How to Write Personal Statement for Medical School

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When writing a curriculum vitae (CV), your objective is to provide details of your professional, academic, and extracurricular achievements. The details will vary slightly depending on your industry as well as your experience.

What to Include in Your CV

A medical curriculum vitae should include details of your education (undergraduate and graduate), fellowships, licensing, certifications, publications, teaching and professional work experience, awards you have received, and associations you belong to.

Medical CV Writing Tips

Is a CV right for you? If you're applying for a job in a country that's outside the U.S., or you're in academia or research, a CV may be the right choice. However, if you're job searching in the United States and your experience fits on one page, you may be better off writing a resume unless the job advertisement specifically asks for a curriculum vitae.

Length: Typically, CVs are at least two pages long, sometimes longer. While not every job search expert still believes that resumes should be kept to one page, resumes are typically briefer than CVs. However, even with more room to expand, job seekers should be careful only to include information that pertains to the job. Unrelated job titles, experience, and skills will only draw attention away from your more relevant qualifications.

Consistency: When formatting your CV, choose a basic font like Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri, and use it consistently throughout your document. Mixing up fonts won't look eye-catching and will confuse the reader giving an unprofessional impression. It's also important to be consistent with formatting choices like bold, italics, and caps. If you do some of your headings in bold, you should do all of them. If you choose to italicize job titles or employers, you should do so throughout.

Customization: Write a customized CV for every job opening. While this may seem like a waste of time, it's anything but. Sending out a cookie-cutter CV or resume is a good way to get your application tossed. It will be immediately apparent to hiring managers that you're trying to land any job, not specifically the job they're hoping to fill. That's not a selling point.

Accuracy: Make sure you're scrupulously accurate about dates, job titles, and names of advisors and employers. Proofread your document carefully and make sure that the tenses, names of companies, and formatting are consistent throughout.

What not to include in a CV: You shouldn't include your photo or salary history when sending your CV. Send references only upon request, separately from your CV.

Medical Curriculum Vitae Example

Like many curricula vitae, this medical CV example follows a standard format and contains sections for education, certification and licensure, graduate medical training (including internship, residency, and fellowship history), professional experience, publications, and honors and awards.

This particular example is for a physician with a focus on neurology. This person also teaches in medical school, so her curriculum vitae includes a section describing her teaching experience.

Download the medical CV template (compatible with Google Docs and Word Online) or see below for more examples.

Medical Curriculum Vitae Example (Text Version)

JANET APPLETON
101 Main Street
Van Tassel, NY 10701
[email protected]
000.123.4567 (Cell)

EDUCATION

M.D., New York University Medical School, 2013, New York, NY

Bachelor of Science, Neuroscience, Southern Vermont University, magna cum laude, 2009

CERTIFICATION AND LICENSURE

• Board-certified in internal medicine, 2013-present
• Licensed physician in New York State, 2013

MEDICAL TRAINING

• Fellowship: Neurology and Neurophysiology, Gulf Coast Hospital, Tampa, FL, 2016-2017
• Residency: Neuropsychiatry, Dalla General Hospital, Dallas, TX, 2014-2017
• Internship: Psychiatry, New York Memorial Hospital, New York, NY, 2013-2014

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Consultant Physician, East Side Partners Private Practice, 2017-Present, New York, NY

• Assess, diagnose, and treat patients at high-volume neurology office.

Attending Physician, New York Public Hospital, New York, NY

• Honed expertise in the practice of neurological medicine in metropolitan hospital ER.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

• Assistant Professor, New York University Medical School, Department of Psychology, 2018-present
• Teaching Assistant, Southern Vermont University, Pre-Medical Studies, Fall 2007 – Spring 2008

HONORS AND AWARDS

Jeffrey Jacobs Memorial Medical Student Scholarship, 2013

• Awarded based on undergraduate academic achievement, leadership, and character.

Valedictorian, Southern Vermont University, Spring 2009

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Southern Vermont University, 2009

• Nominated by department chair based on student surveys.

PUBLICATIONS

Appleton, J., Smith, W., and Martinez, O. "Preventing Drug Abuse: An Alternative Solution." American Journal of Medicine 50.2 (2017): 138-59.

