How to Write a CV for Grad School

CV vs Resume

What is the difference between a CV and a resume? This has to be the most popular question that students ask us and it's always a good idea to think of one versus the other, meaning no, they're not the same. A resume is a short, concise 1 to 2-page document that summarizes your education and credentials, employment history and other accomplishments or skills. Resumes are often used in the professional field, such as MBA resumes or medical school resumes, and are designed to give potential employers and professional programs a “snapshot” into your relevant background.

A CV, on the other hand, is often used in the academic field as it encapsulates your education and academic background. There are unique sections that allow you to really showcase your experiences and achievements which may include teaching, research, awards and publications. As it's a lot more detailed than a resume, CVs often extend past the two-page mark, depending on the level of experience you have. However, for those wondering how to get into grad school, keep in mind that each school will have specific requirements so as always, make sure you follow the instructions. 

Purpose of a CV

A CV is designed to give admissions committees insight into your academic potential, background in the field, and extensiveness of that background. This will be your first direct communication with the admissions committee, so it has to be done correctly. Put yourself in their shoes, if you had to sift through hundreds maybe even thousands of applicants that you've never met before and don't know anything about, their CV, along with their statement of purpose or statement of intent, is what you'd be using to whittle down the pile of contenders. True, some graduate programs may require you to submit research interest statement or grad school career goals statement, but these requirements are less common. Your purpose as an applicant is to create the perfect CV that best showcases your talent, accomplishments and experiences. Ultimately, you want to be selected for their graduate program and to do so, you must convince the reviewer to move you forward throughout the graduate school application process.

What to include in a CV for grad school including specific examples

Knowing what to include in a CV for graduate school is something that a lot of students struggle with. While there is no golden CV template that every student should follow, it should be structured in an easy to follow format and should generally include the following sections:

Personal Information

The personal information section is standard in every CV and should be included at the very top of the page or as a header. You will be providing your contact information, so the admissions committee can easily access the best way to get in touch with you. Make sure you don't include overly personal information such as your birth date or social security number.

Include:

• Full name
• Mailing addressing
• Email address
• Phone number

Example: Personal Information

Julie Johnson

1232 Palm Springs Drive, Florida 32006

(786) 991-1423

[email protected]



Education

Typically, you want your education to follow directly after your personal information, this information is essential and the admissions committee needs to be able to find it quickly. Always start by writing your education in reverse chronological order, meaning that the most recent education should be listed first.

Include:

• Name of the school
• Program you attended
• Degree you achieved
• Year you began and completed your degree

Note: If you have not finished yet, just list your major and your anticipated date of completion.

Example: Education

2010-2011 MA Anthropology, York University

2006-2010 B.S.c Marine Biology, University of Windsor

Relevant Experience

This section should follow your education and can be broken down into different sections to enhance your CV. Depending on your experiences, you could include research, teaching and/or administrative subcategories. This is one of the most important sections of your CV because this is where your experiences will help set you apart from other candidates. You should be tailoring this part of your CV to the specific programs you're applying to while ensuring your listed items are relevant. As with the education section, write in reverse chronological order. It's important to be specific in the skills gained and the activities that you did.

Include:

• Organization name
• City and state
• Position title
• Dates the position was held
• Use action words to summarize your duties, accomplishments and successes

Example: Teaching experience 

Tutor - 2008-2010

University of Windsor, ON 

• Tutored students in organic chemistry to improve understanding and test scores 
• Collaborated weekly with other tutors and professors to develop effective tutoring strategies

Example: Research experience 

Research Assistant - 2010-2011

York University, ON 

• Managed lab operations including training new lab assistants
• Assisted in the development and preparation of experiments
• Developed research papers for publication

Honors and Awards

This section should include any awards or honors you've received such as scholarships, grants, teaching assistantships, and even being included on the Dean's list. This section can be written in order of importance, to highlight the most impressive achievements first.

Include:

• Name of the honor/award
• Date you received the honor/award

Example: Honors and Awards

Jean A McMillan award for graduate research, York University 2011

Dean's list, University of Windsor 2009-2010

Presentations (Oral and Poster)

Whether you've been involved in giving presentations or even contributed to the visual work, both are important to list here.

