Writing Your CV and Letter of
Intent
David Gard
Psychology Dept. - SFSU
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Overview
 What is a Curriculum Vitae (CV)?
 How it differs from a resume
 Style issues
 Nuts and bolts of a CV
 What is a letter of intent?
 What to include in a letter of intent
 General format of the letter
 A brief word on good writing
 Answers to your specific questions
 Time to look at and work with your CVs and
letters
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First, are there crucial questions I
should definitely address?
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Second, some general comments…
 Suggestions about writing your CV and
letters of intent are guidelines only
 Different people have different ideas
about what makes a good CV and a
good letter
 Interrupt & ask questions at any time
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What Is Included a Curriculum
Vitae (CV)?
 A summary of education & training including:
 Name & contact Info
 Education
 Awards, Publications & Presentations (if any)
 Clinical Experience
 Teaching Experience, Research
Experience (if any)
 Other Professional Experience &/or
Additional Relevant Experience
 Professional Affiliations
 References
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What Is a Curriculum Vitae (CV)?
 It should be brief (approximately 2-4 pages,
depending on your experience) and should:
 Be concise and to the point
 Include all relevant experiences
 Highlight strengths
 Give a good clear sense of your experiences
 Be professional
 Not have any typos
 Remember: at this point all clinical experiences
are good clinical experiences (leave them in!)
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A CV Is Not a Resume
 Resumes are short, CVs longer
 CVs include more details about your
experiences than resumes do
 Because they are more academic in
nature with CVs there is generally less
of a concern with ‘gaps’ in time (e.g., if
you were abroad for a year)
 Style issues (e.g., font, paper) are
much less important with CVs
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A Word About CVs and Style
 It is okay to use your favorite font, or a
header that looks nice, but use sparingly!
 Readers are interested in content, not the look
of the CV
 No clip art or pictures
 However, make it easy to read
 Separate the dates from the details
 Also separate the place of employment, position
title, and duties from each other in a way that’s
easy to read (using bold, italics, etc.)
 Start each section with most recent position
 No need for pronouns (e.g., ‘I’ conducted…)
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Nuts, Bolts, Sections, of a CV (In
Order That They Should Appear)
Contact Info – top of first page. Name,
address, phone and email
Education
 List each university (most recent first) with
dates and degree
 SFSU’s should state M.S. expected May 2007
Awards, publications, presentations (if any;
don’t fret if you don’t have these)
 Only include awards that are academic in
nature
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Nuts, Bolts, Sections, of a CV (In
Order) - continued
Clinical experience
 Include placement name, your position title,
and the dates of service
 In one sentence define the placement
(e.g., ‘The SFSU Psychology Clinic offers no-cost outpatient
services for SFSU student and Bay Area communities’)
 On a separate line articulate all
‘responsibilities’ or ‘duties’ – usually 1-3
sentences max (include population).
 If position was paid, indicate this
 Some people encourage listing your
supervisors in a separate line
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Nuts, Bolts, Sections, of a CV (In
Order) - continued
Teaching Experience (if any)
 Include where the teaching was done, the
course title, the instructor’s name (if it was
not you), and the dates of the course
 In one sentence define the class (e.g., ‘This
undergraduate course focused on the etiology and maintenance of
mental illness including depressive, anxiety and Axis II disorders.)
 On a separate line articulate all
‘responsibilities’ or ‘duties’
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Nuts, Bolts, Sections, of a CV (In
Order) - continued
Research Experience (if any)
 Include where the research was done, the
principal investigator/mentor, your title, and
the dates of service
 In one sentence define the study or project
(e.g., ‘This study looked at the correlates of emotion dysregulation
and invalidating environments in a borderline personality disorder
patient population.’)
 On a separate line articulate all
‘responsibilities’ or ‘duties’
 If position was paid, indicate this
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Nuts, Bolts, Sections, of a CV (In
Order) - continued
Professional Affiliations
 e.g., APA, CAMFT (include dates)
Other sections?
 ‘Community (or) Volunteer Experience’ – is an OK
section, but usually is better placed in clinical exp.
 ‘Hobbies’ or ‘Interests’ – this is a style thing. I
personally am not a fan of it…
 ‘Objective’ or ‘Mission’ – this is not typically on a
CV, & is more of a resume thing … best left out
 ‘Professional Training’ – this section comes after
Education. It is okay to include but keep to a
minimum (no CPR training).
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Nuts, Bolts, Sections, of a CV (In
Order) - continued
Other sections? (continued)
 ‘Additional Professional Experience’ – a good
section to have (after research & before the prof.
affill.), but only used when you have changed
careers (e.g., previous management, law exp.)
 ‘Additional Relevant Experience’ – A good section if
you speak a second language or if you want to
point out related experience (e.g., with children:
tutoring, summer camp counselor, baby sitting)
References
 List the name, title, address, phone #, and email
address to all of your letter writers
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Questions?
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What is a Letter of Intent?
 A letter of intent is a very brief letter to a
training director expressing your interest in
their practicum placement
 The letter should contain:
 Something brief about you (especially any
unique characteristics about you)
 Your experiences - concisely summarized
 What the program will offer you (relevant to
your goals)
 What you might offer their program
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What is a Letter of Intent?
 All this in 2-3 paragraphs!
 Think carefully about each program that
you are applying to
 Why this placement?
 The population you’d work with?
 Particular psychopathology
 Age, diversity, etc?
 Didactics of interest?
 The therapeutic orientation?
 The quality of the supervision?
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The Letter of Intent
 Remember your reader!
 Reads dozens of these
 This is probably an ‘extra’ part of their job
 Wants you to excite them about you
 Good writing requires good editing
 Do not write a lengthy letter
 Editing does NOT include:
 Changing the font size, margin or
spacing (12pt TNR!)
 If it is ‘a little long,’ something
needs to be cut
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Important Things to Know About
Good Letters of Intent
 Balance is the key to good letters
 Excitement but professionalism
 Be specific: vagueness kills
 Highlight what is unique about you (if you
are unsure – ask your supervisor)
 Be ‘humbly boastful’ (don’t minimize or
overstate experiences)
 Excitement … not hyperbole. In the end
these placements are often with tough
populations; your readers know this
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How to Write a Letter of Intent:
General format
Note: This is just a guideline – It’s good to
be creative!
Introduction
 State what placement/position you are
applying for & that you’ve included your CV
 Briefly state your clinical experiences
Their specific placement
 Articulate what interests you about their
program
 Mention how this fits with your goals
 State what you’ll bring to their program
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How to Write a Letter of Intent
– The Process of Writing
 Good writing is difficult
 Ask other people (professors, friends,
family) to read it
 Ask someone to read it who does not
know you well. Does it read clearly to
them?
 Read other successful letters
(especially from 2nd years who are
working at the placement you are
applying)
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How to Write a Letter of Intent
– The Process of Writing
 Good writing is difficult
(continued)
 Reward yourself (internally &
externally) for even a little progress
 Put it away for a bit and come back
to it later
 Don’t be afraid to ‘start over’
 In fact, the best letters are almost
always subsequent re-writes
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Questions?
 Let’s take a look at your current
drafts of your CVs and letters
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