Appleton, J., Jones, B. "Opioid Addiction and PTSD: An Exploration." Medical Journal of the West 40.1 (2016): 92-97.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

"A Different Approach to Treating Opioid Addiction." Treating Addiction Conference. Pittsburgh, PA, 2018.

"PTSD Treatment: Rewiring the Brain." Anxiety Disorders Symposium. New York, NY 2017.

MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS

• American Medical Association
• U.S. Psychiatric Association

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

Peer-reviewed articles for:

• American Journal of Medicine
• Medical Journal of the West

COMMUNITY SERVICE

• Free Clinic of the Lower East Side, New York NY, 2013-Present
• Volunteer Consultant Physician, Neurology

Sometimes, whether you're accepted to med school comes down to the numbers (GPA / MCAT score), and you can't change those. However, there are many areas you can improve on – or spin to create a more impressive resume.

These tips below can help you build a strong, professional resume to help your acceptance chances.

Stop: Take a step back before you begin your resume, med school application or anything else. Try to find a theme, belief or mantra that describes you or what you stand for and thread it throughout your entire application. Write a little blurb about yourself, stating why you are bound for a great medical career, but do not include it on your resume. Create it around your qualities and skills and write everything in your application from that blurb.

Objective statement: This should speak to your core belief. Med schools want to see that you're a passionate, enthusiastic student heading for a profound medical career, and your objective statement should indicate that. But, "passionate, enthusiastic student heading for a profound medical career" is a terrible objective statement because an admissions counselor has read that before.

Take some time with your objective statement, and boil it down to the one unique quality you have that will make you a catch at any med school – similar to the blurb you write about yourself.

If you're interested in research, your objective statement could speak to your desire to find a solution to every problem – or your statement could be about how you will to help people through the gift of medicine. Work on your objective statement and write something completely unique, something that will make a med school counselor stop and think.

Benefit-driven work experience: Med schools' admissions are very competitive, and only about half (or less) of the students who apply are actually accepted. Nearly every admitted student will have a prestigious internship; so simply having one will not help you much. You need to indicate that what you did during your internship helped the practice and ultimately its patients. Med schools want to see tangible results of your efforts. Write as specific and detailed as you possibly can about your internship experience.

Don't just write: "worked closely with doctors, patients, nurses, etc." Instead, write: "Administered medicinal injections for quicker/more effective patient support. Analyzed blood/urine samples for more sophisticated data entry." As an intern, you will most likely handle a lot of administrative work like filing patient records or data. But, med schools don't care if you are the world's quickest filer. Write about your medicine-related duties.

Use resume paper: If you are mailing in your resume, use resume paper. It will make you look more professional.

Use a template: You're on your way to becoming a doctor, not a graphic artist. There's no shame in using an existing resume template. Aesthetically pleasing templates are readily available online and maybe even on your computer in programs like Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and even Microsoft Office. But, your resume should still look professional, and make sure you have lots of white space because that makes it easier to read.

Academic accolades: Include where you went for undergraduate school and what honors or accolades you earned. Include what groups, clubs, organizations, extracurricular activities, etc. you were a part of and what results you created there.

Contact info: Name, permanent address, email address, phone number, and website (if you have it) should all be in the header on your resume.

Strong GPA: At this point, you cannot change your GPA or MCAT score (for those of you who have not taken the MCAT yet, you should strongly consider a private MCAT tutor). But, you should have at least a 3.5 GPA to be competitive at mid-level med schools. You will probably need around a 3.7 or higher for top tier schools. The average GPA is 3.57 for students who get accepted into med school, and that number is rising, according to eHow.com. However, some students who have lower GPAs opt not to include it in their resumes. This could work in your favor, but remember: the school is going to see your GPA one way or another.

Learn how MCAT tutors can help you improve your chances of acceptance into a top med school.

High MCATscore: This could be the most important factor on your resume because the MCAT allows med schools to compare any and all students. But again, you cannot change it. The average MCAT score for accepted students is a 30, and rising. But, if you want to be competitive at top med schools, you will need to at least be in the 33-36 range.

