Curriculum Vitae (CV)

 

What is a Curriculum Vitae?

A curriculum vitae, vita, or CV, is an overview of your academic experience and accomplishments. Loosely translated from Latin, curriculum vitae means “the course of one’s life; a brief account of one’s career.”1

CVs are used to apply for academic (faculty, teaching, research) jobs, awards, fellowships, scholarships, and grants.

1. “curriculum vitae, n.” OED Online. Oxford English Dictionary. Web. 25 Mar. 2021

The Goal(s)

Your CV should present a complete picture of your academic history, your achievements, and your disciplinary identity as a scholar, teacher, and citizen of your academic institution.

/kəˈrɪkjʊləm ˈviːtə/
cur∙ric∙u∙lum vi∙tae
[kuh-rik-yuh-luhm vee-tahy]

In the context of an academic job search, a CV should:

  • show how your education meets or exceeds minimum requirements
  • show how your teaching experience and professional experience qualifies you for the position
  • show how your skills and disciplinary specialization(s) match the job description
  • show how your scholarship and research meets/will meet the demands of the institution

What’s the Difference?

RESUME CURRICULUM VITAE
length: 1-2 pages as long as it needs to be
scope: broad scope/selected summary discipline specific/complete summary
audience: general audience, employers fellow academics, scholars
purpose: to get an interview to articulate an academic identity
content: summary of skills, experiences, and attributes (to prove possession of qualifications in a job ad) comprehensive background of discipline-specific skills, achievements, awards, and experiences
format: variety; bullet points and explanations standard; no bullet points or explanations

CV Content Sections & Headings

Required/Traditional
contact information, education, professional experience/employment, scholarship (publications & presentations), teaching, service, awards & honors
Optional/As Needed
professional affiliations & memberships, extracurricular activity & service (related to discipline), additional qualifications or skills, language fluencies

Traditional (~Required) CV Sections

Contact Information
email
Name (no title, no degree, no position/role)
Permanent mailing address
Permanent email address
Phone number
Portfolio URL
Education
school
you can include your dissertation, thesis, or project chair/committee members if they’re well known and/or exceptionally well-respected
List in reverse chronological order, as far back as undergraduate school
Degree  ▪  Institution  ▪  Year Graduated  ▪  Thesis/Dissertation/Project Title
Include certifications & licenses
Professional Appointments (Experience, Employment, Roles)
settings
List in reverse chronological order
Include GTA, GA, and GRA positions, also note “instructor of record” if applicable
Usually anything for which you were paid; did regularly; titled; relevant to academics
No descriptions (usually)
Scholarship (Publications & Presentations)
mode
List in reverse chronological order
Publications: full citation in MLA or APA (without author name), indicate refereeing/review process
Name  ▪  “Title”  ▪  Publication  ▪  Publication Information  ▪  Location  ▪  Date  ▪  Descriptor (such as refereeing/peer review process)
clearly separate or indicate publications as a) in print and forthcoming, b) under review, and/or c) in progress (you don’t want to make it look as if you’re misleading readers about the number/status of your publications)
  • don’t include your own name as part of the citation
  • if the publication is co-authored, include “co-authored with [name]” immediately following article/work title
  • may list works forthcoming, under review, and/or in progress as long as you clearly indicate status (different publication statuses could be subheadings)
Scholarly Presentations: full citation in MLA or APA
Name  ▪  “Paper/Presentation Title”  ▪  Conference Title  ▪  Location (City, State)  ▪  Date  ▪  Descriptor (if needed)
  • if the organization isn’t part of the conference title, or if the title includes an acronym, include organization’s full name after the conference title
Teaching
local_library
List courses taught (no semesters, years, or sections) in ascending or descending order by course level
Must list course title; may list course number (course numbers may vary from institution to institution)
Include teaching workshops, teaching-related brown bags, “hacks & snacks,” etc.
  • XXXXX
Service (to the Department, College, University, Discipline, Profession, Community)
share
List in reverse chronological order
Leadership positions/active memberships in academic organizations, clubs, committees, etc.
Include anything/everything where you served as an active participant
Role  ▪  Organization Name  ▪  University/Institution  ▪  Years
  • jm recommendation: I don’t recommend listing memberships in MLA, NCTE, etc here unless you were an active/participating member (you can include professional memberships in a separate section if you want/need to)
Honors & Awards
star
List in reverse chronological order
Honor or Award Title  ▪  Granting Organization  ▪  University  ▪  Date Received
Include scholarships, fellowships, teaching, creative, awards (both “won” and nominated/finalist for)