• Elements of a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Tips for Writing an Effective CV
• Three Major Resume Formats and Their Pros & Cons

Elements of a CV

Medical Training

• Fellowship
• Residency
• Internship

Education

• Graduate
• Undergraduate

Licenses and certifications

Professional affiliations

Professional experience

Research and publications

Personal information such as hobbies or other skills (optional)

References

Tips for Writing an Effective CV

1. Use a CV format, rather than a functional resume or chronological resume. For examples or resume formats, click here.

2. Use at least 1-inch margins on all sides.

3. Avoid using all capital letters except for headings and do not number the pages.

4. Do not use a font size smaller than 10 and do not justify or center text.

5. Do not label the CV as a CV. 

6. Do not date a CV or use first person pronouns (I, me, mine)

7. Do not state “References available upon request.”  Use REFERENCES as a heading then list the names, their professional relationship to you, email address, telephone number (including area code), and mailing address.

8. Limit your information of your employment to the last 15 years.

9. Limit your information to what is relevant to the jobs for which you would be apt to apply.

10. Send your CV in a 9”x 12” manila envelope and add extra postage.  Do not staple resumes.

Hint! If submitting your resume electronically to portals (such as ACC, hospital websites) or embedding it in an email, do not use bullets, tabs, hanging indents, bold or italicized fonts, or vertical or horizontal lines. Submit plain text only. Resumes attached to an email will retain their formatting.

A word about cover letters: Write a cover letter tailored to the job for which you are applying.  Information in the cover letter should explain succinctly how you fulfill the required and desired skills and meet the education and experience expectations. Use phrases from the position announcement in your cover letter.

The point of a cover letter is to get potential employers (or their screeners) to look at seriously at your CV. The point of the CV is to motivate the employer to call you for a phone or in-person interview. The point of the interview is to provide an opportunity to paint a fuller picture of your background, skills and character, and to help each party to assess the fit. Each step has its own requirements; don’t squeeze too many details into your cover letter. Focus instead on telling a compelling enough story that will get you to the next step in the process.

Three Major Resume Formats and Their Pros & Cons

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Advantages

• Easy for employer to determine if the candidate has the stated education and experience because of the high level of detail provided.
• Extensive detail provided on education, teaching and related professional experience, thesis supervision, presentations at conferences, etc., grants and activities, publications, university and community service, and consulting activities.

Disadvantages

• Can be time consuming to read due to its length (often 10-15 pages).

Functional Resume (not typically used in the medical field)

Advantages

• You are emphasizing capabilities not recently used.
• You are changing careers.
• You are entering the job market for the first time.
• You are re-entering the market after an absence.
• Your past career growth has been limited or slight.
• Your work background reflects miscellaneous, relatively unconnected experience.
• Your work background has been free-lance, consulting, or temporary.
• Your job titles or job chronology could be a disadvantage.

Disadvantages

• You want to emphasize a management growth pattern.
• You are considering highly traditional fields.
• You have performed only a limited number of functions in your work.
• Your most recent employers have been highly prestigious.

Chronological Resume

Advantages

• The name of your last employer is an important consideration.
• You are staying in the same field as previous jobs.
• Your work history shows significant growth and development.
• Your work history shows significant development.
• You are considering highly traditional fields.

Disadvantages

• Not typically used in the medical field
• Your work history is inconsistent.
• You are changing career goals.
• You have changed employers frequently.
• You wish to de-emphasize your age.
• You have been in the same position for a long time.
• You have been absent from the job market.
• You are looking for your first job.    

See sample resume formats. [Link to Primary=Professional Growth, Secondary=Finding a Job, tertiary=Resume Samples