San José State University Writing Center
www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter
Written by Jamet Cherrey
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Many may be acquainted and even proficient at creating and updating a resume to obtain a job;
however, a Curriculum Vitae (CV) can be an essential component of school admissions (e.g., for
a doctoral or master’s level degree program) and a means to highlight educational
accomplishments for jobs in academia. While the components of a CV differ from a resume, you
can choose from a resume template in your preferred word processor and change the headings to
fit those of a CV. Once you’ve picked the template, it’s then your job to pick a standard font
(Times New Roman, Helvetica, Arial, etc.).
While some aspects of your CV may contain italicized and bold parts, as well as font size
changes (for example, your heading may be bold and larger than the sub-headings, while your
years working may be italicized), it’s up to you to keep your fonts consistent throughout the CV.
Your resume template should automatically accommodate these changes, but be sure to check
the complete document for visual consistency with spacing, font sizes and types, headings and
subheadings, etc. before submitting it.
Key Differences between a Resume and a Curriculum Vitae
Though CVs and resumes are both often used for the same general purpose (attaining a job), they
are different documents, and they each have different standards and expectations. The main
differences between a CV and a resume are outlined below.
● CVs are used when applying for academic positions (education, science, fellowships,
etc.), while resumes are typically used for non-academic positions.
● CVs are longer than resumes. There is no page limit for a CV—and you should highlight
all experience with relevant details—while resumes are typically limited to one page,
perhaps two pages as an absolute maximum. Some CVs of experienced academic
professionals can be 10+ pages in length.
● The education section often appears first in a CV, especially if your objective is an
academic position, while it often appears later (or even last) in a resume. This difference
is due to the need to highlight education for an academic job.
Please note that the difference between a CV and resume is specific to the United States; in the
United Kingdom, for example, a resume is called a CV, and the document is what those in the
US would think of as a standard resume.
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Curriculum Vitae Headings
The headings in a CV can vary—just like in a resume—however, there are some sections that are
typically included. You can use the following information in the order it is presented to create a
template for your own CV.
• Contact Information: Your name, email address, and cell phone number. Your physical
address is not necessary. You can include the link to your LinkedIn profile as well. As
with a resume, ensure that your email address is appropriate for a professional setting.
ex: [Name, email address, phone number]
● Academic/Educational History: Display your academic history in reverse chronological
order (most recent first). Academic history includes post graduate, graduate,
undergraduate, and high school work. You can choose to list only the two most recent
degrees if you have multiple accomplishments to include. For example, a seasoned
academic professional would be unlikely to include their high school diploma on their
CV; conversely, someone who recently received their undergraduate degree and is
applying for graduate school might still include their high school information.
ex: [Degree obtained, school attended, month and year of graduation]
● Professional Experience: Utilize this section to highlight your experience, focusing on
what is most relevant to the position you are applying for. The details in this section
should also be presented in reverse chronological order (most recent first). Use bullet
points to highlight all job responsibilities and duties. Remember—you want to include all
relevant details from each position.
ex: [Job title, organization, years of experience, job duties]
● Skills and Qualifications: When crafting this element of your CV, re-read the job or
academic position, and tailor the section to the job description. The relevant skills and
qualifications section can also include soft skills (e.g., non-technical skills that showcase
ability to work effectively with others).
ex: [Relevant skills (use bullet points)]
● Honors and Awards: List your academic achievements. Name the honor or award,
indicate the year awarded, and provide a brief description (since all readers will not be
familiar with all possible honors/awards you may have received).
ex: [Name of award, year awarded, brief description of award]
[Name of honor, year awarded, brief description of honor]
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● Publications and Presentations: Document relevant publications and list any
presentations you have given and/or conferences you have attended. If you have
presented at numerous conferences and/or published many pieces, then you may choose
to separate these into two distinct sections of the CV.
ex: [Name of publication, title of article or entry, year of publication]
[Conference name, paper title, year of attendance or acceptance]
● Associations and Affiliations: List honor societies and professional organizations,
highlighting your role(s) in them if applicable. For example, if you were applying for a
faculty position in the field of chemistry, and you had served on the scholarship
committee in the American Chemical Society, you would want to feature that experience
in this section.
ex: [Name of society/org, chapter, role (if applicable), dates of membership]
Sample CVs
Visit the following websites if you would like to refer to full-length samples of academic CVs.
• Application Materials for Faculty Positions (from UCSF Office of Career and
Professional Development)
• CVs for Faculty Job Applications (from University of Pennsylvania Career Services)
• CV Samples (from The Graduate College, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Activity 1: True or False
The following questions are to help you gauge your general knowledge about CVs.
1. A resume and a CV are interchangeable.
2. You can create a CV using a resume template provided by your preferred word processor.
3. A CV is limited to 1-2 pages in length.
4. You should list your physical address in the contact section of your CV.
5. A CV should present all the details of your relevant experience.
Answer Key for Activity 1
1. False—resumes and CVs are two different types of documents with differing purposes.
2. True—you can start with a resume template to create your CV.
3. False—CVs have no page limit and can be lengthy for academic professionals.
4. False—you do not need to list your physical address in a CV.
5. True—a CV should be detailed, and you want to present your relevant experiences.
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Activity 2: Your Turn
Below are two sample CV components in template format. Complete two items from each
heading with details from your own education and experience.
ㅡ
School Name / Degree
Education MONTH 20XX - MONTH 20XX, LOCATION
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam
nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore.
School Name / Degree
MONTH 20XX - MONTH 20XX, LOCATION
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam
nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore.
ㅡ
Company Name / Job Title
Experience MONTH 20XX - PRESENT, LOCATION
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean ac
interdum nisi. Sed in consequat mi. Sed in consequat mi, sed pulvinar
lacinia felis eu finibus.
Company Name / Job Title
MONTH 20XX - MONTH 20XX, LOCATION
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean ac
interdum nisi. Sed in consequat mi.
Company Name / Job Title
MONTH 20XX - MONTH 20XX, LOCATION
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean ac
interdum nisi. Sed in consequat mi. Sed pulvinar lacinia felis eu finibus.
Curriculum Vitae (CVs), Fall 2023. 4 of 4
