What’s a curriculum vitae? What’s it good for? - How to prepare a curriculum vitae, cover letter, and personal statement - Other topics in scientific communication

How to write and publish a scientific paper - Barbara Gastel, Robert A. Day 2022

What’s a curriculum vitae? What’s it good for?
How to prepare a curriculum vitae, cover letter, and personal statement
Other topics in scientific communication

My one regret in life is that I am not someone else.

—Woody Allen

What’s a curriculum vitae? What’s it good for?

Whereas those in business write résumés, we in the sciences generally prepare curricula vitae (CVs). Both a résumé and a CV present key facts about one’s professional background. However, the two differ somewhat in content and structure.

Literally, curriculum vitae means the course of one’s life. A CV shows the course of your professional life. Figure 36.1 shows a CV of a fictional graduate student. Although the facts of this person’s life are imaginary, the kinds of information provided are fairly typical: address and other contact information, education, honors, research, teaching, publications, and other professionally relevant experience.

A CV has many uses. You may be required to provide one with your thesis. Supplying one is standard when you apply for a job. Grant applications commonly include CVs. You will need to submit one if you are being considered for tenure, and you might need to provide one for your annual review. If you are nominated for an award, you may be asked to submit a CV to the selection committee. You should not, however, offer your CV when asking someone out on a date (as one socially awkward young scientist did).

If you are seeking a position in industry, you may be asked for a résumé rather than a CV. Early in one’s career, a CV and a résumé may be almost the same. However, a résumé commonly states an objective at the beginning. Also, duties generally are listed for jobs held. Whereas a CV can run several pages or more, a résumé normally is limited to one or two pages, thus sometimes requiring that information be condensed. Many websites, books, and university career centers offer guidance on résumé preparation and provide sample résumés. If you need to prepare a résumé, consider using such resources.

Figure 36.1. Sample CV.