Photo credit: Kaplan Medical
Ah, the Curriculum vitae (a Latin expression that loosely translates to “the course of my life”). It is the first glimpse of us that learning institutions and potential employers get and sets the tone for subsequent interviews. In the U.S. the CV has taken the place of the resume in medical and academic circles and is typically meant to be a comprehensive look at your life’s work. Despite the importance of this document, physicians get relatively little instruction on its preparation. Here are a few tips for CV preparation (many are the result of my own personal experience):
- Watch for mispellings and gramar errors (did you catch those?): This seems fundamental but is of the utmost importance and must be addressed first and foremost. These errors relay carelessness and lack of attention to detail to potential employers (NOT ideal traits for a doctor!). Simple tips to avoid this misstep: Use your spellchecker and have someone proofread your CV for you.
- Don’t tell them what you are going to do, tell them what you have done: Because of what is at stake, it is natural to want to make yourself look as accomplished as possible. This can lead some to put works in progress or future areas of work on their CV (this is particularly true for academic publications which have been “submitted” or are “works in progress”). It is best to avoid this temptation. The CV is meant to showcase what you have completed, not what you have dreams of completing. Additionally, you should ensure your citations follow the American Medical Association format.
- Skip the abbreviations: There is no field in the world that loves abbreviations more than medicine (VATS, ERCP, VBAC, etc.). We also abbreviate many affiliations, journals, and positions. However, not everyone is familiar with all of these abbreviations and shortcuts. To keep it clear and concise, skip the shortcuts.
- Keep yourself secure: The electronic age is clearly here, and there is a push to Go Green! It is not uncommon to have requests for your CV in an electronic format. If you choose to send it electronically, ensure that it is sent in a protected format (for example a PDF) so that it cannot be altered (accidentally or on purpose) by others before it is viewed by your potential future employer.
- Don’t get too personal: Our personal lives are realms in which we achieve some of our most important life accomplishments (our partner, our pets, our children, our hobbies, and so on). However, your CV is a summary of your professional life. In the eyes of the reader, these items can be seen as padding at best and may be a nuisance if they have many applicants to sift through. Keep the personal stuff off of the CV and save them for the interview.
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All of the opinions expressed here are the author’s and his alone, and do not represent necessarily those of Kaplan or its employees.
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