prepare a recommender/reference • To apply for a scholarship/award/grant/fellowship • To provide a bio • Don’t just list information • Who is your audience/reader? • Be strategic

4. CVs vs. Resumes • A Curriculum Vitae is typically used for academic, teaching, research, higher education and medical positions • A CV tends to be more comprehensive and longer than a resume • A CV always starts with Education • A CV includes categories not commonly seen on resumes, including presentations, publications, research experience and interests, academic appointments, committees, conferences, fellowships, grants

5. Core Content Areas: Name and Contact Information Education Postdoctoral Training Certification/Licensure Honors Experience Research Experience Publications Presentations Professional Development Additional Categories: Objective or Professional Interest Statement Computer/Technical Skills Leadership Additional Experience Committees Academic Appointments Professional Development – training, professional organizations, workshops, conferences Community Service/Volunteer Foreign Languages Interests/Hobbies CV Content *Use the categories that fit your experience

6. Name and Contact Information • Do not write “Curriculum Vitae” on your CV • On top of page: • Name – slightly larger font size (14 or 16) • Contact information – legible font size (11 or 12) • Address • Phone number(s) (cell – screen calls, professional voicemail) • Email address (remove hyperlink, professional)

7. Name & Contact Information~Examples~ Jamie T. Student, M.D. 907 Floyd Avenue ▪ Richmond, VA 23284 ▪ 804.123.4567 ▪ studentj@vcu.edu _______________________________________________________________ JAMIE T. STUDENT, M.D. 907 Floyd Avenue Richmond, Virginia 23284 (804) 123-4567 studentjt@vcu.edu _______________________________________________________________ Jamie T. Student, M.D. Current Address: studentjt@vcu.edu Permanent Address: 907 Floyd Ave. 804.123.4567 123 Lovely Ln. Richmond, VA 23284 Fairfax, VA 32145

8. Education • List all degrees in reverse chronological order • Abbreviating degrees is appropriate; writing them out is my preference • GPA optional for graduate or professional school • Indicate graduation with honors • Do not include high school graduation

9. Education~Examples~ EDUCATION M.D., May 2007 Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA (in the tradition of the Medical College of Virginia) B.S. in Biology, magna cum laude, May 2002 The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA EDUCATION Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine Richmond, VA Doctor of Medicine 05/2007 The College of William and Mary Williamsburg, VA Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude 05/2002 Major: Biology, Minor: Psychology GPA: 3.88

10. Postdoctoral Training • Include internships, residency, and fellowships or any postdoctoral training • Locations • Dates, including months • Cities and states • Can include committees here or in another section such as professional development, activities, or leadership

11. Postdoctoral Training~Example~ POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING Hematopathology Fellowship, 08/2008-present Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC Resident in Pathology, 08/2004-08/2008 Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, • Chief Resident, 2006-present

12. Licensure & Certification • State and license number • Dates • National boards and parts

13. Licensure & Certification~Examples~ Licensure • Board Certification: American Board of Radiology 06/2009 • State of Virginia: License #33229 2007 • USMLE: Step I: 06/2004, Step II: 08/2005, Step III: 11/2007 BOARD CERTIFICATION Board Certification: American Board of Radiology, June 2009 USMLE: Step I: 06/2004, Step II: 08/2005, Step III: 11/2007 MEDICAL LICENSURE State of Virginia: License #33229, 2007

14. Honors • Honor Societies • Scholarships awarded • Other significant awards • May separate into undergraduate and medical school if you have many items • Reverse chronological order • Include graduation with honors in Education section (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude)

15. Honors~Example~ HONORS Medical School: Dean’s Merit Scholarship (2006-2007) Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society (inducted 2006) MCV Alumni Association of VCU Scholarship (2004-2006) Undergraduate: Samuel L. Wurtzel Scholarship (2000-2004) William and Mary Athletics Scholarship (2000-2003) Phi Beta Kappa (inducted 2003) Order of Omega Honor Society (inducted 2003) Golden Key International Honour Society (inducted 2002) Dean’s List (all semesters)

16. Experience • Focus on relevant experience • Only include experience obtained before medical school if it is relevant and significant • Include volunteer/community service completed during medical school • Do not include experience that is part of the Medical School curriculum • Include work experience that explains time gaps or a career change

17. Experience May divide into additional categories: • Relevant Experience • Additional Experience • Research Experience • Teaching Experience • International Experience • Health Care Experience • Volunteer Experience or Community Service

18. Experience Descriptions • Elaborate on your relevant experience • Use bullets, avoid paragraphs • Begin descriptions with strong, descriptive action verbs • Include complete but succinct descriptions • Avoid the use of personal pronouns • Focus on skills and accomplishments rather than including a comprehensive list of job duties • For less relevant experience, focus on transferable skills

19. Action Verbs • Use strong, descriptive action verbs to describe your experience • If it is a current experience, use the present tense • If it is a previous experience, use the past tense • Avoid gerunds (-ing) • Vary your action verbs (refer to action verb list in CV guide) • Avoid “duties include” or “responsible for” • Refrain from using “handled” or “dealt with” when referring to people

20. Examine Perform Interpret Prescribe Administer Diagnose Counsel Evaluate Treat Confer Monitor Assess Refer Specialize Repair Consult Communicate Document Teach Implement Supervise Manage Collaborate Plan Medical Action Verbs

21. Experience~Example~ EXPERIENCE Fan-Free Clinic Richmond, VA Medical Clinic Assistant January 2007-Present • Assist physicians - take vital signs, obtain patients’ medical histories and conduct physical exams. SMILE Program Richmond, VA Volunteer August 2005-May 2006 • Served as a buddy to children during and following cancer treatments. American Medical Student Association Washington, DC Intern, Health Policy and Politics May-August 2003 • Conducted research on medical malpractice. • Scheduled and conducted lobby visits.

