Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cv

How should I express my internal promotion on my resume?

cosmic.osmo — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:44:11 -0800

I was recently received an internal promotion in my current team from a junior level to senior level title. This promotion is due to experience and performance: I will continue to work on the same projects as before in the same role. How should I express this promotion on my resume? There's also a further complicating factor (to me at least): my manager has been trying to get me this promotion for a year, but due to the economy, it hasn't happened until now. So this doesn't represent an actual career milestone to me, just when HR got around to putting their stamp on it.

I see three options:

1. List it under the same job, with just the new title, and mention the promotion and promotion date in the summary. I like this one the best, since nothing except my title and pay have changed, but I worry that some people might think it's misleading.

2. List it under the same job, but with two titles. I don't really like this as much, since it could be confusing, but it is a little more up front than #1.

3. List it as a different job. I've seen this mentioned in other places, and it has the plus of calling attention to the new title, but it's awkward since I will either have to describe the same projects twice or divide them up arbitrarily.

How (if) does the US résumé differ from the European CV?

threeants — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:37:59 -0800

I am applying for a job at a nonprofit in Europe with a rather international-seeming staff. They ask for a CV. Is the European non-academic CV pretty much equivalent to the US résumé, or is it a beast of a different nature? For example, being a fairly recent college grad, I have been very judicious with my usual resume in order not to have it exceed one page. However, when I think 'CV', I think of the insanely thorough documents that academics possess which list not only everywhere they've worked and everywhere they've gone to school, but also entries detailing every paper they've ever written, every class they've ever taught, every grant they've ever received, every car they've ever driven... what kind of detail is expected from a CV in the European job world? As an example, my current one-page resume allows me to put bulleted descriptions under three key jobs but leave the rest as single-line titles. The whole document is also in 10-point font. Should I upgrade to two pages and put more detail in all around, or would that be considered as ostentatious as it would be in the US? Enlighten me so I can be a CV Wonder!

How do I write my grad school CV?

PostIronyIsNotaMyth — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:26:40 -0800

How do I write a CV for my grad school applications? I have a good idea of WHAT to put on the CV I'm just utterly mystified as to HOW I format the damn thing, what comes first, second, third... Also, I have Word on a Mac OS but there don't seem to be any templates. Obviously if they don't exist I'll just format the damn thing myself but if there are some out there, it would be good to know...

What is the accepted practice for listing your publications in your resume?

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:35:27 -0800

When listing publications in your resume what is the accepted practice for the order of the authors? A number of years ago I collaborated with a university academic on a number of publications. In all cases, I was the lead author on the publications we co-wrote. Recently, I came across the publication list for this academic. In all instances, the academic had placed himself as first author for all of the publications (our papers and all others) regardless of the order the authors were listed in the publication. Is there any area of academia where this is the accepted practice? Also, if I brought this fact to the attention of the university what action would be taken against the academic? I have spoken to the academic about this issue but he maintains this is accepted practice in his area of research.

Journal of Inappropriate Articles to Include in a CV (2009) "In Defense of Sex in Public Places" Submitted.

Hwaet — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:46:55 -0800

A former professor and I are meeting tomorrow, as she's writing me a recommendation for getting a PhD. She's requested that I bring a CV along with my writing samples. I've been employed as an editor, freelance writer and blogger for the most of my post-undergrad career. None of my articles are particularly serious or scholarly. What's the best way to format this info in a CV? I'm aiming to get a (very) interdisciplinary degree in English or American Studies, so I feel like my bloggy contributions in the online world of arts and criticism is a bit more noteworthy than if I were going to study Renaissance theater. My professor noted that she's most interested in my papers, but I'd still like to show up with a detailed CV in case my employment history is relevant.