Choosing a Medical Career

Applying to Medical School

Attending Medical School

Applying to Residency

Training in a Residency or Fellowship

• Medical Careers
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• Medical School 101
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• Careers in Medical Research
• MD-PhD Dual Degree Training
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• Preparing for Medical School
• What to Expect in Medical School
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• Anatomy of an Applicant
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• Medical Career Fairs
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• Postbaccalaureate Programs
• AAMC Situational Judgment Test Pilot

• Taking the MCAT® Exam
• About the MCAT® Exam
• Prepare for the MCAT Exam
• Register for the MCAT Exam
• MCAT FAQ
• MCAT Exam with Accommodations
• COVID 19 and the MCAT Exam

• Understanding the Process
• Medical School Admission Requirements™
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• Understanding the Application Process
• Applying to Medical School with AMCAS®
• Fee Assistance Program
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• AAMC Video Interview Tool for Admissions (AAMC VITA™)

• Applying to Medical Research Programs
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• Medical School Survival Tips
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• Visiting Student Learning Opportunities
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• Understanding the Application Process
• Researching Residency Programs and Building an Application Strategy
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Maintaining effective documentation of your academic history and achievements is critical to success in academic medicine. The following tools and techniques offered by the Group on Faculty Affairs can help you prepare a portfolio that highlights your unique qualifications:

• Create My CV is a template to craft your CV.
• Tips and Strategies on how to make the best impression;
• Teaching Portfolio explains what should be included when showcasing your teaching efforts; and
• Biographical Sketches, Statements, and Executive Summaries includes information about your biographical statement and links to the NIH Biosketch form and examples. It also addresses the "Executive Summary," a powerful tool to highlight your qualifications in ways that one's CV often does not.

Key points to keep in mind

Follow your institution's guidelines for your internal CV, the CV you submit with promotion and tenure materials.

• Be proactive in creating your external CVs, biographical statements, and executive summary;
• Create a teaching portfolio; and
• Develop a system that works for you to facilitate updating your package.

New section

New section

• Font: sizes – 12-18 point font for name (the largest font size you use); 12-14 point font for headings; 10-12 point font for text; sans-serif fonts read most easily (those lacking flourishes on the letters); pick one font and use it throughout;
• Format: be consistent and concise; include a page number and name header on all pages;
• Paper: use white/off-white 24-lb paper and a matching envelope;
• Printing/typesetting: use a laser printer for best resolution;
• Don'ts: include SSN, age, gender, race, religion, political affiliation, marital/parental status, disability or national origin, DEA numbers; explain why you're leaving your present job; include salary history;
• Proofread (read backwards) and spell check;
• Use active voice, not passive voice;
• Avoid using the first person ("I", "my");
• Because these are read left to right, avoid placing dates on the left margin to avoid emphasis on the date as opposed to the activity;
• Be honest;
• Keep your external CV current; you don't know when you may be asked to apply for or see a posting for a unique opportunity.

Strategies for keeping current – update your materials on a regular basis

• Collect things in real time – as they happen
• Use holding files with folders (electronic or paper-based) for each of the sections – publications as submitted, in press, and published (keep the same system for your teaching portfolio)

If you maintain different CV's for different purposes, update them at the same time or keep clear notes regarding what you've updated and what you haven't.

FACULTY PROMOTION + REAPPOINTMENT

• Workshops on Reappointment + Promotion
• Preparing for the Reappointment or Promotion Review
• Decision-Maker Roles in the Process
• How to Organize Your CV/Candidate's Statement

For the Professoriate (MCL, UTL, RL, TL) and Clinician Educators

Curriculum Vitae and Candidate's Statement – Showcasing Your Accomplishments

The curriculum vitae and candidate's statement are the faculty member's voice in his or her reappointment and promotion considerations. These documents are sent to internal and external referees, who will write letters evaluating the case for reappointment or promotion. They are also included in the file that is reviewed by committees at the Department, School, and, for Professoriate, the University.

Keeping Current

It is important to keep your CV up to date by systematically collecting and recording relevant achievements as they occur. These might include:

• publications – articles, reviews, case reports, book chapters, abstracts
• extramural and intramural grants and awards
• teaching awards
• national service – membership/leadership in national academic organizations, journal review, editorial boards, study sections, grant review
• invited presentations

Format

Any informative CV format is acceptable as long as it comprehensively communicates scholarly activities. The Detailed Guidelines (below) include information typically provided in anticipation of committee review. Candidates should be encouraged to review the list carefully, as it includes some items that are required, as noted. For example, Stanford requires that peer-reviewed and non peer-reviewed publications be listed separately. In addition, we ask that peer-reviewed publications be separated into 'original research' and 'other' (which may include peer-reviewed editorials, commentaries, etc.)

