D5: Write an effective CV
Introduction
There is no one perfect way to write a CV, as different employers and sectors will have different preferences for CV formats. There are also differences in CV styles in different countries. In this section we present general advice and signposting to some useful resources that are tailored for researchers in the UK and applicable to most employment sectors.
Whatever advice you take, make sure you arrange for someone who is not an expert in your research to read and give you feedback on your CV before you send it out.
There are two main types of non-academic CV that you might consider:
· Classic Chronological – a standard CV which lists your education and work experience in chronological order
· Competency or Skills-based – a CV that orders your skills, education and experience under different skills and competencies. This style is worth considering if you are making a big change away from academia or research – it will prioritise and focus on the skills you offer and make the ‘drastic’ career change less obvious.
· Classic Chronological – a standard CV which lists your education and work experience in chronological order
· Competency or Skills-based – a CV that orders your skills, education and experience under different skills and competencies. This style is worth considering if you are making a big change away from academia or research – it will prioritise and focus on the skills you offer and make the ‘drastic’ career change less obvious.
General CV presentation advice:
1. A non-academic CV should be no longer than 2 sides and keep to whole pages as a page and a half can give the impression you have run out of things to say.
2. Use reverse chronological order in all sections, i.e. list your recent experiences first.
3. Make it easy to read with a clear typeface such as Arial and a font no smaller than 11 point.
4. Break it up with headings and subheadings.
5. Be concise and use short and snappy statements, not lengthy paragraphs.
6. Bullet points and key words in bold can help the reader and will add emphasis. Remember the higher in the bullet point order you place activities, the more relevance you are placing on them.
7. Check for correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.
8. Head up your CV with your name rather than ‘Curriculum Vitae’
2. Use reverse chronological order in all sections, i.e. list your recent experiences first.
3. Make it easy to read with a clear typeface such as Arial and a font no smaller than 11 point.
4. Break it up with headings and subheadings.
5. Be concise and use short and snappy statements, not lengthy paragraphs.
6. Bullet points and key words in bold can help the reader and will add emphasis. Remember the higher in the bullet point order you place activities, the more relevance you are placing on them.
7. Check for correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.
8. Head up your CV with your name rather than ‘Curriculum Vitae’
You can see more CV advice and do’s and don’ts at:
· Jobs.ac.uk Classic CV guidelines
· Vitae’s advice on creating an effective CV
· University of Birmingham’s advice for PGRs on creating a non-academic CV
CV examples
The following websites offer examples of CVs that present researcher skills and experiences to a non-academic audience:
· Researcher CV examples: Vitae have created a set of 18 CVs.They represent six different researchers. For each researcher they present the same information as classic chronological, competency and academic versions.
· Researcher non-academic CV with feedback comments: Dr Sara Shinton prepared two versions of a researcher’s CV. The first version received feedback from a number of experts: both academic and non-academic. The CV was then revised based on the feedback. Both versions are available to download to use as examples along with the feedback they received. It is interesting to see that the comments and feedback are quite subjective, so you need to decide the best approach and style for your own CV and the position you are applying for.
· The prospects website also has a large selection of CV examples in many different formats (skills, chronological, academic, technical, teaching, as well as video CVs)