Curriculum Vitae: Your Career on Paper

A well-constructed CV displays your attention to detail and lays plain your professional accomplishments.

Whether it’s your first one out of school, or needs to be refreshed for a new job search, your CV is a potential employer’s first look at your qualifications. Keeping it clear and organized will not only make a great first impression, it will also assist other departments in their work once you’re hired.

There’s a lot more to your CV than a list of training, employment and publications. During a job search, it will be referenced by a number of in-house teams that will focus on different information along the way. From recruiters, to hiring committees and credentialing teams, your CV is the go-to document as you move through the stages of hiring so it’s important that it is accurate and up-to-date.

Title and Contact Info

• List your full name and credentials as you would have them appear on a business card or employment contract
• Include your home address and cell phone number
• Use your personal email address (and remember to check it often)

Training

• List your medical training in reverse date order, beginning with Fellowship
• Include the institution, location and degree received
• If you are an international medical graduate, indicate if you have obtained ECFMG Certification
• Format dates as MM/YY (the credentialing department will thank you for it!)
• If you are still in Fellowship training, include start date and expected graduation date

Certifications

• Include all board certifications (i.e. pediatrics or internal medicine) and active dates
• If you are not yet board-certified in allergy/immunology, indicate if you are board-eligible

Employment

• List your related employment in reverse date order, beginning with the most recent
• Include name of institution, location and title if applicable (i.e. Department Head)
• This is an appropriate section to include military service as well

Awards and Honors

• Grants and awards
• Special military recognition

Memberships and Affiliations

• Memberships in local, state or national professional associations (including AAAAI and ACAAI)
• Include committee participation or offices held

Languages Spoken

If you speak languages other than the one in which you are interviewing, be sure to include that as well. Speaking additional languages can be very attractive to employers in many regions of the country (and may even be required for some positions.)

Publications and Research

For some, this section can be quite lengthy! One option is to only include the last ten years of items, with a “full list of publications available on request.”

A good CV can provide a solid foundation document for years to come, and needs only to be updated annually or as necessary. There are a number of free templates online for a good head start. Remember to keep it clear, concise, and under four pages if possible. Run it through spell check, and pay special attention to email addresses and phone numbers that might be transposed. It will save recruiters and on-boarding teams major delays if your CV is accurate and up-to-date when you apply for a new position.