Start with your
CV/Resume
Mitzi Norris, PhD
Office of Institutional Academic Affairs
University of Mississippi Medical Center
CV/Resume
• Context
• Cosmetics
• Content
Context
• What is a CV?
• Curriculum vitae
• Resume
• Vita
Context
• What is the difference between a CV and a resume?
• CV is usually longer
• CV for academic position
Context
• What does a CV/resume do?
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Paints a word picture
Describes who you are
Documents your accomplishments
Helps you get an interview/position
Context
“It is what it is.”
Context
• Must be ACCURATE
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Paper trail
Possible dismissal from program
Misrepresentation
Publications – cite accurately
Who Needs a Copy?
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ERAS
Dean letter writer
Reference letter writers
Interviewer
External rotations
CV/Resume
• Context
• Cosmetics
• Content
Cosmetics
• 1-2 pages
• Balanced page – text and white space
• Quality paper
• White, gray, or ivory
• 20-24 pound paper
Cosmetics
• Margins
• 1–1½“
• 1 ½” at the top (?)
• 1” at the bottom
• Parallel
• Word type (verb, adverb, noun)
• Style
• Font
• Underline/Italics/Bold/All caps
Cosmetics
• Font
• Size: 11-12
• Style: Serif (Times New Roman) or San serif (Arial)
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No more than two styles
Can use san serif for headings
Serif is described as easier to read
Don’t use crazy font
Cosmetics
• Organization
• Underline/Italics/Bold/All caps
• Use bold or all caps sparingly – look at overall design
• Don’t use ALL!!
• If more than one page include header or footer
• Page numbers if needed (>2 pages)
• Emphasis
• Use sparingly
Cosmetics - Density
Density
Line Spacing
Cosmetics
• Don’t use “Resume” or “Curriculum Vitae”
• Can section off contact information with a horizontal
line
• Can use columns
• Bullets – To use or not to use
CV/Resume
• Context
• Cosmetics
• Content
Content
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Contact
Education (exclude high school)
License/Certification
Honors/Awards
Work Experiences
Activities
Other information
Content
• Contact information
• Name – resolve any discrepancies
• Documents in maiden name
• Use middle name
• Address – current and permanent
• Phone – professional
• Appropriate message on voice mail
• Email - professional
Content
• Education (most recent first)
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School (college and med school)
Location
Date of graduation (anticipated)
Degree
• Can include majors, minors, concentrations
• Academic distinction
• Summa cum laude, magna cum laude
Content
• License/Certification
• USMLE
• BLS, CPR (give expiration date)
• EMT, RN (give expiration date)
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
http://app.ihi.org/lms/onlinelearning.aspx
Teaching in Medical Education: Residents as Teachers
http://www.umc.edu/Education/Academic_Affairs/Academic_Counse
ling/Teaching_in_Medical_Education/Teaching_in_Medical_Education
_Home.aspx
Content
• Honors/Awards
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Academic awards
Scholarships
Honor organizations
Special Schools (Honors College)
Community service awards
• Eagle Scout
Content
• Work Experience
• List dates
• Must account for time
• Types of work to include
• Full time
• Medically related
• Volunteer experiences
• Use action verbs
• MAKE AN IMPACT
Action Verbs/Narrative
• Distinguish yourself
• What you have done/not what you will do
• Describe skills
• Document success
• Measurable results
• Add depth
• Avoid understatement
Action Verbs
• Assisted with children reading groups
• Coordinated reading groups at a local child care
center. Supervised six volunteers and developed
weekly schedule.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/543/02/
Action Verbs
• OWL categories of action verbs
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Communication skills
Creative skills
Data/Financial skills
Helping skills
Management/Leadership skills
Efficiency skills
Technical skills
Content
• Activities
• Include memberships in organizations
• List leadership positions
• Describe using action verbs
Action Verbs
• Work with homeless shelter.
• Developed an organization that provides assistance
to area homeless shelters by organizing food and coat
drives at least annually. Organized an annual holiday
football game to raise money for the homeless
shelter. The group has been in existence for 3 years
and has raised $12,000.
Content
• Other information
• Publications
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Include thesis
Cite accurately
Cite appropriately – APA or other format
Types of citations
• “In press” – list acceptance date
• “Submitted” – list submission date
• Take copy of published articles or acceptance letters
Content
• Other information
• Research
• List title, hypothesis, time period, mentors
• “Manuscript in progress”
• Take confirming documents to interview
• Significant presentations
• Take copy of published abstract or meeting program
Content
• Other information
• Military Experience
• Language proficiency
• Be prepared to converse
• Outside Interests
• Choose wording
• Outdoors vs hunting
• Political organization vs Democratic Party
• Make sure you have recently participated
• Read a book
• Been in a race
Content
• Add headings if you have significant information
• Leadership
• Scholarship (separate from “Awards”)
Check!
• Check spelling
• Print and read
• Have someone knowledgeable read
• Copy edit
• Familiar with your achievements
• Keep updated
• Start NOW!
Final Thoughts
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Emphasize strengths
Clear
Concise
Accurate
Use action words
A good CV/resume will…
• Document your accomplishments
• Give the reviewer some insight into your personal
attributes
• Provide the interviewer something to ask about
References
 Chambler, AFW, Chapman-Sheath, PJ, Pearse, MF. A model curriculum vitae:
what are the trainers looking for? Hospital Medicine, 1998 April; 59(4): 324326.
 Emory University School of Medicine
http://medicine.emory.edu/research/documents/Action%20Verbs.pdf
 Iserson, K.V. (2006) Iserson’s getting into a residency: A guide for medical
students (7th Ed.) Galen Press, LTD: Tucson, Arizona.
 Patel, MV, Pradhan, BB, Meals, RA. Misrepresentation of research
publications among orthopedic surgery fellowship applicants. Spine (Phila
Pa 1976), 2003 Apr 1; 28(7):631-6.
 Purdue Online Writing Lab
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/641/01/
 Wordpress http://contemporesume.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/is-yourresume-sabotaging-your-job-search/
Questions?
mnorris@umc.edu