Most of my writing is celebrity interviews, blog posts for online, mainstream political/cultural magazines, movie reviews, and bar reviews. I've been gainfully employed as a freelance editor for many magazines at once, but I've never been, say, an associate editor on a masthead. I'm totally uninitiated in the arts of writing a CV and have no idea if I should mention specific articles I've written even if they're unrelated to my current endeavors. As I've been out of school for maybe 3 years, this is the bulk of my experience, so I'd rather not sweep it under the rug and turn in a 3/4 page CV.

Are there any templates for people in my situation? Am I overthinking a request from a professor who'd just like to familiarize herself with my post-college activities?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Canadian job application help

biffa — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:59:31 -0800

Canadian academic position, what goes in each of the cover letter, CV, research and teaching statements? I'm thinking in terms of content, level of detail in each, especially teaching and research statements, which are pretty foreign to me. Is it just detail or do they want stuff on top (e.g. mission statement style stuff)? Any advice appreciated.

Can I leave out a qualification I'm not proud of?

malusmoriendumest — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:48:15 -0800

Would a potential employer feel that I had violated the honesty requirements of my CV or résumé by leaving a qualification out? I understand of course that when employers see a CV or résumé, they expect to see the unvarnished truth. Is it intellectually dishonest for me to omit a qualification that I feel detracts from the others? Or would an average employer not mind the omission since it isn't vital information?

New York must be full of web recruiters! Surely?

almostwitty — Tue, 19 May 2009 10:55:04 -0800

I'm a senior web content producer (the chap who figures out what content should be on a website, and sometimes writes it) in London, but I'd love to be in New York (or any other major urban area in the United States). Can you recommend any recruiters who specialise in this field and who might be able to help me? Bonus points for New York ones, as I'll be there in mid June. For reference, you can see a summary of my skills'n'experience via my LinkedIn profile. And I'm not restricted just to New York!

CV heading for board of director-type positions?

leticia — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:05:32 -0800

Where on a CV would "Board of Directors"-type positions go? (i'm trying to not put it in the "Employment" section). Writing a CV for the first time, for an academic position. I'm only used to the resume-format. I'd like to include some boards that I've been on, but I don't want to give it a lot of prominence by putting it with the regular employment stuff. I'd be happy including it in a short list near the end.

Any suggestions for a section heading to put them under?

Many thanks.

My er... sWHAT?

Parsnip — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:43:39 -0800

I am re-building my CV after 10 years of working for the same company. Is it a good idea to include my Myers-Briggs personality type in my CV? It's INTP if that matters and I am looking for senior finance roles for which my professional experience would be sufficient.

Well...now what am I supposed to do?

dejah420 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:07:15 -0800

How to return to the job market after almost a decade as a business owner? Once upon a time, I was referred to as the "Marine Sargent" of consultants. I was brought in to "See the hill, take the hill" on difficult projects like IPOs and massive tech rollouts. My specialty was the ability to document everything that was going on, from code base to executive summaries, as well as managing time lines, resources, deadlines and cross-functional team tracking. I was paid insanely well, and spent the majority of my time globe trotting. I assume that had I been a corporate employee, I would have made director or vp by now.

In 2001 I got pregnant, and decided to stay home with my new son. Not long after he was born, I launched a business around a hobby that did fairly well until the economic downturn. But now, business is down 80%, raw materials and shipping are up 70%, and there's no wiggle room to raise prices again. I've already told my seasonal workers that I won't need them this year, and in fact, I'm probably going to have to find a job myself. (And maybe launch an Etsy store or something and return to hobbyist status on my manufacturing business.)

To whom do I turn to help me figure out how to leverage my past experiences and skill sets and figure out a direction in which to search for a new career? How do I find an actual career counselor...is there even such a thing that isn't tied to a "give us 20% of your income for a year and we'll find you a job" type organization?

Most of the recruiters I've talked to don't really seem to be interested in what I want; i.e., the type of work environment I prefer, but instead want to just restructure my antique CV and stick me in the highest paying cube farm they can find.

On the other spectrum, I've run into a ton of people who call themselves "life coaches" that I wouldn't trust to walk my dogs, much less help me make executive decisions about a career change.

