Professionals in the field of medicine don’t have ordinary resumes. A doctor looking for a new job will need to provide a curriculum vitae (CV) that showcases their accomplishments and the development of their career. This article will focus on how to create an exceptional CV.
Remember: It’s Not a Resume
There are some key differences between a CV and a resume. If you don’t get the format right, that could be a red flag for potential employers like CHG Healthcare. When writing your CV, stick to the accepted format by listing education first and avoiding objectives or long narrative profiles. Information about what makes you a good candidate for a position belongs in a cover letter, not a CV.
While resumes are supposed to be short and sweet, CVs can run longer. That said, it’s not the length of a CV that makes it stand out. It’s the quality of the information contained within it. Be sure to present relevant information in a concise manner. It’s fine to name-drop in a CV, but don’t make the tone self-congratulatory.
Your CV should be neatly organized. Include clear headings and distinct divisions between different sections, but avoid using bullet points. Those are fine for resumes, but are less common in CVs.
Information to Include
CVs are supposed to emphasize the information most relevant to the field of medicine, so the information included in yours will vary depending on what stage you’re at in your career. That said, every CV should include:
- Full legal name.
- Current contact information.
- Educational history.
- Certifications and licenses.
- Post-graduate training.
- Practice experience.
- Professional or teaching appointments.
- Research and publications.
- Accomplishments in the field.
- Professional society memberships.
- Personal and professional references.
Remember that CVs are intended to showcase your professional career development. They should not include references to compensation, reasons for leaving prior positions, examination scores, or protected information like your age, race, religion, or citizenship status.
Understanding Gapping and Parallelism
There are two key skills you need to develop to write a solid CV. They are gapping and parallelism. Gapping uses incomplete sentences to present information in a concise manner. It cuts out unnecessary words but conveys all the relevant information about your job responsibilities.
Parallelism keeps the structure of phrases consistent. Verb phrases are the most common form of parallelism. You can use them to describe duties in one part of your CV then maintain the same structure for current and former roles.
Get the Formatting Right
Formatting is important. To make your CV look professional, you should:
- Make sure your CV looks uncluttered by leaving plenty of white space.
- Use a consistent professional font like Arial or Times New Roman.
- Include a name header and page number on each page.
- List dates to the right of job titles, organization names, and duties.
- Stick to the same format throughout the CV.
Finally, be sure to have your CV proofread by several different people. Minor spelling or grammatical errors will look unprofessional, and they’re hard to catch on a first read-through.
Don’t Rush the Process
Developing a standout CV takes some time. Don’t rush the process. Get started putting together the information, and take your time formatting the document to make sure everything looks as professional as possible. It’s worth spending some extra time on this essential document.
