CVs

What is a CV?

A Curriculum Vitae, or CV, is a list of accomplishments and qualifications usually used when applying for graduate school, grants, fellowships, artist residencies, and teaching opportunities. A CV is similar to a resume, but there are key differences. The advice on this document is mainly for United States CVs and pertains to undergraduate students.

Your goal when making a CV is to clearly, efficiently, and with common words show your audience that you have the qualifications for the position (or grant, fellowship, residency, etc.).

The Basics

It takes time to prepare an effective CV. Don’t forget to update it after a new accomplishment!

Organization/Content

Try to include and arrange information according to the relevance it holds for your audience. For instance, if you apply to a history grad program, “Performances” won’t be relevant, but a “Performances” section is relevant if you apply to a music program.

• Heading
  • Write your name at the top on a line by itself.
  • Include contact information under your name.
• Education
  • List your degree(s) and institutions. Don’t forget to include the degree you’re currently working on!
• Teaching (does what you’re applying to involve a teaching component?)
  • Include any teaching, tutoring, or mentoring experience you may have. For example: working in a writing center, tutoring students (in any subject), mentoring new students, working as a Teaching Assistant (TA), assisting in a K-12 class, being a camp counselor, etc.
• Research (are your research or research skills relevant?)
  • You can include your thesis/capstone and any substantial projects or papers you’ve worked on.
  • Additionally, (if these apply to you—many students won’t have these accomplishments yet) include: publications, conference presentations, honors, awards, fellowships, grants, and research experience.
• Arts Performances/Showcases/Exhibits (is what you’re applying to in a fine or performing arts field?)
  • Include solo or ensemble performances, gallery showings, exhibitions, festivals, arts groups/troupes you belonged to, etc.—anywhere you were able to share your work!
  • You may also include awards or honors.
• Additional Experience
  • You can include non-academic work, but try not to let it overwhelm your academic/arts work.
  • You may also include school organizations/committees; community outreach; volunteering; professional development; certificates; training; professional affiliations; language skills; technical skills; etc.

Format

• Don’t use a template. Start from a plain Word or Google doc. You don’t need to make your CV pretty or creative.
• For emphasis, use bold and capital letters. Avoid headers/footers, columns, lines, underlines, and borders.
• Unlike a resume, a CV can be as many pages as you need (but note that applications may require a “brief” or 1-2 page CV).

Some Finer Points…

• Know and write to your audience. Every time you send out a CV, it should be customized to your audience.
• CVs don’t usually include as much explanatory text as resumes. If you include descriptions for experience/accomplishments, be brief. Do include explanatory text if:
  • An experience is completely different from what that position implies.
  • You describe a project/research position.
• Entries under a section heading should be in reverse-chronological order (most-recent first).
• UMass is a nickname—write “University of Massachusetts Amherst” every time.

A Final Note…

• Look at recent successful CV examples in your field. If you have a friend in your field who was recently accepted into grad school or an arts program, ask to see their CV.