It is important to date the CV to indicate most recent update.

It is very helpful to order items consistently. That is, most recent to oldest, or oldest to most recent, for all historical lists such as educational history, professional appointments, presentations, awards and publications.

Candidate's Statement

The Candidate's Statement provides a faculty member the opportunity to explain their contributions, achievements and future plans in the research, clinical, teaching and administrative arenas.

Doctor CV Template – How to write the perfect CV for your next job

Writing a medical CV is different to writing a CV for other types of jobs. With over 10 years of experience in the Medical Recruitment business and going through a gazillion CVs, we know what goes into crafting medical CVs that work, both for you the doctor and the hiring manager.

Continuing from our last blog post about what not to put in a CV, this new post discusses what should go into one. And for the first time ever, we are offering our specialised doctor CV template to all readers of our blog.

You may already have a CV, but its style, length and content may be quite different from CVs that hiring managers in hospitals and clinics across Australia and New Zealand are looking for. As Australasia's largest medical recruitment company, we get sent through hundreds of CVs a month and based on our extensive relationships with hospitals and practices, know what their hiring managers are looking for.

Content:

When applying for doctor jobs, it's imperative you list your qualifications, clinical experience and research. A good CV should be clear, concise and it should demonstrate that you have the requisite skills and qualifications for the medical role you're applying for.

Make sure that you include the following:

• Contact details
• Your medical qualifications
• Dates on qualifications and employment
• Any gaps in Work / Practice History

Length:

In terms of length, five or six pages is a good rule of thumb but if you have lots of skills and experience specifically relevant to that particular role it may be longer. The person tasked with shortlisting candidates for a doctor job may spend as little as two minutes reviewing each CV before deciding. You need to make it easy for them to find the information they need to put you in that all-important shortlist. You'll have the opportunity to elaborate in the interview.

How to make your CV standout?

We can all agree that updating your CV can be a pain but the key thing to remember is that you don't want to miss out on your ideal job just because you don't provide the paperwork.

Download our Doctor CV Template to have you stand out from the crowd on your next application.

With 12 years in the medical recruitment industry, we know time is not on a doctor's side. That's why we're offering you a FREE download of the same template we use to save our candidates time and secure them the best roles and salaries across Australia and New Zealand.

There's a reason we're Australia's Largest Medical Recruitment Agency – we know how to bring a little jazz to a Doctor CV.

Download the medical CV Template used by Australasia's Largest Doctor Recruitment Agency below.

Cornell University Graduate School

Depending on the type of job, you will need to create a curriculum vitae (CV) or a resume. Both documents put your qualification in writing, but they are used for different audiences and use a different format.

When to use a Resume

In the United States, most employers use resumes for non-academic positions, which are one or two page summaries of your experience, education, and skills. Employers rarely spend more than a few minutes reviewing a resume, and successful resumes are concise with enough white space on the page to make it easy to scan.

For more information on developing your resume, please visit Optimal Resume and Cornell Career Services Career Guide. Students often find it helpful to review resumes from graduate students who got their first job outside of academe. To see example resumes, visit the Ph.D. Career Finder in Versatile Ph.D.

When to use a Curriculum Vitae (CV)

A CV is a longer synopsis of your educational and academic background as well as teaching and research experience, publications, awards, presentations, honors, and additional details. CVs are used when applying for academic, scientific, or research positions. International employers often use CVs as well.

A CV is a comprehensive statement emphasizing:

• professional qualifications
• education
• experience
• accomplishments
• activities
• special qualifications

A CV can vary from two pages to several pages. Professionals seeking academic positions and non-academic positions in science, higher education, research, and health care typically use a CV. It is also used to seek a fellowship or grant and is expected for some positions overseas. Consult with faculty members in your field to determine what is expected and appropriate for your field.

