Start with your CV/Resume
Mitzi R. Norris, PhD
Office of Institutional Academic Affairs
May 17, 2017
CV/Resume
•Context
•Content
•Cosmetics
•Q&A
Context
•What is a CV?
• Curriculum vitae
• Resume
• Vita
Context
•What is the difference between a CV and
a resume?
• CV is usually longer
• CV for academic position
Context
•What does a CV/resume do?
• Paints a word picture
• Describes who you are
• Documents your accomplishments
• Helps you get an interview/position
Context
•Must be ACCURATE
• Paper trail
• Possible dismissal from program
• Misrepresentation
• Publications – cite accurately
Who Needs a Copy?
• ERAS
• Dean letter writer
• Reference letter writers
• Interviewer
• External rotations
CV/Resume
•Context
•Content
•Cosmetics
•Q&A
Content
• Contact
• Education (exclude high school)
• License/Certification
• Honors/Awards
• Work Experiences
• Service/Activities
• Other information
Content
• Contact information
• Name – resolve any discrepancies
• Documents in maiden name
• Use middle name
• Address – current and permanent
• Phone – professional
• Appropriate message on voice mail
• Email - professional
Content
• Education (most recent first)
• School (college and med school)
• Location
• Date of graduation (anticipated)
• Degree
• Can include majors, minors, concentrations
• Academic distinction
• Summa cum laude, magna cum laude
Content
• License/Certification
• USMLE
• BLS, CPR (give expiration date)
• EMT, RN (give expiration date)
Content
• Honors/Awards
• Academic awards
• Scholarships
• Honor organizations
• Special Schools (Honors College)
• Community service awards
• Eagle Scout
Content
• Work Experience
• List dates
• Must account for time
• Types of work to include
• Full time
• Medically related
• Volunteer experiences
• Use action verbs
• MAKE AN IMPACT
Action Verbs/Narrative
• Distinguish yourself
• What you have done/not what you will do
• Describe skills
• Document success
• Measurable results
• Add depth
• Avoid understatement
Action Verbs
• Assisted with children reading groups
• Coordinated reading groups at a local child care
center. Supervised six volunteers and developed
weekly schedule.
http://
owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/543/02/
Action Verbs
• OWL categories of action verbs
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Communication skills
Creative skills
Data/Financial skills
Helping skills
Management/Leadership skills
Efficiency skills
Technical skills
Content
• Activities
• Include memberships in organizations
• List leadership positions
• Describe using action verbs
Action Verbs
• Work with homeless shelter.
• Developed an organization that provides assistance to
area homeless shelters by organizing food and coat
drives at least annually. Organized an annual holiday
football game to raise money for the homeless shelter.
The group has been in existence for 3 years and has
raised $12,000.
Content
• Service/Activities – Other Ideas
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
http://app.ihi.org/lms/onlinelearning.aspx
Poverty Simulation – Center for Bioethics and Medical
Humanities
Excellent Teacher
https://www.umc.edu/excellent_teacher/
Content
•Other information
• Publications
• Include thesis
• Cite accurately
• Cite appropriately – APA or other format
• Types of citations
• “In press” – list acceptance date
• “Submitted” – list submission date
• Take copy of published articles or acceptance
letters
Content
• Other information
• Research
• List title, hypothesis, time period, mentors
• “Manuscript in progress”
• Take confirming documents to interview
• Significant presentations
• Take copy of published abstract or meeting program
Content
• Other information
• Military Experience
• Language proficiency
• Be prepared to converse
• Outside Interests
• Choose wording
• Outdoors vs hunting
• Political organization vs Democratic Party
• Make sure you have recently participated
• Read a book
• Been in a race
Content
• Add headings if you have significant information
• Leadership
• Scholarship (separate from “Awards”)
Check!
• Check spelling
• Print and read
• Have someone knowledgeable read
• Copy edit
• Familiar with your achievements
• Keep updated
• Start NOW!
CV/Resume
• Context
• Content
• Cosmetics
• Q&A
Cosmetics
• 2-3 pages
• Balanced page – text and white space
• Quality paper
• White, gray, or ivory
• 20-24 pound paper
Cosmetics
• Margins
• 1–1½“
• 1 ½” at the top (?)