22. Community Service/Volunteer~Example~ COMMUNITY SERVICE Chesterfield Youth Center, Richmond, VA, October 2006-June 2007 • Tutored underprivileged children in math and science • Coordinated a community health fair with a team of volunteers Camp Bruce McCoy, Chesapeake, VA, May-June 2006 • Took an interdisciplinary team approach in working with campers with traumatic brain injury • Adapted activities for a variety of functional levels Habitat for Humanity, Newport News, VA, July 2005 • Collaborated on a team to build affordable homes for low-income families

23. Research Experience • Institution or organization and department • Principal investigator, supervisor or advisor • Research topic or title • Your title/role • Dates (months and years) • Short description of project and your role

24. Analyze Assess Clarify Collaborate Collect Compare Conduct Determine Consult Disprove Document Evaluate Examine Extract Formulate Gather Identify Research Action Verbs Invent Investigate Locate Manage Measure Monitor Organize Perform Research Review Solve Summarize Supervise Survey Study Teach Test

25. Research Experience~Example~ RESEARCH EXPERIENCE National Institutes of Health – Summer Research Fellowship Program National Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Research Bethesda, MD Research Assistant 05/2005 – 08/2005 • Principal Investigator: Frank Balis, MD • Assisted with a clinical research study of cancer patients • Conducted interviews of patients and assisted in conducting physical exams The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Health Physics Austin, TX Research Assistant 06/2004 – 05/2005 • Project Title: The Leaching of Cesium-137 from Cement-Based Matrices • Supervisor: Dr. Anthony Stark • Investigated the effect of cement-based matrices on the inhibition of radioactive leaching • Collected and performed statistical analysis of data

26. Publications and Presentations • Include published articles • Publication year or “in press” if accepted but not yet published • Use correct medical bibliographic citation • Include relevant presentations, including poster presentations at conferences or association meetings • Include presentation title, name of conference and association, location, audience, and date

27. Publications and Presentations~Examples~ PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS Stark, A.E., P.L. Jeffries and J.T. Student. 2005. The leaching of cesium-137 from cement-based matrices. Journal of Health Physics, 142(5): 1492-501. Presented at the Annual Conference of the Health Physics Research Society, Washington, DC, April 23-25, 2005. PRESENTATIONS Fillmore, P.D., P. Gerding and J.T. Student. Effect of an intra-corneal fluid interface following keratotomy on intraocular pressure measurement by applanation. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, April 25, 2006.

28. Professional Development • Focus on relevant organizations, committees, workshops, and conferences • Highlight leadership positions • Include memberships in professional organizations and student organizations related to field • Include years of membership • Can be combined with Honors or another section • List in reverse chronological order

29. Professional Development~Example~ ORGANIZATIONS & COMMITTEES • Institutional Committee for Graduate Medical Education (2007-present) • Judicial Hearing Panel, 2008 • American Medical Student Association (2005-2007) • President, local chapter (2007) • VCU School of Medicine, Honor Council Representative (2005-2007) • Richmond Academy of Medicine (member since 2005) • Medical Society of Virginia (member since 2005) • American College of Physicians (member since 2004)

30. CV Organization and Appearance • Consistent organization is critical to an effective CV • The appearance and organization of the CV is just as important as the content • Skim … in less than 10 seconds

31. Avoid templates Consistent organization Use horizontal space Balanced page Fill the page White space between sections and entries Use tabs, not space-bar to indent Use “print preview” If you use more than one page, include “Name, Page #” & avoid stragglers on all subsequent pages Use bold, CAPS, italics and underlining strategically and sparingly Be consistent with heading style and margins Use one font style and size (except for your name and/or headings) Font: Times New Roman or Arial Font size: at least 11 Margins: at least 1.0 inch Avoid paragraphs Use bullets, not dashes Avoid numbering your sections CV Organization

32. CV Appearance - Proofread • Use all periods or no periods at the end of bullet points • Dashes used in dates – consistent size, consistent spacing • Check for spelling and grammatical errors • Spellcheck does not check words in all caps • Avoid personal pronouns

33. CV Appearance - Final Copy • Avoid graphics, pictures (exception: picture included in residency application), color ink • Print on laser printer • Use high quality, 100% cotton paper in white or off-white • Don’t staple or fold • Don’t print on both sides of paper • If mailing, use large envelope

34. References/Recommenders • List 3-5 professional references on a separate document following the CV • Copy and paste your contact information at the top of the page • When listing references include name, title, organization/institution and department, business address, phone number, and email • Don’t write “References available upon request” on your CV • ALWAYS ask permission from person giving you the reference • Inform your references of the positions you’re applying for so they are prepared • Offer your references/recommenders a copy of your CV

35. REFERENCES Judy Smith, M.D. VCU School of Medicine Department of Neurology 417 N. 11th St. Richmond, VA 23219 Phone: (804) 828-9350 Fax: 804 828-9355 jsmith@vcu.edu References~Example~

36. VCU University Career Center Erin Lowery erlowery@vcu.edu University Student Commons Monroe Park Campus www.students.vcu.edu/careers 828-1645