Guidelines for Preparing a CV

• The order of topics in a CV format is flexible.
• Arrange sections to highlight strengths for the position you are seeking.
• Elaborate on accomplishments and skills within categories.
• List items within each category chronologically, the most recent appearing first.
• Include additional headings when appropriate to reflect certifications/licensures, workshops/training, languages, book reviews, etc.
• Present information in an easily accessible and attractive style.

Resources

• Faculty advisors are the most knowledgeable resource for determining what constitutes effective content in your discipline.
• For formatting assistance and to see more examples of CVs, visit the Cornell Career Services Library in 103 Barnes Hall. The following books also may help: How to Prepare Your Curriculum Vitae and The Curriculum Vitae Handbook.

Sample CVs

• Non-academic samples from the University of California, San Francisco
• Academic samples from the University of California, San Francisco
• Samples from Columbia University
• Samples from University of Pennsylvania
• Chronicle of Higher Education's CV Doctor

Electronic Version of CV

When sending electronic versions, attach a file or cut and paste the CV into the text of the email message. State your objectives and career interests in the first few lines since they may be the only items seen on a screen. Other tips:

• Use language and acronyms recognized in your field.
• Avoid using bold, italics, underlining, lines, or graphics. Use all caps for emphasis.
• Put your name at the top followed by address and each phone number on a separate line.

Many employers use websites for applicants to apply for positions. Although each form may be different, some elements may be similar. Save parts of your CV in a format that can be cut and pasted for each individual web-based form, such as saving a bulleted list of work experience.

Transforming Your CV into a Resume

You may need both a CV and a resume for your job search. Sending the appropriate document (CV or resume) tells employers that you can distinguish the differences between the academic and non-academic environments and that you can adapt your skills to either environment. Most employers in industry prefer a resume. When rearranging your CV to make it a resume:

• Do not exceed two pages.
• Re-evaluate your experience. Think creatively about how your academic experience can be translated into the necessary skills for a non-academic environment. Consider skills of project management, leadership, teamwork, effective communication, and meeting deadlines.
• Choose action verbs to describe your experience.
• Put your strengths first. List your professional experience or your degree first, depending on which is most important for a specific position.
• Include a well-written job objective; state the type of position and work setting you are seeking, skills or abilities you possess, and long-term goals. Be sure that your resume supports your job objective.
• Emphasize skills and accomplishments.
• List relevant presentations, publications, and papers, but not all.
• Have someone proofread it.

ANDREW SMITH

CLASS

A curriculum vitae, or CV, is a list of a person's academic and other achievements. It could be said that a CV is nothing more than a resume for a school or scholastic program. You might have to prepare a CV if you are attempting to help a professor publish a scholastic paper or obtain a job working alongside a teacher or professor. Listing your achievements correctly in your CV can help you stand apart from other candidates and increase your chances of achieving your overall objective.

Explore this article

1 Choose the alignment of your CV

Choose the alignment of your CV. The CV can be aligned on the left or right side of the paper. You can also use center alignment. Which you choose doesn't matter as long as you use the same alignment throughout the entire CV.

Type your name at the top of the CV. Your name should be in all capital letters and one or two font sizes larger than the rest of the text on the CV.

Put your address and contact information directly underneath your name. Type your address as you would on a postcard or letter. Underneath the address, include your home phone number, cell phone number and email address, each on a separate line.

Add an "Objective" heading to the CV. "Objective" should be written in capital letters and either underlined or put in bold to show that it is a heading.

Under the "Objective" heading, describe what you hope to achieve by preparing the CV, such as getting into grad or law school.

Create an "Education" heading, followed by your education history. Provide the name of your most recent school on the first line, the location of the school on the next line, and your degree and the year you obtained that degree on the next line. Repeat this sequence for each school. Go no further back than high school when writing this portion of the CV.

Create an "Academic Achievements" heading. This is where you will list things such as "graduated with honors." Place your achievements in order. Remember that there should be only one achievement on each line of the CV. If you don't have any academic achievements that you wish to showcase on the CV, skip to the next step.

Create an "Extracurricular Activities" heading. This section could include school sports and after-school activities. List these activities chronologically, starting with the most recent. Include the dates you participated in each activity directly next to the activity. Put each activity on a separate line. If you have no extracurricular activities that you want to highlight on the CV, skip to the next step.

