Resumes and CVs

What's the Difference?

Resumes

A resume is a concise document that showcases your skills, experiences, and accomplishments to potential employers. It highlights your qualifications for a specific role, providing a snapshot of your professional journey and demonstrating how you add value.

Curriculum Vitae (CVs)

A CV is a comprehensive document detailing your academic and professional achievements, including education, research, publications, and other accomplishments. Commonly used in academia, research, and international job markets, a CV provides an in-depth view of your qualifications and career trajectory, tailored to highlight your expertise for specific roles.

Formatting Tips

Length

Resumes are 1-page documents; you should only have two pages if the employer requests it. CVscan be as many pages as you want.

Voice

3rd person; no personal pronouns; don’t include age, marital status, race, religion, or pictures.

Font Type

Use San Serif fonts like Arial or Calibri

Margins

1” or .5”

Alignment

The Document is both right- and left-justified, and the dates are on the far-right side of the page.

Templates

Often prioritize design over functionality, featuring columns, text boxes or unnecessary sections that can clutter your document. These elements may not align with the specific content and structure your document needs. Additionally, many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen applications, and these systems often struggle to read text boxes, graphics, and other template-based designs. This can result in your application being rejected as unreadable or blank. Focus on creating a clean, well-organized, and ATS-friendly document.

Contents of a Resume or CV

Header

Preferred Name

24 to 28-point font

Contact Information

14-point font

Tips

The contact information should be your phone number and email address. You can use a LinkedIn profile, GitHub account, or personal URL if you keep it current.
List your preferred method of contact first.
Addresses are no longer necessary for a resume. Add them only if you want to.

Example

Your Name

Professionalemail@email.com | (555) 555-5555 | LinkedIn/GitHub/Portfolio

Education

Section Header

12 to 14-point font

Body

10 to 12-point font

Content Tips

Only add degrees in progress or completed.
Do not add your high school.
If you are double majoring, write a degree entry for both majors.
Add the most recent degree first.

Formatting Tips

Bold the name of your degree on the top line.
Your graduation or projected graduation date should be right aligned on the top line.
University name and location on the second line.
GPA bold, if it is a 3.0 or higher, should be right aligned on the second line.
Add bullet points on the third line for minors, options, or honors college.

Example

EDUCATION

Bachelor of (Art or Science) in (name of major)………………………Graduation: Month Year

Name of Institution | city, state………………………………………………………………………………………GPA: 3.00

Add any minors, option or concentrations here

Experience

Section Header

12 to 14-point font

Body

10 to 12-point font

Content Tips

Experience can be paid or unpaid.
- Types of experience: part-time, work-study, assistantships, freelance, internships, micro-internships, shadowing, tutoring, teaching, research
Write 3-5 bullet points per experience.
Refer to technical or interpersonal skills and keywords from the job description and quantify your responsibilities using numbers.

Bullet Point Tips

Begin with an action verb and do not repeat that verb. If you are currently in the position, use the present tense; if you no longer work there, use the past tense.
Briefly describe the task, then add the interpersonal or technical skills you used to complete the task.
Explain how your actions benefited the organization, customer, or team.

Formatting Tips

Job title bold on the first line.
Dates are aligned on the right in month-year format on the first line.
Name of company and its location on the second line.

Example

EXPERIENCE

Title……………………………………………………………………………………………start date - end date (or Present)

Name of Company | city, state

Choosing Sections Unique to You

Resume and CV sections can be customized to fit your unique experiences and qualifications—there’s no one-size-fits-all format. These documents are tools to showcase how your background aligns with the requirements of a job or academic program. Include sections highlighting your skills and value, whether it's special projects, volunteer work, or unique achievements. Tailoring your sections ensures your resume or CV reflects your strengths and stands out to potential employers or admissions committees.

Section examples that showcase ACADEMIC skills

ACADEMIC PROJECTS

Title of Project………………………………………………………………month year - month year (or Present)

Name of Class or Instructor | Name of University | city, state

Advisor: Name of faculty member (use their credentials)

3-5 bullet points: start each bullet with an action verb and use the correct tenses.
Explain what the project is or the problem you need to solve.
Explain what you did on the project or the solutions you came up with.
Explain the results of your research/experiments.

LAB EXPERIENCE

Name of Lab……………………………………………………………………month year - month year (or Present)

Name of Primary Researcher or Instructor | Name of University | city, state

3-5 bullet points: start each bullet with an action verb and use the correct tenses.
Explain what the project is or the problem you need to solve.
Explain what you did on the project or the solutions you came up with.
Explain the results of your research/experiments.

DISSERTATION (OR THESIS)

Title: "Title in bold"

Chair: Pistol Pete, Ph.D.

Provide a brief 1 – 2 sentence summary about your hypothesis, research methods, and preliminary findings. Be sure to indicate if your dissertation/thesis was/will be accepted for publication.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Author Name(s) (in the last name, first initial format) Your Name Bolded. Title of Poster (year). Poster presented at name of conference, city, state.

PUBLICATIONS

Author Name(s) (in the last name, first initial format) Your Name Bolded (names should be ordered by primary author first). Title of publication (year). Name of journal, issue, and page no. in italics.

Section examples that showcase TECHNICAL skills

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Computer Languages:
Software:
Databases:
Lab Equipment:
Design Software:
Content Creation:

SHADOWING

Name of Hospital/Clinic/Etc.……………………………………………………………………………………date range

Name of Doctor | Name of Specialty | city, state

2-3 bullet points: start each bullet with an action verb and use the correct tenses.
Explain what you learned from the experience.

CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENCES

Name of Certificate or License in bold……………Expires: month year (or date received)

Organization | city, state

Section examples that showcase INTERPERSONAL skills

CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS

Position | Name of organization…………………………………………………………year - year (or Present)

If you did a big project, you could use a bullet point and write a brief 1-2 sentences explaining what you did for the organization.

VOLUNTEERING

Name of organization………………………………………………………………………………year - year (or Present)