Creating a Resume from a Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Resumes and CVs also have different audiences. A resume is a strategic document that helps you proceed through the process of your next step. A CV emphasizes your academic accomplishments, research, and teaching, while your resume is about your skills, qualifications, and work experience. For your resume, focus on your accomplishments, strengths, and transferrable skills directly relevant to the position you are applying to. Furthermore, your resume needs to be concise and scannable for multiple stages in the screening process. First, applicant tracking software that sorts, scan, and ranks your resume based on an algorithm aligned with the job posting. Next, by individuals in the HR department to further narrow the applicant pool, and finally by a hiring manager who is an expert in the role’s day-to-day.

  • Resumes are about skills and experience, not being a subject matter expert, focus on what you have done, not
  • what you know
  • Remove all sections that are not highly relevant to the position you are applying to
  • Tailor to the job/program applying for
  • When applying for industry positions, keep resume to 1-2 pages
  • Use 10-12 size font in a professional style
  • Margins should be no smaller than 0.5 inches
  • Experiences are to be listed in reverse chronological order or by importance/relevance
  • Proofread! Check punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure
  • Use verbs similar to those found in the job posting or that kind of work
  • Use nouns (keywords) that relate to things that are part of the job with which you may have previous experience
  • All dates, abbreviations, and formatting should be consistent
  • The top half of the page is the most important section

  1. Who is my audience? To whom am I writing, and why will they care?
  2. What are your research skills? Show what you can do, not what you know.
  3. What experiences are most relevant to the position?
  4. Do my descriptions summarize what I’ve learned or accomplished?
  5. Which competencies and skills do I want to highlight throughout my resume?
  6. Can the reader visualize my experiences?

  • Publications
  • Presentations/Conferences
  • Affiliations
  • Academic service
  • Fellowships and academic awards (unless it is grant writing with a national or international organization)
  • References

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