I'm having a heck of a time finding a resource that can listen to what I want, review the experiences and skills I have, and make suggestions that might match those desires.

Hope me, hive mind!

How to list a company acquisition on a resume.

swift — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:17:01 -0800

How do I list a company acquisition on my resume? I worked for UnknownCoolStartup in 2006, which was then acquired by GiantCorporation in the same year, and I have been working there ever since, working on the same stuff as I did at UnknownCoolStartup, basically. My title has changed, of course.

How do I list this on my resume? Is it something like

UnknownCoolStartup (now GiantCorporation) 2006-2008

GiantCorporation (was UnknownCoolStartup) 2006-2008

GiantCorporation 2006-2008

or separate entries for both jobs (which takes valuable space)?

Translating a (lack of) qualifications when I move to the US

tallus — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:38:22 -0800

Help me translate my (lack of) qualifications when I emigrate to the US. I'm emigrating to the US next year (on a K1 visa — I'm marrying a US citizen) and need to figure out how to best present myself to potential employers.

I have 7 'O' levels which is equivalent to high school graduation, roughly, but I don't have a degree. It's a long story but I chose not to take the final exams. However I did successfully finish the first two years which is the equivalent of an HND in the UK (an associates degree in the US) though I don't have the actual paper qualification. On my CV I have always written: Completed two years of University, equivalent to HND. It has never been a problem - most likely due to my age (I'm now 40), my experience and the fact that I work in a field that's used to self taught people and doesn't always rate qualifications — I'm a linux/unix sysadmin.

I've been doing this for sometime however (10 years), and I really don't want to carry on in this field, so I want to take this opportunity to re-invent myself. I understand this might mean starting at the bottom, and take some work to end up where I want, but I'm prepared for this (how and what will be the subject of further askme questions). My question is about I how I can make the best of other skills and qualities without letting a relative lack of, or unfamiliar, qualifications get in the way.

I will be using a functional CV. Is writing

7 O levels (equivalent to High School graduation)
Successful Completion of Two Years at UK University (equivalent to an associates degree)

going to be fine?

Are there other options I could explore? I've thought of trying to get a GED while I'm waiting for my work permit to come through, but I'm not sure that wouldn't be a regressive step.

What about getting a minimum wage/service industry type job while I'm finding my feet? How might this be affected?

I can change and I hope my CV can as well ...

Mutant — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:11:31 -0800

Transitioning a (rather forceful) banking CV to an academic CV? I'm taking a year off my banking job to complete another Masters degree (this time an MBA).

I've been employed as a Visiting Lecturer in Econometrics at a University in the London since early 2003, a job that typically takes about six hours a week. In that position I've lectured on 'Forecasting Financial Markets', and 'Corporate Finance' (the capital markets track for that course) teaching against a UK approved syllabus for one year, or two complete academic terms each. Since 2005 my primary responsibility has been to tutor students through their Masters dissertations, in areas that compliment my industry experience or research interests (Risk Management, Structured Products, Asset Bubbles, Credit Derivatives). I say primary as I do get asked to participate in one off lectures where students get the "inside track" on exactly what its like to work on a trading desk, or occasional labs where we'll structure live deals via Bloomberg against a changing market. I really enjoy this work, and have come to the realisation that I actually like this better than banking.

Recently (actually thanks for an AskMetafilter post) I've become aware of jobs.ac.uk, and whilst perusing the listings noticed that many UK colleges are interested in hiring people with advanced degrees and relevant industry expertise.

I have what many people describe as very strong / forceful CV, but I realise that what constitutes a powerful case for hiring in banking circles may appear a tad aggressive for academic purposes.

Also, I'm not really sure what to emphasize for a pure academic CV; in banking circles lots is about the institution you were employed by, your position, it's role in the firms hierarchy, accomplishments during your tenure and (especially!) value add to the enterprise. Power verbs such as accomplished, drove, initiated or pushed serve to introduce each line describing accomplishments in the firms I've been employed by.

