Career Toolkit
Curriculum Vitae (CV)

A curriculum vitae (CV) is a record of your academic background and related accomplishments. They are primarily used in academic settings (e.g. applications for graduate school, scholarships, or academic roles), or in research and medical settings.

CV Formatting

example resume

CV Format

Pages: No page limit*
Margins: 0.5" and 1"
Font: Easy to read, between 10- and 12-point

CV Header

Name is displayed prominently (can be larger than 12-point font)
Contact info (phone number and email) are clearly visible
Optional: pronouns, a LinkedIn profile or portfolio URL, or your City, State

Layout & Style

Sections (e.g., "Education", "Experience") stand out clearly using bold, underline, italicizing or all caps
Balance of text and empty whitespace
Consistent punctuation, spacing, and date formatting
Let the purpose guide the order. Your name, contact information, and education usually appear first. After that, arrange sections according to the opportunity

Tip: Curriculum Vitae look different in different countries.

CV requirements differ in every country. For example, much of mainland Europe will use the term "CV" to refer to what is closer to a resume for a job application in the U.S. Additionally, some other countries will include additional personal details in their heading, such as your age and a professional headshot, while this is not needed on a CV in the U.S.

If you are planning to use a CV outside of the United States, we suggest looking for guidance on GoinGlobal through HandshakeLinks to an external site. to find geographically relevant advice and resources.

Tip: There is no single CV format that works for every discipline.

It can be helpful to review examples from faculty, graduate students, alumni, professional associations, or programs in your field. Use samples to identify useful strategies or industry norms, but do not copy another person’s structure without considering whether it fits your own experiences and purpose.

Additionally, do not feel bad if your CV does not have as much experience as others, or if you do not have experiences in every possible section. Focus on making sure you are highlighting your unique skills and qualities, instead of comparing yourself to others.

*An undergraduate CV may be relatively short and may initially resemble a resume. That is completely normal! Focus on accurately representing the experiences you have rather than trying to make the document longer.

Possible CV Sections

When building a CV, be sure to consider what is most relevant to what you are applying to; you do not need to list every experience you've had. That being said, there are many types of experiences that you can include on a CV. Click through the tabs below to learn about how to format different types of experiences on your CV.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at The University of Minnesota. They include anticipated graduation and a GPA of 3.56

List your relevant formal education* starting with the most recent and going back in time (reverse chronological order).

For Each Educational Experience, Include

Name of institution
City and state it's located in
Degree you received (or expect to receive)
- Include your major(s) and minor(s)
- Fully spell out degree name (e.g. Bachelor of Arts, not B.A.)
When you received (or expect to receive) your degree

Talking Points (optional)

GPA: It's not required to list your GPA. Our general rule of thumb: if it's above a 3.0, include it!
Major research projects: Depending on how relevant it is to your work, you can choose to include these in a different section, or to list the topic under your education section.
Study abroad: List where you studied, how long you studied there, and what topic(s) you studied.

Work Experience

example work experience section of a resume

You may include employment, internships, or other experiences that contribute to your academic and professional preparation.

When showing your experience, you can use headings to separate your experiences, such as: Policy Experience, Museum Experience, Editorial Experience, or Community Engagement, when it helps the reader understand the connection among your experiences.

For Each Experience, Include

the name of the employer/organization
your title
the city/state where you worked
dates of employment/involvement

Talking Points (optional)

Management/mentorship skills
Collaboration skills
Communication skills
Teaching/instructional skills

Research

In the 'Research Experience' section, a student uses strong verbs (recruit, collect, investigate) to describe their role

Research Experience is often separated to highlight laboratory, analysis, or clinical skills. This section is especially helpful for scientific or academically-focused resumes.

For Each Research Project, Include

Title (e.g., research assistant, research analyst)
Name of institution, department, city and state
Title of project (consider brief description)
Name/title of professor(s), who supervised project
Beginning and ending dates

Talking Points (optional)

mentors
motivation for your research
software used
data collection process
data analysis approach
why you chose your specific data analysis approach
presentations at research fairs and symposiums

Presentations

Presentations are formatted using APA format and are separated by types of presentation (conference and invited talk)

The Presentation section can be helpful to highlight any key presentation experiences you have, including presenting research at a conference, participating in a panel discussion, hosting a webinar, etc. This can be helpful section to highlight public speaking skills, or academic research experience.

For Each Presentation, Include

Names of presenter(s)
Title of presentation
Name of conference/organization
Meeting location and date

Publications

Publications are listed using the common citation style used in your industry

The Publication section can be helpful to highlight any published work you have authored/co-authored. This may include scholarly publications/work, professional papers, articles/monographs, reviews, exhibits/exhibitions/recitals (artists and musicians--complete description of work-in-progress), books, research reports, pertinent work in press

List bibliographic information in the format consistent with your discipline (e.g. APA for Psychology, MLA for English, etc.).

Awards & Honors

An Awards & Certification section including Deans list, a U.S. National Guard bravery award, and an ABA Tech certificate

Awards and honors is a helpful section to designate special achievements, including scholarships, grants, graduation honors, special recognitions, etc.

For Each Award/Honor, Include

The name of the award/honor
The organization that presented the award/honor
The date or timeframe that you received the award

Talking Points (optional)

Description of why the award was given.
- This is helpful if the award’s title does not give context to achievements, or you want to highlight a particular skill or quality showcased from the award/honor.

Licenses & Certifications

In the section "Licenses and Certificates" key certification include Basic Life Support and a Nursing registration

Licenses & Certifications is a section that allows you to show your qualifications for working at a specific job/industry. This is especially important when your industry requires specific certifications/licensure to qualify (e.g. Teaching License, Registered Nurse Certification). If it is a qualification for a position, be sure to put this section on the top half of your resume so it is easily seen.