Add a "Work Experience" section. After the heading, list each job, starting with the most recent one. The first line of each job listing should give the name of the company. The next line should be used for the job title. On the third line, put the dates that you started at and left the company. Include at least your past three jobs.

Create a "Skills" section. These skills could include your experience with software programs, typing skills, problem-solving abilities or any other skills that you think make you stand out. Remember to start with a heading before listing your skills.

Finish the CV with a "References" section. This is a list of people who could recommend you to that particular school or program. You could use former teachers, bosses or coaches as references. Refrain from listing any family members in the references section. For each reference, include a name and phone number. An address is not necessary if the person does not want you to share it.

Latin for "course of my life", the curriculum vitae (or CV for short) is your opportunity to shine. It is here you can demonstrate how hard you have worked over the past few years and why you deserve to matriculate to medical school. Both CVs and resumes are tools to market one's self. Although some use these words interchangeably, in academic settings it would be best to stick with the term CV. A CV is different from a resume in that it is generally longer, more detailed and used for academic purposes rather than job employment. Let's explore some common questions about CV.

When do I start writing CV?

Now. You want to start as early as you can by maintaining a portfolio with pertinent activities. Open a file and begin documenting activities, awards, publications or any other significant event. Date each event as you go. This will save a lot of trouble in the future when trying to think back. For now, document any significant event but realize you will likely have to narrow this down to pertinent material when composing your final draft.

What should I include?

For the most part, your CV should have the following categories as long as you have information you can include.

Identification/Contact: Include your full name at the top followed by any contact information you find appropriate (address, phone, email, etc). Make sure to use professional email accounts and make sure the account will remain active. If your email is [email protected] , please create a new one. Remember, you do not know where this information will end up being circulated. If you use non-personal contact such as a school operator or school mail box make sure you really can be reached this way.

Education: List all institutions you have attended since graduating from high school. Include city, state, and years of attendance. Don't forget to include summer school.

Professional Experience: Record inter/externships, advisory board committee, volunteering at hospitals, and other jobs for pay etc.. You may briefly explain your position or role there.

Teaching Experience: This includes tutoring and mentoring.

Professional Organizations: List all organizations you are part of, the years you were involved and any leadership positions you held.

Honors and Awards: Mention Dean's list, scholarships, and recognitions. Remember, the further you are in your training the more you will need to narrow this list into more relevant information. For example, when applying for medical school they are looking for more well-rounded candidates so an award for MVP of your intramural ping pong team may be worth mentioning while this probably should not be included in an application for a residency position.

Research/Publications: List any research work you have taken part in. Include published papers, abstracts, and poster presentations. Make sure to use correct formatting here and to keep the data up to date. If an article has been accepted for publication but is not yet formally published make sure to include "in press".

Personal Info: This is where you can personalize your CV by mentioning your hobbies, interests, languages, and relevant activities. Keep this short and sweet avoiding verbose language. Including interesting hobbies such as skydiving or spelunking may be advantageous.

What should I exclude?

A cover letter. These are used more for job resumes.

Do not include a title. They already know this.

Your goals in life.

Your GPA, SAT or MCAT score.

Irrelevant details and accomplishments.

Age, marital status, religious preference, or political views.

Personal information that is too personal such as your social security number or salary.

Your social media URL information.

A photo of yourself. Or any photo for that matter.

Misspellings and grammatical errors.

How long should it be?

Your CV should be at least 2 pages long. The further your training and career go the longer it will get. At some point you may have to have a regular and abbreviated version.

How should I order things?

Unless specified by a particular institution, I would recommend arranging things in reverse chronological order. Start with your most recent experiences. Most people want to know what was recently done and care less about what you accomplished 10 years ago.

How should I structure and design my CV?

You want this document to be pleasing to the eye. Do not merge sections together but instead consider using lines to separators in between sections. Avoid using color and bogus fonts. Remember, many people reading these are in their middle ages. It is always nice to print out your CV on nice sturdy paper.

Anything else to remember?

In closing, start early and keep your CV up to date. Allow your CV to have its own unique character but it must be pleasing to the eye. Review your CV for mistakes. Always have access to your CV. Place it in your email or store it in a cloud. If you are attending a career fair print out a few copies and take them with you. When you are finally ready, upload your CV in PreMed Star. You will be one step closer to becoming a great applicant.

