Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
A Curriculum Vitae (CV) is an essential document that complements your statement and other application materials. It serves as a concise overview of your qualifications, achievements, educational background, and interests.
Before drafting your CV or resume, take some time to reflect on your skills and determine which ones you want to emphasize. Begin by creating a rough draft, as revisions can always be made later. There is no single “correct” way to structure a CV or resume, as different people may offer various approaches, all of which can be valid.
For this type of document, the Chronological Resume format is often the most effective. It organizes your work experience and education in reverse chronological order, highlighting the most recent experiences first.
Below are some general guidelines. Please adjust them to fit your personal background and create a resume that presents you in the best possible light.
What to Include
Basic Information
- Your full name as you prefer to be professionally known (e.g., Jon Baker, Jonathon Edward Baker, Jon E. Baker).
- Your current address and phone number (where you can be easily reached).
- Your email address and any personal website or portfolio link (if applicable).
Note: You do not need to include personal details such as Social Security Number or Marital Status.
Objectives
Including an objective is optional, but if you choose to include one, it should clearly state your career goals. An objective answers the question: “What do I want to achieve?” Here are some example objectives:
- To gain acceptance into a graduate program in Physics.
- To secure a research position in a biochemical laboratory.
Educational Background (for each degree conferring institution)
- Institution
- City, Country
- Dates attended or graduation date
- Degree or certification obtained
- GPA (if proud of it)
- Major/minor/emphasis area
- Relevant coursework
- Specialized instruction
Experience
This part of your resume may include several sections such as work experience, volunteer experience (internships, community service, student teaching), campus leadership and any other area in which you may have significant experience, such as computer knowledge.
Briefly describe for each position
- Title, dates, organization name, location
- Responsibilities
- Use action words and verbs in active form to describe situations and achievements
- Include scope of responsibilities
- Concretely outline any outstanding results
Honors / Activities / Leadership / Special Skills
Front load these with those most important or most pertinent to your objective. You may want to use specific headings such as professional organizations, computer skills, and leadership positions. Include any honors, scholarships or recognition awards that you’ve received. If you were actively involved in any clubs, teams or committees while in college, those may be included also. The key to this section is keep it brief. If you feel you need more detail, use the guidelines for Experience and make it a complete section.
Interests
List some your interest which show you as an interesting and well-rounded person.
Layout
- Is limited to 1-2 pages, unless you have extensive work or educational experiences.
- Uses white space consciously and balances words on the page.
- Is laser printed on quality paper (20# white).
- Uses consistent visual elements to attract attention and emphasize highlights (bold, italics, underlining, font sizes, bullets).
- Use standard sans serif typefaces such as Helvetica, Futura, Optima, Universe, Times (not 10 pt.), Palatino and New Century Schoolbook, in size 10-14.
Writing quality
- Is clear and concise (easy to read and understand).
- Is consistent, using similar style throughout.
- Uses a variety of action verbs which describe situations and actions.
- Is perfect! Absolutely no typos, spelling errors, or grammatical errors.
- Uses appropriate tense (usually past, unless currently in activity).
- Avoids passive voice.