Expanding Your Resume: The Curriculum
Vitae
By their
very definition, resumes are supposed to be brief summaries of your skills
and abilities: short, but attention-grabbing. A great resume uses keywords and
catch phrases to highlight your accomplishments and abilities and if done well,
is your ticket to getting you at least as far as an interview.
On a resume, personal
details are a big no-no, and anything much longer than two pages isn't the
standard in most cases. Your resume is simply a launch pad into the Human
Resources office and once there, your interview is your opportunity to share
all the details of your education, work history, and experience.
So, with all the emphasis
on the "right" resume, is there ever a time when it's appropriate to
share a bit more about yourself as part of the job search process before the
interview? Absolutely!
Enter the Curriculum Vitae
From the Latin for
"vital," vitae means a short description of one's life and a Curriculum
Vitae, or CV for short, is pretty much that — a sort of Extended Play version
of your resume, if you will. More biographical in nature, a CV often includes
personal information and may run several pages long. Accomplishments are
detailed, rather than highlighted.
It may seem hard to believe
that people actually require CVs, given all the focus on how writing a great
resume is the crucial key in landing a job interview. In most cases, this still
holds true…a great resume is still the key to getting your foot in the
door. But if you ever decide to seek a job in academia, apply for a fellowship,
or apply for work overseas, then developing your CV is necessary.
Over Here, Over There
In the U.S., the most
likely time you'll need to submit a CV is if you apply for an academic,
education, scientific, or research position. You may need to submit one if
you're applying for fellowships or grants as well. Have a list of
accomplishments that includes publications and presentations? A CV is
absolutely essential, especially in the academic and research fields.
If you're seeking work out
of the country, submitting a CV is the norm in British Commonwealth and
European countries, as well as the Middle East, Africa, and Asia
(which pretty much covers most of the rest of the world). Although not
necessarily expected in the United
States, all that information you've been
taught to keep off of your resume will probably need to go on your CV for an
out-of-country employer, since many of them expect to see more personal details
about you, including where you were born, your date of birth, and marital
status. In some countries, you may even need to include a photo!
Nitty-Gritty Details
So what exactly does a CV
entail? For starters, expect it to be more than two pages long, because you'll
be providing a lot more detail about your background and skills, including your
work history, educational and academic background, teaching and research
experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations, and any
other pertinent information, including samples of your work, if appropriate. If
you've been in the workforce for awhile, it's not unheard of for a CV to be 10
to 15 pages long…or more!
You may need to develop
more than one CV, just as you might have more than one version of your resume.
It depends on what you're applying for and what you want to have front and
center on your CV. A CV for an academic position stateside will need to look
different than a CV you might submit to an international oil company for an
executive position halfway around the world.
Chances are, if you're a
researcher or a scholar, you probably know all about CVs, but if you don't, not
to worry! Job postings will (hopefully) specify what they need in terms of a
resume or CV. If you're not sure, a simply inquiry with the people doing the
hiring will get you the answer you need.
Source: ResumeEdge
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