My sense is in academic circles it many of these statements wouldn't be appropriate but I'd like to get some clarification. Also, advise on how to restructure my CV would be appreciated. Currently I've got a high level summary, bullet points of specific strengths/expertise, detailed industry experience, high level overview of academic experience (my teaching post), publications, education and professional courses. I guess what does a "typical" academic CV look like?

On my CV I've listed multiple degrees, note my MBA as "expected Q4 2008", but otherwise education is summarised as degree, topic (e.g., "MSc Quantitative Finance, University of London, London, UK, 1998 -- dissertation focused on US Equity Markets micro structure.") - for an academic CV would I expand markedly on this? Also, I've got a Management Accounting degree (CIMA) that I don't put on my CV as I really don't want to do that type of work. Include or not on an academic CV? And regarding my undergraduate degree - Math & Computer Science, which I took in 1980 back in The United States - how much detail to include?

Publications: I've reviewed galley proofs of several finance & economic books - include or not? And while I don't have anything as sole author in a peer reviewed journal, for the last five years of my banking career every position I held involved writing market commentary. My mandate (as I negotiated it) was very, very broad, and typically allowed me to touch upon topics either directly or indirectly impacting the market. Stuff I was interested in, first and foremost (FASB 157 which I've written about on Metafilter is an example). Distribution of this commentary reached three thousand at one institution, clearly valuable, but how to pitch for an academic CV?

Could anyone point me to a template or even a site where I can review academic CVs?

I've consistently gotten very high marks by students as I talk the lecture material then tell them how things really work in the markets (and theory does in fact agree with practice at times). What is really driving this interest in pursing an academic position is the realisation that I love to help people understand the markets, and haven't undertaken my current lecturing job for the money. At all.

While I'm dedicated to taking a year off work I'd like to explore alternatives, and this seems viable.

Finally, I've already boosted my teaching hours at the University that currently employs me, and I'm curious about pursuing jobs at other institutions solely to get a better taste of life as an academic. Who knows, if things go well I may never return to banking.

I want a creative resume

BradNelson — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:28:47 -0800

What are the most unique or creative resume/CV designs you have ever seen? While talking to my boss the other day, he said something about once seeing a resume that was a timeline. I assume it was the horizontal format, which I thought sounded pretty cool.

FWIW, I'm in an industry where my resume doesn't carry as much weight as in most. While it is still necessary for me to have one, much of the impression made on a potential employer is from recommendations and a "working trial" day. All my resume contains is work history and education. Given that, I'd like to overhaul my resume/CV into a unique format.

The Art of the French CV

pearl228 — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:37:31 -0800

Au secours! Comprehensive online resource(s) for translating an English CV into French? Proofreader referrals? The nitty gritty: recent graduate, American, trying to translate English CV into French. Fluent in French, apart from verlan (which remains a b*tch).

I think I've got a pretty good handle on the basics of French CVs and cover letters -- formules de politesse, forms of address, layout, etc.

(For others needing resources, these sites: 1, 2, 3, and a collection of resumes.)

Par contre, I have hit a wall when it comes to fine tuning it, proofreading, etc. Sometimes it's specific terminology ("relevant coursework," "multiple dean's lists" for instance), and sometimes it's nit picky grammar.

I tried to gain access to the HEC CV search (no dice, I'm not a recruiter).

In short, does anyone know of a thorough set of CVs of high caliber French jeunes diplomes available online, or alternatively of any proofreaders accepting online payment?

Merci enormement!