Are you a premed? Join Diverse Medicine now. It's free!

• Advice
• CV and cover letter tips
• Help Getting A Job
• Not sure what to do next – study

Are you a student or school leaver about to write your first CV? Even if you think you've got no work experience to put in it, you can still write a great CV that demonstrates your skills and strengths.

What is a CV?

A CV is a big first step to getting a job. It doesn't just show employers what you've done – it shows them what you can do. Think of it as an introduction to one of the most amazing and employable people in the world… you.

Why do you need a CV?

A CV tells employers what you're good at, what you are interested in and what you've achieved in life so far. You hand it out when you are looking for jobs. They are great to take to careers fairs, and you can often upload your CV if you are applying for a job online. If an employer likes your CV they might ask you to come to a job interview.

Your CV is your chance to show employers you're a good match for the job and can back up any claims you make. If you say in your cover letter that your cooking could put the Great British Bake-Off to shame, your CV can back you up by showing how you raised hundreds of pounds in a school charity bake sale.

What to put in your first CV

• Full name
• Contact details: Address, telephone, email
• Personal statement: (see below)
• Key skills (see below)
• Education: Where you've studied, for how long, and what grades you got. If you haven't got any results yet, you can put what grades you've been predicted.
• Work experience

What to put in your personal statement on your first CV

A CV personal statement is a bite-sized sentence or two summing up who you are as a professional, and what you want to offer employers in terms of your ambition and experience.

"Sixth form student at Stonebridge College. Practical work experience with retail weekend work (including cash handling) and summer catering work in restaurants. Looking to start a business career with work that develops my business skills and includes customer service."

If you haven't done much work experience, you won't have much to say here. You can still talk about your skills, though. You'll learn more about talking about skills in your first CV below.

What counts as work experience on your first CV?

You may have never had a job before, but you probably have more experience than you think. Examples of work experience include:

• work shadowing
• work placements
• volunteering
• charity work
• Saturday jobs
• summer jobs.

Work experience can take all kinds of forms. For each bit of work experience, include the name of the place you worked, how long you worked there and what your main tasks were. Try to write about the work you did in a way that shows future employers what you'd be good at. For example

How to talk about skills and strengths in your first CV

If you've got little or no work experience, you can still use a CV to talk about your skills and strengths!

The five top life and work skills are:

Try out our free online Young Professional training to build these five top life and work skills, wherever you are in the UK.

You are building these important work skills all the time, even when you are still at school. You just need to learn how to develop them and show employers you've got them. You can talk about these work skills in your CV.

If you are applying for a job that mentions nice-to-have skills, use your CV to demonstrate how any work experience you've done has helped you build up those skills.

EXAMPLE: talking about your Saturday job in your CV

Role: Weekend customer assistant work, MacDougal's Fast Food, Aug 2016-Dec 2017

• Developed strong customer service skills in serving customers quickly and politely
• Used problem solving to help customers with a range of queries like requesting vegan choices or items not on the menu
• Worked as a team to make sure food was cooked, served and delivered quickly, and the service area was kept clean
• Used self-management and organisation skills to carry out tasks on my own without constant supervision by the team leader
• Developed time-keeping skills in always being punctual for work
• I was given extra responsibilities by the team leader and trained in cash handling and working the till.

Who can give you a reference for your first CV?

Someone who gives you a reference is someone who can vouch for you when you are applying for a job. You don't have to put references on your CV. You can just say "References available on request" on the bottom. But this does give you time to think about who could be a good reference for any work experience you've done.

If you're still in school, you could ask a teacher to be a reference. If you've done any saturday work, volunteering or charity work you could ask the team leader or the person who supervised you to be your reference. If you've done school work experience, you could ask your supervisor to provide you with a reference.

Whoever you ask for a reference, be polite and explain why you want the job – or ask if they will be willing to provide a reference if you apply for jobs in the future.

