PLAN February 8, 2012
University of Louisville
Michelle Rodems, Ph.D.
SIGS-Delphi Program Manager
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Non-academic
jobs often require it
Focus on experience and skills in clear,
concise manner
Identify appropriate qualifications,
where you need to gain skills and
experiences
Different focus: Employers’ needs vs.
Your background
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Resume
Marketing tool
1-2 pages in length
How you can benefit the
company/organization
Style of resume
10 years of work history or
5 most recent positions
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Curriculum Vitae
Academic, scientific, or
medical field
Longer usually – length
dependent upon pubs,
presentations, academic or
prof experiences
CV grows in length as your
career matures
More freedom and
information
 Find
the job (or a job) first
 Address your resume to the specific skills and
experience that the job calls for
 Highlight key skills and competencies
 Qualifications
 To consider:
o All experiences
o Expertise
o Academic “voice”
o Brag
o Avoid academic jargon
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Name & Contact info
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Opening summary that gives a clear and quick picture of
what you have to offer, and contains an objective statement
if you’re in a career transition or targeting a specific
industry/job
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Professional history providing succinct list of daily duties in
reverse chronological order
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Career accomplishments that are quantified and relevant to
new career goal
 Use
action verbs to begin each description,
emphasize the positive, and sell your strengths.
 Create short, concrete, and results-oriented
phrases to describe your past experiences.
 Quantify and qualify as much as possible.
 For example, instead of saying
o ‘I was responsible for fundraising' vs.
o ‘Coordinated a team of 20 fundraising volunteers to
raise money for a local charity. Developed innovative
fundraising activities including Facebook advertising and
motivated team to achieve a 50% increase in funds
raised.'
How to decide what to keep? Relevance!
o “whether your academic expertise is relevant to the
job, if not you may want to emphasize skills gained
during the PhD over knowledge
 Educational data and training related to career search
 Bullets vs. Paragraphs
 Consistent formatting and verbiage
 References: As many as requested – and only
“available upon request”
 Careful of templates
 Cutting presentations & publications
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These are skills you possess regardless of where and when
you acquired them, and are transferable to any job. You
could have gained these skills through previous jobs, class
projects, research, volunteer work, hobbies, clubs,
committees and student organizations.
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Getting the Job!
o Select either your CV or one of the CVs provided
o Working with a partner, identify the transferable skills for the job
application provided
o Share with the group
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Process information quickly
and produce written synopsis
Independently manage a
complicated, long-term
project
Writing, grant-getting,
managing complex
relationships
Leadership potential
Public-speaking skills
Initiative
Financial
Creative & Innovating
Constructing & operating
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Collect & analyze data
Goal-setting
Assessment
Verbal and non-verbal
communication
Training/Consulting
Analytical skills
Report writing
Counseling skills
Interpersonal skills
Management
Administrative
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Internships, practicum, volunteering
Set up an informational interview
Find other resumes
Take advantage of your career center, mentors, friends
3 Takeaways
3 Next Steps
Next Tuesday: 12-1:30pm:
“What Else Can You Do With That?”
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http://www.phds.org/
http://www.ironstring.com/sellout/index.shtml
https://career.berkeley.edu/PhDs/PhDBeyond.stm
http://www.careereducation.columbia.edu/print/966
http://www.sph.umn.edu/careers/jobs/tipsheets/convert.a
sp
http://chronicle.com/article/From-CV-to-R-sum-/44712
http://www.careercenter.umich.edu/students/gradservices
/nonacademic/cvtor.html
http://chronicle.com/article/But-I-Have-No-Skills-/44924
http://www.quintcareers.com/resres.html