For academic CVs, all the advice from my previous post about CVs still apply. However, there are some specific tips for academic CVs that I have listed below.
- List Everything!!!! And remember to put details, what did you do? Put numerical values whenever you can, and describe the competition if you can (ie. National Competitive award for $20,000/year for 5 years), if it is a publication what was your role for the publication.
- Example of some categories to include in your CV
- Academic: Education History, Research, Publications, conference abstracts and presentations, interviews, research funding, grants, scholarships and awards, employment related to research?, patents, organizations you are part of (ie. American Society of Human Genetics).
- Non Academic: non research/non academic employment, mentorship, leadership, teaching, volunteering (both at the university/college or in the community) and if you were part of any committees (graduate committees, chair of a society?, graduate student rep?, union rep?). Just to name a few categories that I have seen.
- Remember academic positions want you to have research excellence (you can show that with your publications, conferences and scholarships/awards).
- But you can also demonstrate leadership abilities and management/ mentorship abilities. (you can show this with listing who you have mentored, or do you have any leadership activities?)
- My biggest tip of all!!! Compile a list of activities you have done for your CV when you start or complete an activity. You can do it when you have a bit of time, even now, years before you are thinking of applying. These CVs can be used for scholarships/grants/awards etc. It’s easier to compile a list of activities slowly as you are completing these activities than writing a CV from scratch.
These are some of the tips that have worked for me. I would also check your institution/granting agencies for more institution or award specific CV criteria. Hope these help you. Best of luck!