Include:

• Title of presentation
• Conference name
• Location of conference
• Date of conference
• Brief description of the content you contributed

Example: Presentations

“Transitional Experience,” York University Seminar, speaker and organizer. North York, ON, January 2011

"Drifting Ideas," Canadian Literature Association, speaker and designer. London, ON, November 2010

Publications

Have you written or contributed to any published articles, books, research reports or any other form of publication? If so, use bibliographic citations in the format that is acceptable for your field of study.

Example: Publications

Travis, J., additional authors. (in press). Title. Journal, Volume (Issue), page numbers.

Victor, A, additional authors. (in press). Title. Journal, Volume (Issue), page numbers.

References

Three to five references is an appropriate amount to include on your CV for grad school. List your references in order of strength and relevance. Note that if you're applying to a program where you were already asked to include your references separately, it's not necessary to include them again here.

• Name of reference
• Professional title
• Contact information (email and phone number)

Example: References

Spencer French, Professor and Graduate Programs Head

Department of Anthropology, York University (416) 244 – 2345, [email protected]

Rebecca Mann, Faculty, Assistant Professor

Department of Anthropology, York University (416) 244 – 1234, [email protected]

Optional Sections

There are a variety of optional sections that you could add depending on your specific experiences or skills.

6 Tips to a successful CV

1) Format your CV appropriately.

The format of your CV is extremely important to the way it is initially perceived. Use bold, italics or the underline feature to highlight key sections and headings. Font should be easy to read and standardized, such as Times New Roman, 12. Make sure to separate your sections with breaks and keep everything organized so it flows logically. Unless otherwise stated, you should always save your CV as a pdf, this ensures that the formatting you see when you view the document on your computer is the same formatting the reviewer sees. The insertion of random characters and spacing inconsistencies can cost you a spot in the program. Whatever you do, remember to remain consistent throughout your document.

2) Perfect your grammar and spelling.

Proofread, proofread, proofread! It is not acceptable to have ANY spelling or grammar mistakes in your CV. The time and effort you put into your CV is a direct reflection of how you value the graduate program you're applying to. If you have mistakes, you're essentially showing the admissions committee that you're careless, didn't spend much time on your CV and are not very detail-oriented. It's a sure way to have your application rejected. Always check your CV on multiple occasions with fresh eyes, have someone who is not a friend or family member and has an appropriate level of education (e.g. Ph.D.) and expertise to review your CV and provide you with honest feedback. Someone who is a friend or family member normally doesn’t work because they may be inclined to hold back to avoid offending you with their feedback and that may actually give you a false sense of confidence that may hurt your chances of acceptance.

3) Label your CV appropriately.

Hundreds if not thousands of CVs are being reviewed to assess an applicant's suitability for a specific program, have you labeled ALL of the pages of your CV? If not, they could be mixed up and if the reviewer doesn't have a way to quickly re-assemble them, it's game over. Always label the bottom of EVERY page of your CV. This should include your first name, last name and the page number. This way, with little effort, your CV can be put back together.

In addition to labeling each page, be sure your document title includes your first and last name. For instance, save your CV as “RachelGreenCV”. That way it's easy for the reviewer to find your document instead of a file named “myCV” which could be any student and can be frustrating to navigate.

4) Use bullet points instead of paragraphs.

Even though this is a detailed document, long paragraphs are never appropriate. Use bullet points to describe and summarize each point to discuss. 2-4 bullets are usually a good amount to use to convey the required information.

5) Use action verbs to grab and keep attention.

This is a great way to make your CV stand out compared with the competition. Take these two sentences;

a – ran weekly staff meetings to provide client updates

b – initiated weekly staff meetings to communicate client updates

The second sentence is definitely stronger and more memorable.

6) Don’t underestimate what you have to offer.

Often students get discouraged when they come to the realization that they haven’t won any awards, published any articles or participated in any presentations. The optional sections are a great way to fill in any gaps and showcase a variety of different skills or experiences you may have.

Are you also required to submit a statement of intent? Check out our tips below:

Common Mistakes to Avoid

3 Sample CVs for Grad School

Sample #1

Sample #2

Sample #3

FAQs

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting

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