How to Write a C.V.
The purpose of your Curriculum Vitae (CV) is to introduce yourself and to get your foot in the door. Think of your CV as a snapshot of yourself that is being sent to a blind date. It shows the reader enough about you to decide if he or she might like to go further - but it can't possibly include all the details needed to make a marriage decision.
For physicians, there are basically two types of CVs: Academic and Clinical. They have different target audiences. Academic CVs are aimed at the decision-makers in university hospital settings. These are people who are generally heavy into research themselves and want to know about your interests in that area, your publications and your achievements. These CVs run much longer, so we recommend that you begin with a minimum three-page summary CV. Then, as an attachment, you can offer details of your publications and other speaking engagements, etc. In this way, the concise CV gives the overview and the attachment fills in the details.
Clinical CVs should be aimed at the decision-makers in clinical work settings - hospitals, clinics, ERs and urgent care settings. Clinicians will want to know about your academics, but more specifically, they want to know what you prefer to do and have done medically, and what your personality is like. Leadership roles that you may have held, such as Chief of Staff or Chief Resident, are of interest here. Include your personal interests, as they are also important when considering a new community. Keep your Clinical CV to about two or three pages.
General CV Rules:
The Format:
It is best to type and save your CV using Microsoft Word. Make sure that all CVs can be attached and read clearly in an email. Do not send your CV as an Acrobat Reader file (.pdf).
The Font:
Remember that your CV will likely be faxed several times (from the recruiter to the administrator, from the administrator to the Chief of Staff, etc.). Your CV will lose its quality with each transmission, so you should use a plain, 12-pitch size font (Arial or Helvetica). You should choose a sans-serif font (which means no curly things on the ends of the letters). This will help make your text easy to read. Do not use gray to emphasize headings, as it doesn't transmit when faxed and photocopied.
The Layout:
Do not get too creative with your layout. We recently received an elegant, artistic CV, but it was in an 8-pitch size font. The layout looked great, but we couldn't read a thing - including the candidate's phone number. Try to keep your layout clean and simple. Most physicians are conservative and do not want the distraction of trying to decipher fancy layouts. As a general rule, leave a lot of white space - thinking space - around the edges. Employers love to write on CVs, so margins should be, at the very least, one-inch wide.
The Paper:
Do not use colored paper. Instead, just use a plain white bond paper. Colored paper only blurs the text when transmitted through fax. If you are presenting the CV by hand chose a heavier, laid stock with a nice feel to it.
The Structure:
1. Contact Information
Start your CV with your name, address, phone numbers (home, work, cell and pager) and email address. You do not need to write "Curriculum Vitae" or "CV" at the top of the page. The nature of the document is self-evident. Some doctors like to include their degrees or titles, but you do not need both - that is redundant. If you like, you can indicate your specialty. Some acceptable examples would be:
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PHILIP YOUNGER
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PHILIP YOUNGER, M.D., CCFP, BSc.
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DR. PHILIP YOUNGER, Family Physician
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YOUNGER, M.D., FACO, BSc. (Eng.)
2. Education
Only include titles for which you acquired letters (e.g. - MD, FRCP(c), MSc, PhD). Make sure to list the names of the institutions you studied at, along with their locations and the dates you acquired your degrees. If you had an irregular residency be sure to include the dates when you were at each institution.
3. Professional Experience
List your work experience in reverse chronological order. For example, if you have held several positions within the same hospital organization but have moved locations, make it clear that these were not separate employers. You do not want it to appear like you move around a lot. You can make these distinctions clear by writing the name of the hospital and then indenting the positions. The following is an example:
North Overshoe Hospital Corporation (1984-1994)
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Chief of Staff, North Overshoe (1991-1994)
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Clinical Practice, North Overshoe (1989-1994)
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Clinical Practice with OB at Coldton site (1986-1994)
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ER staff, South Rivers site (1984-1986)
Make sure there are no unaccounted gaps between the years of experience. If you took a year sabbatical in Nepal, be sure to note that you were traveling that year.
4. Prizes and Awards
This is where you should indicate any prizes or awards you have won. Include prizes and awards that relate all the way back to high school scholarships. People like to see that you are intelligent, so list all of your accomplishments.
5. Other Education and Training
Include any other relevant education or training. For example:
Some people like to include their ATLS, ACLS, PALS, etc. information here. Indicate the specific dates so the employer knows how recent your training is. Also, indicate if you are an instructor in any of the areas.
6. Personal
This is the spot to put your marital status, number of children (if any) and if you want to, your birth date. It is also a good idea to note any special interests and hobbies you have. An example could look like this:
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Married to Ann, an IT specialist.
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Three children (ages 12, 4 and 2).
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I enjoy golf, sailing, singing, and studying carnivorous plants.
Highlighting some of your personal information gives employers something to talk to you about and helps to break the ice in your interview. This is also the place for you to indicate the important factors you would be looking for in a location. If you will not move to a location without a golf course, this is the place in your CV to hint at that. If your spouse will need a job, this is also a good spot to indicate that.
7. Publications and Presentations
If you only have a few to include, you can place them between the Education and Other Training and Personal Information headings. If you have more than half a page worth of publications and presentations (particularly if it is a Clinical CV) then you should create a separate page for them.
- References -
Do not include your references on your actual CV. People might call your referees without speaking to you first, and you do not want these busy people to be contacted by anyone until you know that you are serious about the position.
It is wiser to list your references on a separate sheet of paper. Thus, you can send your references to your recruiter who understands that you do not want the referees called without first being notified. Another option is to just have a list of references ready to be used when requested. Remember to be sure that your referees are aware before they are contacted so they can be ready to say good things about you.
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