Building the Perfect Resume (CV)

-- by Kay Peterson, Ph.D.

A good resume/CV is vital. It's your calling card to a PhD acceptance and prospective employee - one
that lays out your qualifications and hopefully gets you a PhD offer without the need for interview.
Remember, most potential PhD supervisors as well as employers will spend less than five minutes
initially reviewing your resume. Follow these guidelines to make sure your resume gets you noticed!

Be sure to include these basics:

• Contact information: Full name, phone number, school and permanent address, e-mail
address.
• Education: School, degree, date of completion, honors, special course work. If you're still in
school, provide your expected date of completion.
• Experience: In addition to work history, include relevant non-professional experience, such as
internships, extracurricular activities and significant volunteer work.
• Skills: List any computer systems, office equipment and software programs you are fluent with,
as well as particular office skills (shorthand, typing speed, etc.).
• Other Categories: If they are relevant, include publications, awards, leadership positions or
other notable achievements.

There are many different ways to organize your resume. The most basic formats include:

• Chronological: To emphasize your work history, list your jobs and activities, beginning with
your most recent experiences.
• Functional: To emphasize your skill sets, group your experiences under categorical headings,
such as Leadership or Technology Support.

The key is to pick a format that presents your achievements most effectively - as well as being easy to
read and comprehend. See below for samples of a number of resume formats.

Tips for a Winning Resume:

• Keep it brief. Limit your resume to one page. Instead of paragraphs, use bullet-pointed lists.
• Provide meaningful descriptions of your experiences. When detailing your job history, use short
sentences or fragments to demonstrate your relevant experience.
• Use strong action words ("developed and implemented a new filing system"; "created two new
membership programs").
• Use formatting to help you out. Capitalize and use boldface, italics or underlining to help
organize the information.
• Proofread. Use spell-check, double-check your contact information, and make sure your
formatting is consistent. Ask a friend or family member to proofread it as well.
• Custom fit your resume. Revise your resume for each job application to make sure it fits the
opportunity at hand.

The final test: Take a look at your resume from arm's distance. Is it confusing and text-heavy? Or is it
easy to find the information you need? Do whatever is needed to make your resume 'reader-friendly.'
 Barbara Crystal

Current Address: Brownlow University; Greenbay, CA 11222 Phone: 312/555-3492

Mailing address: 3455 Southpark Rd; Winnelow, CO 54039 Phone: 809/ 555-1212

EDUCATION

Brownlow University, Greenbay, California.

Bachelor of Arts in Sociology expected in 1999. Dean's List.

Winslow High School. Winslow, Arizona.

Cum Laude, June 1995.

EXPERIENCE

Residential Counselor. Talent Identification Center Summer Programs at Whipton College.

Whipton, Missouri. June-August, 1996-1998.

• Supervised counseling groups of 15 junior high school-aged students.

• Acted as liaison between program administrators and parents.
• Assisted instructors during supervised study sessions.

Account Assistant. Greenbay Savings and Loans.

Greenbay, California. September, 1995 - June, 1998.

• Managed weekend processing of account payments for corporate clients.

• Produced quarterly reports detailing account growth.

Office Assistant / Salesperson. B & R Plumbing Supplies.

Caterville, Winslow, AZ. June, 1993-August, 1995.

• Finalized sales, managed customer and inventory files.

• Duties also included typing and accounting, greeting customers and answering phones.

HONORS AND AWARDS

Phi Beta Kappa, 1999
Junior Civitan of the Month, April 1995.
"Freedom is Me" Essay Contest, Honorable Mention. January 1994.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

Experience with word processing, desktop publishing, and database applications for Macintosh and IBM
systems. Familiar with Internet Explorer and Netscape browsers.

Fluent in French; reading ability in Spanish and Italian.

Kathleen Ann Johnson

221 Vilhelm Avenue, #2 * Loserville, CA 40332 * (818)555-1029

smacky@provider.com
EDUCATION:

• Northwestern University, M.A., English Literature, June 1991

• University of California at Santa Barbara, B.A., English Literature, Summa cum Laude,
graduate of Honors College
• Santa Clara High School, June 1988

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Education Programs Coordinator, Center for Pre-College Development at the University of Chicago,
May-August, 1995

Oversaw the coordination of classroom resources for an intensive summer education program serving
over 600 students. Duties included coordinating the order and delivery of classroom supplies, hiring and
training instruction staff, coordinating all mass mailings.

Teaching Assistant, Northwestern University, 1993-1995

Designed and taught discussion sessions for several English Literature courses; provided one-on-one
tutorial work with students; graded homework assignments and exams.

Administrative Assistant, N.E.H. Summer Seminar and Institute at Northwestern University, April-
August, 1994 and April-August, 1995

Oversaw the arrangement of all administrative requirements for two summer education programs for
high school and college teachers. Duties included arranging accommodations for the seminar members
and instructors, ordering academic materials and textbooks and arranging for use of library facilities
(library privileges, media center, etc.) by program participants.

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Volunteer Docent at the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery in San Marino, California, 1989-
1991
•Catalogued collections of literary manuscripts
•Assisted patrons with research

Intern, Development Department of Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, February-May, 1997

•Assisted in preparation of materials for grant applications
•Data entry and clean-up
•Dispatched and filed departmental correspondence

HONORS AND AWARDS:

National Merit Scholar, 1984-1988
Regents' Scholar, 1984-1988
Phi Beta Kappa, 1988
Dean's List, 1984-1988

Computer Skills: Microsoft Word 6.0, Filemaker Pro, Netscape Internet Browser, some familiarity with
Raiser's Edge and WordPerfect