After years of pouring your heart and time, leave alone your hard-earned money, into completing a doctorate, it’s time to get into the job market.
However, in as much as you consider yourself a marketing genius or prolific philosopher, you can’t seem to land yourself any job. You have spent hours and weeks trying to craft the perfect academic CV and cover letter, but you haven’t received any response from the countless organizations you’ve applied to.
Well, when it comes to landing your dream job, you need to ensure you bring your A-game to the table by curating and structuring your CV in a way that makes you stand out. Think of it as a date night with your long-term crush.
You wouldn’t just show up with basic clothes and boring conversations – you’d spray on your favorite scent, put on red carpet-worthy attire, and hone your inner Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal.
If you don’t know where to start or how to curate a killer CV, here are some expert-approved tips on how to craft a job-winning academic CV:
First things first…
Academic CVs are different from regular CVs used by non-academic professionals. They include employment histories and educational backgrounds and consist of research experiences publications and awarded funding, among other items.
Academia is also one of the only fields that do not limit your CV pages. Yes, you can make yours five pages or seven pages long, but be sure to input the relevant information ONLY (It’s not to list your expertise in backstroke swimming or banana bread making).
It’s important to note that some employers might indicate a CV page limit, so before you go all out on yours, make sure you study the job listing and ensure it doesn’t highlight any information regarding a page limit for your CV.
More important than length is the structure of your CV. The most crucial information should be on the first page, and the very first item should be your name and not the term ‘curriculum vitae.’
Your contact information should come in next and include a professional email address – avoid inputting inappropriately worded personal accounts. Also, your current work email account will expire once you leave, so avoid using it in your CV.
Most individuals also use generic terms like ‘I’m a hardworking individual with a Ph.D. and great at working with teams.’ Avoid these at all costs. Instead, curate a personal statement that makes you stand out from the crowd. You can do so by concentrating on your unique selling points.
You might also want to consider including a personal statement to make your CV stand out. However, rather than going for the same old generic terms like ‘I’m a hardworking individual with a Ph.D. in philosophy,’ focus on your unique selling points.
Finally, make sure that you're listing your experiences in reverse chronological order. CV writing is not about logic or what seems reasonable to you –it‘s about anticipating the organization’s needs and trying to make the recruitment process effortless.
Remember, recruitment officers spend an average of seven seconds skimming your CV before deciding on whether you’re qualified or not. Therefore, if they cast a glance and see a paper dated 2005 at the top, they might conclude that you haven’t published anything since and cast you out as a potential candidate for the job.
Steer away from jargon – this isn’t a spelling bee competition. Use words that will give the hiring manager easy reading through your CV (you don’t want to keep sending them to the dictionary).
Be sure to also keep your CV orderly by including ample margins, an inch on all sides, and space between every section.
Don’t shy away from using bullet points in some sections – they make your CV look neat and present your qualifications succinctly. If you use them, though, try to limit them to five per section, listing the most relevant points at the top. If you have more than five points, be sure to break the section into relevant sub-sections.
Use a consistent style for your headings, sub-headings, and main text. It helps make clear which content belongs together and makes your CV presentable. It’s one of the first things recruitment officers look at, so be extra keen.
As for the font, many CV writing experts recommend using the Times New Roman in 12-pt font size.
Employers are also keen on spelling and grammar, so ensure to ask someone, preferably an editor, to proofread your CV.
Like your resume, ensure you tailor your academic CV to your audience.
You need to think carefully about the department you’re applying to. Does it pride itself on the quality of instruction compared to publications? If so, list your teaching experience before your publications.
If, however, you’re applying to a university department that has conventionally valued publications over teaching accomplishments when it comes to making tenure and promotion decisions, then your publications should precede your teaching experiences.
When push comes to shove, the best way to write an impeccable academic CV is to seek multiple opinions at every stage. Every department expects different things from a CV, so be sure to ask an expert in your field for feedback on how best to format and structure your CV.
Talk to successful persons in your field and ask them if they can share a sample CV with you. It will allow you to craft a CV that will impress your recruiters.
Your CV will change and grow as you climb your career ladder. It would help if you found a suitable way of keeping track of your accomplishments and experiences. When it comes time to submit a CV to another organization, you don’t scramble to remember recent awards, fellowships, and presentations.
You can keep a CV folder on your computer and progressively update your work experiences and accomplishments, or have a composite CV that includes formatted information about everything you’ve done so far.
You can keep updating the composite CV document throughout the year, and when you need to submit a new CV, you can paste the items from this document onto a new one.
Whichever option you choose, ensure you keep track of the incredible things you’ve done so that nothing is left out.
When writing an academic CV, you need to focus on highlighting the key aspects from your publications and research work, along with relevant educational experiences that make you qualified for the role you’re applying to.
Formatting and structuring your CV in an orderly and visually appealing manner will help the hiring manager quickly notice the relevant information and make your CV stand out from the crowd.
If you still feel stuck after reading and re-reading your CV, be sure to seek professional help, to send out the best CV. Bayt.com provides professional CV writing services that job seekers like you can use.
