EDITOR'S POST

What is a curriculum vitae?

Q.What is a curriculum vitae?

A. A curriculum vitae (a.k.a. vita) is a comprehensive biographical statement emphasizing professional qualifications and activities. C.v.'s tend to be low on "hype" and consist mostly of lists: publications, research, grants, honors, awards, presentations, fellowships, consultations, workshops, etc. It is typically much longer than a business resume, and is used primarily by job applicants in fields like academics and consulting; as a supporting document with a grant or contract funding proposal; as part of a periodic review by an employer; as part of application for membership in a professional society or organization; as part of an application to a graduate school; or as a background statement for an introduction at an important convention presentation. Other than publication titles, a c.v. may not give a strong indication of the candidate's expertise.

A typical c.v. consists of the following sections:

• Personal Data. Your name, phone number, e-mail address, etc, like on a resume. It's also common to include the month the c.v. was last updated on the first page.

• Educational Background, Employment Experience. These two sections follow the format of the reverse chronological resume. Use action verbs and little punctuation.

• Professional Affiliations and Honors. Names of local, state, regional and national professional associations in which you have current membership (in alphabetical order). Length of affiliation is seldom of interest (e.g., "member of X since 1913")

• Professional Service. Leadership positions you've held in associations at any level: memberships on major committees, task forces, boards; elected offices you've held, etc. Membership in professional honorary societies; receipt of competitive assistantships, scholarships, fellowships, etc.; teaching or research awards. Give dates.

• Publications/Creative Works. Bibliographic citations of articles, pamphlets, monographs, chapters in books, research reports, etc., that have been published or accepted for publication. Listing works that have only been submitted for publication or are in progress is considered tacky. Keep joint authorship straight.

• Description of papers presented at conferences: title, name of conference, dates and location. Sometimes this is split into presentation by competition, and presentation by invitation and consulting. Also list workshops and seminars conducted in this category. These may be listed in reverse chronological order to be consistent with the education and experience sections and because your most recent publications are probably more relevant.

• Recent and Current Research. Description (if applicable) of research projects recently conducted or in progress: type of research, purpose, etc.

• Civic, religious, and service activities.

• Other important items.
  

Never ever list essentially the same activity twice in different sections.

In contrast, resumes are sales tools. The well written resume is designed to make it abundantly clear what you have a accomplished, and what you can do for a potential employer. When an employer reads a resume, you want to make sure it is written so that they feel a compelling need to call you and find out about your interest in their position. In the business world, people don't have the time to spend trying to figure out what you can do from your multi-page lists of accomplishments. You have to tell them that in a brief resume.

Never submit a c.v. instead of a resume, unless specifically asked for one. Once you've interested them enough with your resume, they will probably ask you to fill an "employment application" form that will list all of your past jobs, just like a c.v.

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