What not to put on your CV:

• Age
• Date of birth
• Gender (your business, no-one else's)
• Religion (your business, no-one else's)
• Relationship status (single, married or "it's complicated"? Never put it on your CV!)
• Nationality (all these things are way too personal and employers will only ask if they absolutely need to know)
• Weird colours, designs and fonts (keep it simple!)
• A non-professional email address (Weird or joke emails like [email protected] give employers the wrong impression. It's quick and free to get a new professional email address like [email protected] if you need one.)
• Lies (never lie on your CV. You can emphasise your good points, but never lie – you will just get caught out.)
• References (if employers want references from people, they'll ask you. Save that CV space for your skills, experience and achievements)

What should your first CV look like?

The most important thing is to keep it simple! Your CV should not be more than two pages long, and it should look really basic – no fancy fonts or colours.

Search online for 'CV templates' and you'll find loads of examples to try.

What is the Personal Statement?

Graduate schools, fellowships, grants, and other competitive programs often require each applicant to submit a short essay about her history and goals. These essays are sometimes written in response to very specific questions; sometimes, they're written in response to a generic prompt. In both cases, the good personal statement carefully balances its author's history and aspirations.

Unlike much academic writing, personal statements are not necessarily thesis-driven. They tend to offer instead a narrative of development or illustrate a match between applicant and program. This does not mean the statement should narrate the applicant's resume. Applicants should ask instead how the statement can enhance a particular element of the resume. Each applicant should ask how she might tell a compelling story about how and why she was drawn to a particular field of study, program, or career path.

How to Write a Personal Statement

The Basics

Start by examining the prompt. Oftentimes, applicants are asked very specific questions about why they are applying to a particular program and what, specifically, qualifies them to be part of that program. Think about the question you've been asked. Also, no matter how tempting it is, do not submit the same personal statement to multiple programs if those programs are asking different questions. Tailor each statement to each question.

Decide how your experience is different, interesting, or special. Personal statements succeed when they are specific. Don't say you want to go to medical school because you want to help people or you want to be a veterinarian because you like animals. Instead, tell a story about Megan, the seven-year-old leukemia patient you met when you volunteered in the cancer ward of Boston Children's Hospital in April 2008. Or, instead, describe how you watched Dr. Phillips, the local veterinarian in the Chicago suburb where you grew up, reset the broken leg of your neighbor's Irish Setter, Morris, after the dog had been hit by beat-up Camaro on Oak Street.

Research the program. The program you're applying to is also unique in some ways, and you should make it clear that you chose it carefully from among its competitors. Think about how your goals will best be served by this particular fellowship, internship, or university. Again, be specific. Any MBA program will grant you the "skills you need" to succeed in the business world. What will this specific MBA program do? Is the actuarial class taught by the president of the Casualty Actuarial Society? That would be important if you're more interested in becoming a casualty actuary instead of a pension or health actuary.

Make your goals clear. Just as your past is interesting and specific, so is your future. What do you plan to do, and how will this program help you do it? Do you want to develop long-term convection models for the eastern seaboard? Or become a choreographer for a major ballet company? How do you plan to get there, and how does this particular program fit into that plan?

Drafting

Once you've thought about your history and your goals, start writing. It's often very tempting to put this off. Writing a personal statement is stressful. But it's important to start writing as soon as possible—especially because you'll be revising again and again. Show how your personal history relates to your goals, and how you're a good fit for this particular program. If your first attempt looks halting and a little half-baked, don't worry. The first draft is supposed to look this way.

Revision

Revision is where the real work begins. Read through what you've written. Ask yourself what works and what doesn't:

• Are you answering the question you set out to answer?
• Are you specific enough?
• Are you spending too much time on your personal history (this isn't an autobiography, remember; only relevant information here)?
• Is your tone consistent throughout?
• Does your first paragraph grab the reader's attention?
• Do you make it clear why you've applied to this particular program?
• Do you have too many things competing for the focus of the statement? What should you consider cutting (even if you want to include everything)?

After looking over your writing, rewrite. Then, rewrite again.

More Revision

Once you feel the personal statement says what you want it to say, show it to somebody. The Writing Center can be useful here. It might also be useful to get feedback from a professional in your field. Many personal statement conventions are discipline-specific. What works in the hard sciences might not work in the humanities; what works for business majors might not work for artists.

Examples

Links

Instructions on personal statements from other universities

How to Write Personal Statement for Medical School

Source: https://sportsclinictampico.com/interior/how-to-write-a-cv-for-medical-school/

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