What is a Curriculum Vitae or CV for short?
This document, in opposition to a resume, is not limited to a page or two. Instead, a CV is like an in-depth resume providing your life’s work, which is roughly what Curriculum Vitae translates to from Latin. As stated, there is no page limit, therefore, you have the ability to present the entire history of your professional career starting after high school, whether that be attending university or vocational school or perhaps jumping right into the work field. Furthermore, as indicated through the title of the CV, it is geared towards displaying your lifetime achievements in an academic/professional setting. To learn more, a great resource is the Balance Careers.
What to include in the CV?
The CV is very similar to the resume in topics to cover, but adding additional merit and professional achievements relevant to a specific position. Be sure to incorporate the following themes in your CV:
- Education
- Professional affiliations
- Honors and awards
- Service and outreach
- Teaching experience (if applicable)
- Research experience
- Additional experience (programs and jobs that are applicable for the position you are applying for)
- Extracurricular activities
Remember when building your CV, you want it to cater to the specific company (grad school) as well as the position you are applying for. When doing this, you build a platform to really discuss your character and abilities that make you a fit applicant for the job.
How to create your CV?
Since it’s similar to a resume in formatting by topics, the design of both your resume and CV may have some visual similarities. You can take the traditional route of a black and white design, or recently, people have been putting more color into their resumes (and even CVs)! This part is really personal and up to you, so I suggest simply Googling samples. There are so many resources and images online that can help you find a template or inspire you to create your own.