How to Create Your Cv

Creating your academic cv

For Masters and PhDs

CAREERCENTRE

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St. George campus | www.careers.utoronto.ca

Curriculum vitae

Outlined below is detailed information on the key components of the curriculum vitae (cv), as well as

information on how to develop effective cover letters.

The curriculum vitæ

Overview

A cv provides a complete profile of your academic achievements, publications, and scholarly interests, as

well as skills developed through academic degrees and related teaching or research experience. A cv’s

length is determined by the relevant content it contains and does not have a set page count. As an

academic’s profile develops over time, the cv grows in length, serving as a comprehensive record of one’s

scholarly progress and history. A cv is generally used by those who have completed a master’s or doctoral

program, and who are interested in applying to academic positions, and post-doctoral fellowships.

While there are certain basic style rules, you may in fact have several different versions that you use for

different types of positions: teaching-focused versus research-centred, for example. Furthermore, your cv

will always be a work in progress, and as you add items to various categories or add new categories of

accomplishment, you may find yourself making substantial changes to its overall format and style.

Keep in mind certain visual and layout rules: do not use a font that is too small or difficult to read —

nothing smaller than 11 points. Try not to use too many fonts; instead, use white space to separate the

categories and to highlight the distinct areas your cv covers. Also, use a consistent style or format for

headings and subheadings. And ensure that your name appears in the header of each page subsequent to the

first one, along with a page number.

Every cv will include information found under standard headings such as education, research and teaching

experience and publications. There are however additional...