The Job Market

Curriculum Vitae

Focusing on a job search while you are a student can be challenging. However, positioning yourself for your professional life after graduation is no less important than your current commitment to being a productive graduate student. In many ways, it starts with your CV - the catalog of all the work you have done up to the present. In general, you should keep two things in mind when crafting your CV:

(1) Your Audience - What will the people who view this CV value? Are there particular activities they expect (especially if you are applying for a specific job)? Are there terms you need to define or activities you need to put in perspective (e.g., how competitive a particular fellowship is)?

(2) Your Strengths - What types of activities do you want to highlight? If you have a number of publications, put the list higher on the CV. If you have prizes and awards, don't hide them toward the end of the CV.  If you have fewer publications, note your presentations and works in progress. Don't be afraid to fully document all of your accomplishments, whether they are formal (e.g. a publication) or informal (i.e. through a course, unpaid internship, or workshop).

Doctoral program alumni provided the CVs below. Note how they organize and articulate their roles and accomplishments in order to signal to readers the experience and strengths they will bring to bear in a job or other setting.

Boatman, A. (May 2012) 
Flores, S. (Sept 2006)
Garces, L. (Oct. 2010)
Hurwitz, M. (Feb 2011)
Reddick, R. (July 2006)