The bullet in Option 1b is better.
“Skills” are not clear in the bullet of Option 1a.
Apply/Interview
Build and submit your CV
Build and submit your CV
A) Contact information activity
Review the Contact Information section of your CV. Compare it to the example provided.
John Doe
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/johndoe/27/36/6b3
Local address
222 John Street
Waterloo, ON, N3A 2N1
519-888-5555
www.jdoeportfolio.com
jdoe@email.address
604-777-2222 (cell)
Permanent Address
#301-85 King Street West
Vancouver, BC, V6B 4W1
604-777-1234
- Ensure your name is in a larger font than the rest of the text.
- Use a current and a permanent address, if applicable. An employer should always be able to contact you.
- Choose a professional email address. If providing a link to your portfolio or website, ensure that it is relevant and professional. (Tip: Your voicemail message should create a positive first impression.)
B) Research and/or professional interests (optional)
Review the Research and Professional Interests sections (if applicable) in your CV. Compare it to the example provided.
Example 1:
Research and Teaching Interests:
Research: Market Pricing of Accounting Information; Market Efficiency and Regularities; Fundamental Analysis; Economic Consequence and Valuation Effects of Accounting Standards
Teaching: Financial Accounting; Managerial Accounting
Example 2:
Research Interests: Sensing, automation, and information technology for construction engineering and management, infrastructure asset management, optimization, decision theory, and computation modeling for avid engineering systems
Example 3:
Teaching Interests:
- Image processing
- Fuzzy Theories and Systems Construction Project Management
- Artificial Neural Networking
- Although this section is optional, adding a Research and/or Professional Interests section can help the reader quickly see the match between your qualifications and the job requirements.
- The points include field specific key words.
C) Summary of qualifications (optional) activity
Review the Summary of Qualifications section (if applicable) in your CV. Compare it to the example provided.
Summary of Qualifications
- 7+ years research and teaching experience in material science engineering
- 12 years industry experience in field of material science engineering, welding and joining, including project management
- Proven supervisory abilities with industry teams and academic research teams
- Professional Engineers of Ontario designation (PEO) in process
- Experience in successful grant proposal writing
- Outstanding analytical skills with solution orientation to create new technologies (or new methodologies)
- The above qualifications are listed in order of relevance to the job, beginning with field-specific experience (i.e., research and teaching), followed by technical knowledge and skills, and ending with transferable (but still relevant) skills.
- All bullet points begin with an adjective or noun.
- The points include field specific key words.
D) Education activity
Review the Education section of your CV. Compare it to the example provided. For illustrative purposes, sections of different CVs are used.
Education
Candidate for Doctor of Philosophy, Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, September 20xx – present
Thesis: Model Synchronization for Software Evolution
Thesis supervisor: Professor John Smith
Relevant courses: Application of Integer Optimization to Engineering Design, Statistical Signal Processing, Queuing Systems, Algorithm Design and Analysis, Communications Over Fading Dispersive Channels
Master of Mathematics
Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, September 20xx
Thesis: Enhancing Domain-Specific Software Architecture Recovery
Thesis supervisor: Professor Brenda Dixon
Bachelor of Mathematics
Computer Science, Co-op Program, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, September 20xx
- The degrees are correct, spelled out in full, and include the program, institution name, city, province, and dates.
- The relevant courses are related to the type of work being sought.
- Only the graduation date is listed for completed programs. The start date of the program is not required.
E) Work experience activity
Review the Research, Teaching, Industry, Service sections of your CV. Compare it to the examples provided. For illustrative purposes, sections of different CVs are used.
Option 1a
Research Assistant, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, 20xx – 20xx
- Researched chlorinated hydrocarbons for supervisor.
Option 1b
Research Assistant, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, 20xx – 20xx
- Designed and validated original method for analysis of chlorinated hydrocarbons using solid phase micro extraction to corroborate initial research findings.
Option 2a
Writing Coach, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Sept. 20xx – April 20xx
- Coached 100+ international students in writing multi-culturally sensitive reports through relevant assignments to enhance writing skills.
Option 2b
Writing Coach, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Sept. 20xx – April 20xx
- Coached 100+ undergraduate and graduate international students to write and edit essays and reports, with multicultural sensitivity and in accordance with rules of the English language and the principles and the practices of client-centred adult education.
The bullet in Option 2a is better.
Bullet 2b is long-winded; save this level of detail for an interview.
Option 3a
Teaching Assistant, Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Jan. – April 20xx
- Graded 150 written assignments per term to evaluate students’ understanding of course material, as member of marking team.
Option 3b
Teaching Assistant, Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Jan. – April 20xx
- Marked and graded papers for Chemistry 101, showing excellent time management and interpersonal skills as member of team.
The bullet in Option 3a is better. It shows a successful result (i.e., 150 written assignments) and makes the team effort clear.
Bullet 3b focuses on the course and does not provide enough detail. The words “showing excellent time management and interpersonal skills” should be removed: the employer will decide what skills are demonstrated. Include this type of information in the Summary of Qualifications if relevant.
F) Other sections activity
Review additional sections not listed elsewhere in your CV. Compare it to the example provided. For illustrative purposes, sections of different CVs are used.
Volunteer Experience
President, Graduate Student Association, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Sept. 20xx – June 20xx
- Managed recruitment events and activities to increase graduate student membership; increased membership by 20%
- Chaired Board of Director monthly meetings to oversee activities of executive group
Graduate Student Rep, Women in Engineering, Civil Engineering Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Sept. 20xx – April 20xx
- Co-organized talks by women engineers to provide advice and support for women engineers
- Mentored new women graduate students through orientation for enhanced integration into community
Awards and Scholarships
- SSHRC (Masters, $21,000), University of Waterloo, September 20xx
- Ontario Graduate Scholarship ($15,000)
- President’s Graduate Scholarship for Academic Excellence ($10,000), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, 20xx
- Sections not listed elsewhere in your CV. Other sections, could include: Awards, Scholarships, Fellowships, Prizes, Grants; Publications, Inventions, Patents; Presentations, Conferences; Professional Affiliations; Volunteer Experience; Languages; and Hobbies, Interests, Leisure, Travel.
- A volunteer experience section is an additional way to demonstrate knowledge and skills you have gained.
- The awards/scholarships section provides the name of the award, the name of the institution from which the award was received, and the date it was received. In some cases the rationale for the awards/scholarship is explained when it is not implicit in the name of the award. If the awards are outstanding, this section should move closer to the Education section or could be a subsection of the Education section.