Leadership, Service, & Involvement

Experience can be described using bullet points, or can simply list the role, organization, and dates.

Leadership, Service, & Involvement can demonstrate leadership, collaboration, and commitment to a field or issue. Relevant experiences may include student organizations, departmental committees, volunteer work, professional associations, community partnerships, or campus leadership.

For Each Position/Role, Include

the name of the employer/organization
your title
the city/state where you worked
dates of employment/involvement

Talking Points (optional)

Management/mentorship skills
Collaboration skills
Communication skills
Teaching/instructional skills

Projects

Example of a coding class project on a resume, where a student built a digital Sudoku board

Significant course projects can demonstrate academic interests and relevant skills, especially when you are beginning your CV. Examples might include an honors thesis, capstone, policy analysis, archival project, community-engaged research project, digital humanities project, or substantial seminar paper. Focus on projects that are relevant to your goal and explain what you investigated, produced, or learned to do.

For Each Project, Include

Name of the project
The date/semester(s) you worked on the project,
Class you completed the project in (if applicable)

Talking Points (optional)

Have your first bullet point describe the reason for and goal of your project and your role, if it was a group project.
Have your next bullet points detail the concrete technical skills you used to complete the project and the outcomes of your work, including any presentations of your work.

For more details, please see the Resume Project Section guideLinks to an external site..

Skills & Accomplishments

Organize skills based on large categories, like "languages" or "programming"

A skills section is the best place to highlight skills that don't need context to understand. These are called "hard skills," as they are very concrete and tangible. Avoid listing "soft skills," or skills that can be defined in multiple different ways.

References

In academia, listing references directly on the last page of your CV is standard practice. You will want to provide 3 to 5 references, prioritizing those who can speak directly to your research, teaching, or administrative skills (e.g. advisors, principal investigators (PIs), committee members, or department heads, etc.). Make sure to get consent from your references before listing them on your CV.

For Each Reference, Include:

Reference's full name, making sure to use the proper title (e.g. Dr./Prof.)
Their job title
The name of the organization they work at
Two forms of contact information (usually email and phone number)

Optional

Your relationship to the reference (e.g. "Faculty mentor and academic advisor")
The department they work or teach in

Sample Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Click the button on the right to view sample curriculum vitae to get ideas for how to write your own materials based on your industry and level of experience.

Sample Curriculum Vitae

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Should I write bullet points on my CV?

Depending on your field and the type of experience, you may use concise bullet points or short descriptions. As you get further into your career, you will likely need fewer descriptions to explain your experiences. This is why many people in tenured academic positions do not have bullet points on their resume!

Strong descriptions often communicate:

What you researched, taught, created, analyzed, organized, or contributed.
The methods, tools, languages, theories, or approaches you used.
The population, topic, course, collection, data, or issue involved.
The result of your work, such as a paper, presentation, report, exhibit, program, or publication.

Begin descriptive statements with strong action verbs and use parallel structure. Use present tense for responsibilities you currently perform and past tense for completed experiences. If you worked on a team, describe your individual contribution accurately without overstating your role.

What really is the difference between a resume and a CV?

A resume is a concise and selective summary of the skills and experiences most relevant to a particular job or internship. A CV provides a more comprehensive account of your academic development and is most often used for academic, research, or funding opportunities.

Most undergraduate resumes are one page. A CV is not limited to one page and becomes longer as your academic record grows. Lastly, a resume emphasizes a professional identity and is tailored closely to a particular position. A CV emphasizes an academic or scholarly identity. You should still tailor a CV by reordering sections and emphasizing the experiences most relevant to the opportunity.

There are so many things to write about in my CV! Where do I start?

Here is a step-by-step list of how you can write a strong CV:

Create a comprehensive list. Write down your education, research, major projects, presentations, awards, employment, leadership, service, skills, creative work, and other relevant experiences. Do not worry about formatting yet!
Identify the purpose. Review the opportunity and note the qualifications, experiences, or academic interests it prioritizes.
Choose your sections. Group related experiences under clear headings that reflect both your background and the opportunity.
Write and organize your entries. Use reverse chronological order within sections and describe your contributions with specific, concise language.
Format for readability. Apply consistent headings, dates, spacing, punctuation, and emphasis. Avoid decorative elements that distract from your content.
Tailor and proofread. Move the most relevant sections earlier, check names and dates, and confirm that the document follows the application instructions.
Ask for feedback. Share the CV with a faculty member, research supervisor, academic advisor, and/or CLA career coach. Different reviewers can help you check both disciplinary expectations and overall clarity.

How can I tell if I have a good CV?

Here is a general checklist that you can use to proofread your own CV:

I followed the application instructions and confirmed that a CV is the appropriate document.
My contact information is current and professional.
My section headings accurately describe my experiences.
My most relevant sections appear near the beginning.
Entries within each section are in reverse chronological order.
Dates, punctuation, spacing, and formatting are consistent.
Descriptions identify my contributions and use strong action verbs.
Publications and presentations use a consistent citation style.
I removed personal information that is not appropriate for a U.S. application.
I checked spelling, grammar, names, titles, and dates.
I saved the document as a PDF unless the application requested another format.
I asked at least one person familiar with my field or goal to review it.

Additionally, you can ask other for help. CLA Career Services can help you strengthen the document’s organization, descriptions, and overall communication. Faculty members, research supervisors, and academic advisors can help you understand field-specific conventions.