Perfecting My Resume Theresa M. Duello, PhD Associate Professor Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Associate Director of Diversity Initiatives Endocrinology-Reproductive Physiology Program University of Wisconsin-Madison tmduello@wisc.edu

Curriculum vitae or CV – A history of a person’s professional life and qualifications. vitae – singular vita – plural Resume – A document that contains a summary of relevant job experience and education

Resume . . . . . . . . A hybrid . . . . . . . . . Curriculum Vita Changes will parallel your advancement through the educational system into the career of your choice

Resumes

Duello version

Absolutely! According to L&S Career Services Rules of resumes There are very few rules in resume writing. They are: • Include only relevant information • Do not have any spelling errors or other typos • Be 100% truthful Absolutely!

The rest is personal preference with the help of career advisors, professors, mentors, and other people who know a lot about resumes or your field. Ultimately, it needs to come down to what you want. All we can give you is suggestions based on our experience, such as: • Use nouns instead of active verbs to begin your descriptive lines Supervised vs Supervision of . . . Developed vs Development of . . . • Do not use personal pronouns (I, me, my) • Do not use unnecessary punctuation • Use bullet points Use indentation to set off categories.

• Make sure your format is consistent and flawless. • Do not include high school information (with exceptions) (I’ll say more on this topic.) • If you choose to include a “Relevant Coursework” section, make sure to only list courses that will show breadth or depth • Make it as long as you need to say everything. Call it a curriculum vita (CV). • Use caution with templates. Haven’t see a template I like.

Why do you need a curriculum vita? 1) To have a record of your professional history 2) To organize what you would submit in an application to graduate or professional school 3) To plan what you would want to include in an essay/ personal statement for graduate or professional school To inform those you ask for letters of recommendations of your activities

Remember that you are providing the CV to a stranger.

Common problems and solutions - Problem: Incomplete contact information Solution: Complete contact information Problem: Not list anticipated graduation date Solution: List anticipated graduation date. Problem: ‘Objective’ too vague/global or incorrect. Solution: It is not required to state an ‘Objective’, but if you do make sure it is specific to the position for which you applying. (Can state objective in cover letter.) Have different ‘versions’ for different ‘purposes’.

Problem: Don’t know where to list certain activities. Solution: If you need another category, invent one. Problem: Having relatives or close friends edit your resume. Solution: Have several people from your field of interest critique your resume. Not just people who love you. Not just people with whom you share living space. Not only the one graduate student or professional student you happen to know.

Problem: Poor description of research. Solution: Speak as a scientist. Do not just list techniques. You are not applying to be a technician. “Talk the talk. Walk the walk.” Problem: Inability to connect references to experiences. Solution: Indicate supervisor or principal investigator with activity, but do NOT list contact information.

Bold or underline headings. Don’t use both. Do not abbreviate. University of Wisconsin-Madison, not UW GPA on a 4.0 scale GPA 3.3/4.0 Do not use parentheses around dates (or anywhere else) Capitalize ‘Present’ Ex: 2006 - Present Do not number lists of activities At least one inch margins

Abbreviate months. Phrases. Not sentences. Absolutely no personal pronouns. Never put contact information for employers/supervisors in the body of a resume or CV Research or Laboratory Experience does not include chemistry/physics/biology course labs Extracurricular activities are only organizations, not ‘interests’ or hobbies

Where?

Anticipated Grad May 2012

Add a category if you need one - Certifications/Licensures Professional Societies Campus Student Organizations

Margins too small. Not easy to read.

splitting?, feeding, reproduction No lab slang

Resume/CV Hybrid tmduello@wisc.edu 608-363-7456

One inch margin all around No OBJECTIVE on CV

Name and contact info EDUCATION is always next. Then LICENSURES if any. Then HONORS AND AWARDS

One font Only headings in BOLD Do not need to BOLD and underline and use italics and use colons. Just messy. No lines dividing

Double space Institution Major GPA on scale Graduation

The first part is standard. Now things begin to vary. What would make sense?

What would make sense? If you are looking for a research position, RESEARCH EXPERIENCE goes next. If you are looking for a teaching position, TEACHING EXPERIENCE goes next. If you are looking to do community outreach position, COMMUNITY OUTREACH goes next. If you need another category, make one up!

Your title Department Institution City, State

Not ‘Smith lab’ Indicate PI or Supersivor

What you did. Noun Maybe what you found. “Demonstration of two forms . . “ Why it is important

Same as when you interview - I worked with Dr. Theresa Duello in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology who studies the disparate burden of infant mortality to African American women. This is what we did . . . . This is what we found . . . . This is why it is important . . . . Significance!

Standard bibliographic format

Standard bibliographic format

Can summarize activities

Nevers These are some categories that shouldn’t be included on a CV. • Height, weight, and social security number • Reasons for leaving previous jobs • Pictures of yourself • Salary information • References Note: Some people put date of birth, place of birth, marital status on CV.

References on separate page Not ‘References upon request’

Curriculum Vita

Please see me IF – You are a medical student interested in a visiting rotation in Surgical Oncology in Obstetrics and Gynecology. You are an MD with an oncology specialty or a PhD interested in a career in patient-oriented therapeutic research who would like to train in our Academic Clinical Oncologist Training Program.

Thank you SNMA for allowing me to present. The pleasure is mine! Theresa M. Duello, PhD tmduello@wisc.edu