Writing a Curriculum Vitae
A curriculum vitae (CV) is a summary of your education, research, and academic experience. The primary differences between resumes and CVs are length and content. Resumes are brief summaries of your experiences, usually one page in length. A curriculum vitae is longer, usually two pages or more, and is a more detailed synopsis of your experience and qualifications.
There are three situations when a CV is commonly used:
- when applying for graduate school
- employment positions within the field of academia or focused on research
- international employment positions
Like a resume, your CV should include your name, contact information, education, experience, and references. In addition, your CV will likely include several additional sections. Here are some common section headings:
Research Experience | Professional Affiliations |
Teaching Experience | Professional Development |
International Experience | Service and Volunteer Experience |
Awards & Honors | Fellowships & Grants |
Languages | Licenses/Certifications |
Publications | Presentations |
Templates
You are invited to use one of these templates to help you get started with writing your CV. After filling the template with your own information, be sure to personalize your CV by changing the font, adjusting the margins, adding or deleting sections, altering the layout, etc. Always save CVs and resumes with your name in the title, such as FirstNameLastNameCV.doc.
Sample CVs
Career Services is available to review your CV draft. However, we also recommend that you have at least one faculty member from your department review your CV since there are different standards and expectations for each academic field.
Resources for writing your CV
- Writing the Curriculum Vitae
- A resource from Purdue University
- Writing Your Curriculum Vitae
- A resource from NovoResume.com that contains tips and a free template.
- CV Overview and putting the elements together
- A resource from Berkeley University
- Preparing a CV-Proven Success Strategies
- Contains a CV outline, as well as other resources
- Goshen College Resume Resources
- Provides general information about professional writing techniques