• 1” at the bottom
• Parallel
• Word type (verb, adverb, noun)
• Style
• Font
• Underline/Italics/Bold/All caps
Cosmetics
•Font
• Size: 11-12
• Style: Serif (Times New Roman) or San
serif (Arial)
• No more than two styles
• Can use san serif for headings
• Serif is described as easier to read
• Don’t use crazy font
Cosmetics
• Organization
• Underline/Italics/Bold/All caps
• Use bold or all caps sparingly – look at overall design
• Don’t use ALL!!
• If more than one page include header or footer
• Page numbers if needed (>2 pages)
• Emphasis
• Use sparingly
Cosmetics - Density
Density
Line Spacing
Cosmetics
• Don’t use “Resume” or “Curriculum Vitae”
• Can section off contact information with a horizontal line
• Can use columns
• Bullets – To use or not to use
Final Thoughts
• Emphasize strengths
• Clear
• Concise
• Accurate
• Use action words
A good CV/resume will…
• Document your accomplishments
• Give the reviewer some insight into your personal
attributes
• Provide the interviewer something to ask about
References
•
Chambler, AFW, Chapman-Sheath, PJ, Pearse, MF. A model curriculum vitae: what are the trainers looking for? Hospital Medicine, 1998 April;
59(4): 324-326.
•
Chung CK1, Hernandez-Boussard T, Lee GK."Phantom" publications among plastic surgery residency applicants. Ann Plast Surg. 2012
Apr;68(4):391-5. doi: 10.1097/SAP.0b013e31823d2c4e.
•
Greg M. Galdino, Michael Gotway, The digital curriculum vitae, Journal of the American College of Radiology, Volume 2, Issue 2, February 2005,
Pages 183-188, ISSN 1546-1440, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jacr.2004.08.004.
•
Fuhrman GM1, Dada S, Ehleben C. Application submission date reflects applicant quality. J Surg Educ. 2008 Nov-Dec;65(6):397-400. doi:
10.1016/j.jsurg.2008.06.009.
•
Konstantakos, Emmanuel K., Laughlin, R.T, Markert, R.J., Crosby, L.A. Follow-up on Misrepresentation of Research Activity by Orthopaedic
Residency Applicants: Has Anything Changed? The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery Sep 2007, 89 (9) 2084-2088; DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.G.00567
•
Emory University School of Medicine http://medicine.emory.edu/research/documents/Action%20Verbs.pdf
•
Iserson, K.V. (2006) Iserson’s getting into a residency: A guide for medical students (7th Ed.) Galen Press, LTD: Tucson, Arizona.
•
Olson, D. P., Oatts, J. T., Fields, B. G., & Huot, S. J. (2011). The Residency Application Abyss: Insights and Advice. The Yale Journal of Biology and
Medicine, 84(3), 195–202.
•
Patel, MV, Pradhan, BB, Meals, RA. Misrepresentation of research publications among orthopedic surgery fellowship applicants. Spine (Phila Pa
1976), 2003 Apr 1; 28(7):631-6.
•
Purdue Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/641/01/
•
Sater, L., Schwartz, J.S., Couppland, S., Young, M., Nuguyen, L. H. P. Nationwide study of publication misrepresentation in applicants to residency.
Medical Education 2015:49:601-611; doi:10.1111/medu.12729
•
University of North Carolina https://www.med.unc.edu/ome/studentaffairs/residency-and-the-match/residency-application-process/cv-personalstatements
•
Wordpress http://contemporesume.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/is-your-resume-sabotaging-your-job-search/
•
Ziegelstein, R. C. (2007). “Rocking the match”: applying and getting into residency. Journal of the National Medical Association, 99(9), 994–999.
•
Gonzalez J. The application process: A timetable for success [Internet] 2011. [cited 2011 June 22]. Available from: http://www.amaassn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/our-people/member-groups-sections/minority-affairs-consortium/transitioning-residency/the-application-processa-timetable-success.page? .
Questions??
[email protected]