Curriculum Vita
“The course of one’s life”
General Information:
 Your academic resume
 Purpose of a CV is to inform
o What information about you is relevant to the specific position you are
applying for?
o What would the reader of your CV want/need to know?
 You need to tailor you CV to the specific position you are applying for
o Research vs. applied vs. teaching
Structure:
 CVs are usually two pages at the shortest and can be many pages in length
o Common lengths for CVs are one to three pages for bachelor and master’s
degree candidates
 Even though it is a longer document, write it concisely and give it a clean, easy to
read layout
o But include as much information as possible that is relevant to the position
you are applying for
o Don’t be shy!! Put your best foot forward
 But don’t put everything!!
 Some use chronological ordering of information within each section, while others
use reverse chronological ordering. Either is fine – but be consistent!!
o Early on in your career it is recommended to do reverse chronological
order
Formatting:
 Content determines length – it will grow throughout your academic career
o You will constantly be updating it
 Avoid using fonts size less than 10-point and flashy fonts
o Stick to Times New Roman or Arial
 Number your pages
 APA format – 1 inch margins
 To create a more readable and distinctive CV, you may use indentation, bold and
italic text and more than one type of font.
o Be consistent
o Don’t be too flashy!
Includes (this varies person to person, * = always included):
 *Contact Information
o Name, address, phone, email
 *Education / academic background
o Degree, year degree was awarded (expected), university, major
o Most current first
 *Research experience and interests
o Laboratory experience
 Type of projects, duties, supervisor, length of time
o General indication of research interests
 *Professional development / experience
o Conference presentations or papers
 Present in APA format
 Bold your name in reference
o Workshops attended
 Professional association and committee leadership positions and activities
o Professional memberships (Psi Chi)
 Student affiliate in APA, etc.
o Service activities
o Committee memberships
o Professional workshops
 Thesis papers
 Internships
 Fieldwork
o Community Involvement / Volunteer work
 *Academic awards, scholarships, and fellowships
o Don’t be humble
o List each award, granting institution, date awarded (if only one – i.e.
graduation honors, maybe combine in education)
 Publications / Grants
o Bold your name in reference
 Special training / Certificates and licensure
 Foreign study and travel abroad / Language competencies
 Technical and computer skills
 *Interests – future academic or professional goals
 *References
o Three is minimum
Does NOT include:
 Personal information (birth date, marital status, social security number)
 Stuff from high school – unless extremely relevant (but this looks like padding)
 Anything not relevant to graduation school and the degree you are pursuing
Helpful sites
Association for Psychological Science:
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/apssc/uu/articles/curriculumvita.cfm
Vita tips: http://www.socialpsychology.org/vitatips.htm
Sample template: http://www.socialpsychology.org/vitatemplate.htm
Sample vita: http://www.gradview.com/careers/cv.html
APA curriculum do’s and don’ts:
http://www.apa.org/careers/resources/academic/vitae-tips.aspx
Writing your curriculum vita: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/careerminded/200806/writing-your-ciriculum-vitae
Eunice Q. Student
100 N. Michigan
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 867- 5309
Estudent@uic.edu
Objective:
Earn a Masters degree in I/O Psychology
Education: (do not include high school or earlier)
B.S. in Psychology (Applied track), expected June 2001, University of Illinois at Chicago
GPA: 4.3/5.0
Honors and Awards:
Dean’s List, Spring 2000
Psi Chi Honor Society
Best Undergraduate Research Paper Award, 2002
(any scholarships or awards)
Scholarly Activity: (list any undergraduate poster fair or regional/national
conference presentations or publications)
Student, E. Q. (2001) Why Stroop was right. Poster presented at the UIC
Undergraduate Research in Cognition Poster Fair, Fall 2002.
Academic-related Experience: (any work in psychology or other labs,
volunteering/jobs related to psychology, or tutoring)
Tutor at Elementary School, Fall 1999-Spring 2000
Tutored students in math at local elementary school.
Directed Research with Professor Farley, Fall 2000-Spring 2001
Ran experiments in dating preferences.
Responsible for running subjects and entering data.
Volunteered at Rape Crisis Hotline, Summer 1998
Camp Counselor at Camp for Children with AIDS, Summers 1996-7.
Other Activities/Interests:
Student Affiliate of APS
Fluent in both Polish and English
Working knowledge of SPSS
IRB Human Subjects Training
Employment History: (other jobs not directly related to psychology or academic
interests)
Starbucks Barrista, 1/96-present