Personal Statements & Curriculum Vitaes

Personal Statements

• Essay Edge Samples - click on edited essay + critique (we do not suggest using paid services- UCC advisors will critique your statements in an appt.)
• Using English Samples - Additional samples
• Do's & Don'ts Colgate University
• DeLoggio - Specific information for choosing a law school

Vita vs. Résumé

There is no standard definition of "curriculum vitae," "CV," or "vita," but generally the focus is more on academic preparation, research, and publications than in a résumé. Another significant difference is that a vita is not limited by length. A master's level vita may be three or four pages, while persons with doctorates may have vitas of ten or more pages in length. Content determines the length.

As with a résumé, a vita should be written in concise language, perfectly typed, edited, and duplicated, logically organized, and tailored to each specific position. On pages other than the first, put the page number, your name, and your phone number. Begin descriptions with action verbs, emphasizing accomplishments and achievements. Names, dates, and titles should be consistently in the same place within entries. Always package a vita with a personalized cover letter.

Vitas have no set format. Consult with professionals in your field about what to include and appropriate layout. Be complete but concise. The order of sections is determined by your strengths: experienced candidates may begin with experience, inexperienced candidates may begin with educational background.

Key Points

1. Use action verbs to describe experiences and accomplishments
2. List in reverse chronological order within each section
3. Target vita to desired position or audience
4. Use format or style consistent with your professional field
5. Be stylistically consistent within each section
6. Send cover letter with each vita
7. Do NOT include personal information such as age, Social Security number (SSN), ethnicity, religious affiliation, marital status, or photographs
8. Place dates on the right side of the page, not the left
9. Have a professional in your field check your vita in addition to Career Services
10. Use standard-sized, white or light-colored cotton bond with ample margins

What do I include?

There are no rules about what you can include in a vita, but here are some suggestions:

Personal/Contact information

• Name
• Address
• Phone number(s)
• Email address

Summary of Qualifications/Skills

Academic Background

• All degrees, including in progress. Include month and year of degree and name of institution. Project an "Expected" date of completion for degree in progress
• Majors/minors/concentrations/emphases as defined by the institution.
• Thesis and dissertation titles
• Honors (or could go in an "Honors" category)
• Fellowships (or could go in an "Honors" category)

Professional Licensure. Include type of license(s) and expiration date(s)

Academic/Teaching Experience

• Teaching assistant or course assistant
• Courses taught: include course title, level, and number of students
• Courses developed: include course title and level
• Innovations
• Summary of evaluations
• Awards

Publications/Research Activities

• Journal articles
• Books § Chapters in books
• Magazine articles § Grants
• Works in progress or submitted
• Cite in format appropriate to your discipline
• Include joint-authored publications and research

Related or Other Experience

Consulting Experience

• Academic
• Professional outside academe

Volunteer Experience

• Civic
• Academic/Professional

Professional Accomplishments

• Non-teaching and non-publication
• Honors and awards: national, state or provincial, and local

Presentations

• Papers
• Workshops
• Seminars
• Panels

Service

• Academic
• Professional outside academe
• Community
• Committees
• Public Relations

Professional Development

• Conferences attended
• Workshops attended

Professional Skills

• Technical skills specific to lab equipment or processes
• Computer skills: software and hardware
• Statistical tests/analyses appropriate to discipline
• Other relevant technical skills

Academic/Research Interests

Professional Affiliations/Memberships

Foreign Language Skills

References

• Ask person in advance to serve as professional reference
• List on page separate from vita
• At least 3, preferably 4 or 5
• Page heading including your name (and other contact information if you wish) and the word "References"
• Include each reference's name, title, current address, phone number, e-mail address
• Use business or office contact information unless reference offers home information
• May include best hours to contact
• May include relationship to you, e.g., "Doctoral advisor at The University of Kansas"
• Provide each reference a copy of your vita Cover Letter

Key Points

1. Send with vita via any postal service, fax, or e-mail
2. Highlight specific qualifications related to the desired position
3. Add pertinent details; do not simply rehash the vita
4. Use complete sentences, active voice
5. Try to send to a specific person

Business letter format

• Block (left-justified) is simplest and most common
• Date letter in the heading
• May use heading from vita (copy and paste)
• Formal closing, such as "Sincerely,"
• Sign in ink and type name (unless e-mail)
• Print on paper identical to vita
• One page is best

Content

First paragraph

• Indicate desired position, including job posting number, if appropriate
• Tell how you learned about the position
• Mention name of person who referred you, if any
• Write a "catchy" opening sentence, making reader desire to know more

Second paragraph (may be two or more paragraphs)

• State your skills/strengths that parallel those needed to succeed in the position
• Give detailed and specific examples from experience that support your fit to the position
• Address both required and preferred qualifications in order from the position announcement with examples when possible
• Highlight achievements, results of experiences

Closing paragraph

• Identify follow-up plan
• May call to verify receipt of materials
• Express interest in face-to-face contact (interview or meeting)
• Refer to enclosed documents: vita, references
• Offer additional information or documentation if needed
• Give phone number at which you can be reached and best time to call
• Thank the reader for time and consideration

Useful Resources Websites

http://chronicle.com/jobs/archive/advice/talk.htm - Chronicle of Higher Education column with numerous helpful articles on all sorts of higher education job search topics, including vitas

http://www.careers.ucr.edu/Students/Graduates/CV.html - University of California, Riverside provides a sample vita and letter of application

http://career.studentaffairs.duke.edu/graduate/find_job/apply/cv.html - Duke University provides three sample vitas and guide to letters of application for faculty positions

http://www.math.uic.edu/jobs/vita.html - University of Illinois at Chicago provides tips on preparing a vita

http://www.socialpsychology.org/vitatips.htm - several Do's and Don'ts adapted from teaching materials first developed by Philip Zimbardo

http://www.careers.pitt.edu/cybercounselor/pdf/CVexample.pdf - Curriculum Vita Example from Pittsburg State University

http://www.unt.edu/vpaa_fy0405_fhb/Forms/vita.doc - Vita and Biographical Data Sheet Example - a form to guide you through the development process

Books available in UCC Career Library

The Academic Job Search Handbook, Second Edition, Morris Heiberger and Julia Miller Vick, 1996, University of Pennsylvania Press.

Developing a Professional Vita or Résumé, Third Edition, Carl McDaniels, 1999, Ferguson Publishing.

Job Search Handbook (for English Grad Students Seeking Professorships), compiled by graduate students in English at KU, about 1996.

The Right Fit: An Educator's Career Handbook and Employment Guide, Judy A. Strother and Darrel R. Marshall, 1990, Gorsuch Scarisbrick, Publishers.

Available Free at UCC

The Higher Education Job Search: A Guide for Prospective Faculty Members, American Association for Employment in Education, 1997.