At the Resume Workshop this past Thursday, Seema explained how to create an effective CV. We started the discussion with differentiating between a CV and a resume. I didn’t realize that a CV was much more detailed than a resume, and that a resume should be more tailored for each application. Seema also explained the differences between an undergraduate CV and a graduate CV, and how they should include different elements. For example, a graduate CV should have a strongly-worded objective, but it can be more of a waste of space on an undergraduate resume. Additionally, a section on extracurricular activities is not welcome on a professional CV, unless those activities directly relate to the position. And even then, the heading should not be “Extracurricular Activities” but instead something like “Additional”, “Other”, or “Related Experience”.

My most surprising realization came with Seema’s statement that employers may not spend more than ten seconds reading your resume or CV. That’s right, ten seconds. This made me realize that my resume needed to be restructured to highlight my most important experience. On my own resume, I realized that my “Additional” section was too long, and looked like I had little related work experience. To solve this, I restructured my subheadings to include more content under “Work Experience” and edited the descriptions of those jobs to highlight skills that would be useful for the jobs I am applying to.