Writing a curriculum vitae for graduate school UNL Undergraduate Psychology Organization & Psi Chi Carolyn Brown-Kramer, PhD Assistant Professor of Practice UNL Department of Psychology Also called a CV or vita, the curriculum vitae is, as its name suggests, an overview of your life's accomplishments, most specifically those that are relevant to the academic realm. In the United States, the curriculum vitae is used almost exclusively when one is pursuing an academic job. The curriculum vitae is a living document, which will reflect the developments in a scholar/teacher's career, and thus should be updated frequently. Thanks to Christina Fielder, UNL Career Services, on whose notes this presentation is based!

How is a resume different from a CV? Different purpose Different length Different format Different focus Make sure you provide whichever one the application requires! Have them generate ways these are different Different purpose: The goal of a resume is to construct a professional identity; the goal of a CV is quite specifically to construct a scholarly identity. Different length: 2+ pages rather than 1 (Remember, however, that length is not the determinant of a successful CV. You should try to present all the relevant information that you possibly can, but you should also try to present it in as concise a manner as possible.) Different format: More detail is allowed in a CV; don’t have to boil a 2-year position down into 1 bullet point. Order of sections can vary. Different focus: Your abilities as a developing scholar within your discipline, not your strengths as an employee

Employment vs. Academic Resume Employment resume Academic curriculum vitae 1-2 pages Approx. 2 pages, longer for upper-level grad students & faculty members Skill/experience focused List focused Selected history Complete history Tailored to organization/position Broad (though may be tailored somewhat) Self-promotion Just the facts Few presentations or publications listed Research & teaching listed Reviewed quickly for advancement to interview Reviewed extensively with other documents for admission—with or without interview

Reorder, add, remove to emphasize your strengths Typical Categories Name & contact information (name, address, phone, email) Education (undergraduate & graduate only) Academic experience Related employment Research projects/interests Publications/presentations Honors & Awards Departmental & community service Scholarly/professional memberships Reorder, add, remove to emphasize your strengths The layout and order of your resume should be determined by what you want to emphasize to the admissions committee. The most important and relevant experiences should be at the top, while the least are at the bottom. Imagine if the committee was crunched for time and can only discuss the top two‐thirds of your resume. Organize accordingly.

Name & contact information OK to provide current and permanent address Don’t refer to “Parent address” Professional email address is a must School email is OK Consider a professional email not tied to your school

Education Education – This should be the most important entry in your resume. After providing the basics (name of undergraduate college / university, degree, graduation date, major, minor, GPA, etc), select the outstanding academic accomplishments to highlight for the admissions committee. These may be sub‐topics under Education or they may be their own categories. Areas that may be included are:  Research  Scholarships  Independent Study  International Study    Honoraries  Conferences  Presentations  Publications

Academic Experience Academic Experience, Course Highlights, and/or Internships—could break into three separate sections – Highlight particularly relevant academic courses by providing more details about these courses. Describe two to three upper‐level courses that provided hands‐on experiences or in‐depth study with bullet statements. Include only the most salient courses relevant to your intended graduate school major. Do not list all courses. Also, most graduate schools prefer applicants with a combination of academic and experiential preparation. Some graduate schools require volunteer or internship experience. Provide details about your related experiences.    

Academic Experience (continued) Particularly relevant academic courses No more than 2-3 upper-level courses with hands-on experiences or in-depth study Bullet statements Helpful to include both academic & experiential preparation Relevant volunteer or internship experience Academic Experience, Course Highlights, and/or Internships – Highlight particularly relevant academic courses by providing more details about these courses. Describe two to three upper‐level courses that provided hands‐on experiences or in‐depth study with bullet statements. Include only the most salient courses relevant to your intended graduate school major. Do not list all courses. Also, most graduate schools prefer applicants with a combination of academic and experiential preparation. Some graduate schools require volunteer or internship experience. Provide details about your related experiences.    

Relevant Employment Employment— List the most relevant and recent job positions (paid or unpaid).  Be sure to include 2‐3 bulleted points that highlight the skills and experiences that will best support your application for graduate school and your major area of study. Note this is RELEVANT employment—if you flipped burgers at McDonald’s and it has nothing to do with your desire to do neuropsychology, omit it!

Research Projects (or Research Interests) Describe any thesis/UCARE/McNair/other research experiences here. 2-3 sentences or bullet points are appropriate What research topics interest you? What might you want to pursue in graduate school? (But don’t pigeonhole yourself!)

Publications/Presentations Use 100% correct APA style. You can put your name in bold to make it stand out.

Honors & Awards It is appropriate to include a brief description of a few key awards/honors, particularly if they are really prestigious or the reader may not be familiar with them. For instance, Nebraskans probably know what the Regents Scholarship is and how prestigious it is, but someone at University of California will have no idea. Include only merit-based awards, not awards based on financial need. Include the value of the award, if applicable (e.g., “full tuition” or $3,500 per year for 2 years)

Departmental & community service Volunteer, Community, and/or Extra‐Curricular Involvement – If you participated in campus or community activities that developed your leadership, time management, or other skills important to your success in graduate school, include these activities and provide details that show your active participation. 

Departmental & community service (continued)

Scholarly/professional memberships Psi Chi Other honorary societies Consider omitting fraternity/sorority membership unless you were a leader

For each thing you include in your CV, consider these questions: What did you accomplish? (What were the outcomes of your work?) How did your work help the organization? How is it relevant to your goals? How does it demonstrate increasing maturity/responsibility/success over time? Give numbers/outcomes wherever possible. How many kids did you work with at the daycare? How many students did you see each week when you worked in the writing center?

Formatting Visually appealing – leave white space Consistent heading styles & formatting throughout Consistent verb tenses throughout Use compelling action words (avoid “responsibilities included…”) NO TYPOS, NO GRAMMATICAL ERRORS! Submit only PDFs to save your formatting!

What NOT to include High school awards & experiences “Padding” or exaggeration Don’t provide photo, date of birth, SSN, marital status, or other inappropriate info

Resources University of Wisconsin Superior: Graduate School Resume https://www.uwsuper.edu/career/students/upload/GradRes-Info.pdf Purdue OWL: Writing the Curriculum Vitae https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/641/1/ USC Rossier: How to Prepare a Resume for a Masters Program https://rossieronline.usc.edu/blog/how-to-prepare-a-resume-when-applying-to-a-masters-program/ Cornell University Graduate School: Resumes and CVs http://gradschool.cornell.edu/career-services/resumes-and-cvs Kisses of Death in the Graduate School Application Process by Appleby & Appleby (2006): http://psychology.unl.edu/psichi/Graduate_School_Application_Kisses_of_Death.pdf http://psychology.unl.edu/psichi/Graduate_School_Application_Kisses_of_Death.pdf

Other questions? I’m happy to give feedback on your CVs—just make an appointment and send me what you have.