12 Tips to Write a Great Academic Resume/CV

ENTER TO STUDYJuly 20, 2021

56 5 minutes read

Are you applying for your dream university, college or research program? If so, then you will need to include an academic resume in your application. There are many different resume/CV samples and templates out there. However, an academic resume (sometimes referred to as an academic resume) is purely related to academia.

The distinctions between a CV and a CV are enormous, and you need to provide a lot of material, such as publications, grants and bursaries, that you wouldn’t ordinarily focus on.

This website is aimed towards people who have more access to their mid-level careers. More experienced people may desire a framework that is customized to their teaching or research experience in different ways.

Regardless of your seniority, writing an academic resume doesn’t have to be difficult. Our expert guide and resume template will teach you how to put together a strong resume that helps you get into the program of your choice. You can also check free resume templates on CoolFreeCV.

What to include in an academic resume

Here are some basic details that you need to include on your academic resume:

1. Contact information

Your contact information should be the first thing any department head sees on your resume/CV.

Include the following basic information:

Email
Name
Phone number
Address

However, make sure that you use a professional email address (i.e. FirstnameLastname@email.com) on your resume. Most department heads won’t be impressed receiving a Ph.D. application from john123@hotmail.com.

2. Personal profile

Knowing how to start a resume is important for landing a job, and your resume is no different when it comes to getting a position in academia.

The personal profile of your CV is an opportunity to express who you are succinctly and sum up some of your main achievements.

To build a CV profile, indicate explicitly for which position you apply, why you apply and then sum up some of your main achievements and talents. Your profile information gives a short overview of what is contained in your CV and provides a little of additional context.

3. Educational details

Having a detailed education section on your CV is essential for anyone in academia. Normally, certain degrees are prerequisites for being accepted into other higher-learning programs.

You should state your educational background in reverse chronological order, starting with the university you currently attend (or most recently graduated from). For each entry, state the institutions you’ve attended, degree earned, and your date of graduation.

4. Relevant experience

List your professional experience on your academic resume. Note that these are positions related to academia, not previous jobs you had as an admin or computer programmer.

They are also typically tenure-track positions, not ad hoc and adjunct professor gigs, nor TA (teacher assistant) experience. Instead, you should label that experience under “Teaching Experience,” which will be discussed later.

Only include contractual academic-related work in your professional appointments section, and list the following information for each entry:

Institution
Department
Your title
Dates employed
Duties

5. Teaching experience

This section will be one of the most crucial portions of your CV, if you are a present or aspiring professor. List any TA posts you have taught, additional roles or courses.

Include the institution, department, course, dates taught for each entry and if the course has been graduated or undergraduated.

You do not have to list your tasks as TA. The only exception is if TAs are needed for the design and teaching of your department/institution only. If that is the case with the courses that you have taught, list your curriculum vitae.

Please note that if your positions include several TA/addition, only a handful that are related to the program or field in which you are applying should be highlighted.

6. Publications

Have you carried out and published research? You may find your publications even more essential than the universities or professional placements that you attended. This is particularly true if you are a renowned expert in your industry.

You should divide your publications into “peer-reviewed” and “other”, and then organize them by publication date.

Furthermore, divide them between published journals, books, book chapters, book reviews, published volumes, or web-based publications.

There may also be mentioned here future publications or those under evaluation. Just ensure that you offer the complete quote or as much data as you currently have. If published, it should be classed as ‘in press’ rather than published in the year presently underway.

7. Awards & Honors

If you have received any awards, mention them here. First list the date you received it, institution name, and the award name (some details about it).

Listing the monetary value of the award is field-specific. Check with a trusted official/senior advisor in your field.

8. Invited Talks

You should put it in a separate area if you have been asked to another college to speak. Please provide a brief explanation of what you said, including your institution’s name, location, department, date of the speech and the title.

Being invited as a speaker is a great addition to your resume because it demonstrates to department heads that you have recognition as an expert in your field of study.

9. Conferences

Have you previously attended a conference? In your academic CV, you should also incorporate this.

Note that you didn’t present a talk at these conferences. List the panel/institution organization, title/topic of the paper, name and date of the lecture.

Also, include the conference acceptance rate if you want to stress how prominent the event is.

10. Research experience

List the research projects you have undertaken if you are a RA (Research Assistant, Research Associate).

Include the date, institution and post you have when you list your academic curriculum vitae.

Provide a brief overview of how the research has been carried out. Either a team or a comprehensive endeavor carried out by several laboratories.

11. Language and skills

If you speak more than one language, list your language skills in a dedicated section on your resume.

List each language with your proficiency level in reading, writing, and speaking. Common terms you can use to describe your proficiency are “native,” “fluent,” “intermediate,” or “conversational.”

Many universities view language skills as an indication of scholarly success, and foreign languages can generally be useful in a variety of different fields of study.

12. References

Unlike a standard resume or a CV for a job, you should include a list of references toward the bottom of your academic resume.

List each reference’s name, title, mailing address, contact number, and email address.

While this seems like a lot of information for one person, (and it’s highly unlikely that the institution will actually contact them by mail), this is the traditional format for including references, and should be followed by everyone.