How do I pick a professional looking domain name?

dcbarker — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:22:25 -0800

Help me pick a professional domain name for email. All reasonable combinations of my name are already taken (the same goes for GoogleMail addresses). I'd like to avoid firstnamelastnameUK01321@googlemail.com if I can. I'm going to be using it mainly on CVs. So, because my real name (any reasonable combination of it..) is taken and I can't get my real name on GoogleMail, I'd like to pick a reasonably professional domain name (a .co.uk) to handle all of my email. That way I can just have firstname.lastname@mydomain.co.uk

The problem is.. Every domain I think of seems to sound like a lame social networking username or a dot com bubble company name. It'll be used on job applications, recruitment services and CVs. Nothing much else as I'd like to keep it separate from everything else.

I want to avoid getting a friend to forward mail from an already established domain for the same reason I'm not going to use one of my existing domains - I want a little self-contained email domain for work stuff.

I'm not so much looking for actual domain name suggestions - I'd really like advice on how to pick a suitable domain.

So, any ideas? Thanks!

How do I get around a bad reference from my last job?

liquidindian — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:40:28 -0800

How do I avoid my previous workplace ruining my job prospects? I was due to start a new job today. Yesterday, they phoned me and told me my offer of employment was withdrawn due to unsatisfactory references - they couldn't tell me themselves what was said in my reference as 'it's confidential to the person who wrote it'.

Of my two references, one was my previous job, the other the one before that, which I know would have been an excellent reference. I left my last job partly because I wanted to do something else, partly because I'd had performance issues after a period of illness and began to feel that however much improvement I tried to make, I would still be penalised for small issues that were not taken up with other members of my team because I'd been subject to disciplinary action. I had several issues with some of the complaints they had against me, and also that they left my disciplinary case evidence and medical history out on the office printer over the weekend (our office was staffed 12hrs per day, 7 days a week). However. when it comes to a reference I'm not given the right to give my version of things, hence my job being turned down.

I can't do anything about the job I was offered now, other than what I did do - burst into tears and then aggressively cooking lasagna for my birthday party that evening. But this may prove to be a recurring problem. I'm looking into enrolling with some temp agencies and applying for jobs at the moment, and many of them will ask for a reference from my last job. It may be possible I can put down someone I did some freelance photography work for as an employee reference as I was paid for it and it was used for publication, but it might not be. Has anyone been in this situation and how did you resolve it?

Looking for examples of genious cover letters

ilike — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:04:47 -0800

Help me find examples of great cover letters. I have been looking trough the internet and all the kind of books for help with my cover letter. The trouble is all i come up with resembles the standard boring business cover letter. I am applying for very competetive jobs so i need to stand out. An earlier metafilter post linked to this . I really like the tips it outlines and the recommended letter but need some more inspiration.

I should state again I look more fore example letters than general writing tips.

What on earth should I put on my graduate school application CV?

limon — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:16:26 -0800

What on earth should I put on my graduate school application CV? I was a good student, but didn't win any scholarships, and my work experience is irrelevant to the academic discipline. Since I hovered just below the full time status requirement for most scholarships, I never got one, even though my marks were certainly high enough. My family was sufficiently well off and generous to pay for my (rather low, by American standards) Canadian tuition, so I was never motivated enough to apply for obscure, external scholarships, either.

I published one review in an academic journal, won the school newspaper's annual literary prize once, was on the dean's list (for high marks) most terms, and... that's it. That won't even fill a quarter of a page. How do I make this look less drab and undistinguished? Should I even bother?

The application guidelines also say I should include my professional history. Should I, really? Are they serious? My work history consists of menial tech support positions. Tech support is utterly irrelevant to my discipline. I feel completely silly including this. If I should include this, ought I specify what my responsibilities were? "Troubleshooting ResNet connections" just doesn't sound like the stuff to win over professors in the humanities who can't tell their PS/2 from their USB.

how may i serve them?

loiseau — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:40:03 -0800

I've mostly worked in offices in the past 10 years, but I want to get a serving job. I know I'm capable and I have a tiny bit of experience, but the question is how to frame this on my CV. I worked retail for about 4 years during and after high school, waitressed casually at a diner for a summer, and have bartended casually for friends' events. But in the last 10 years I've mostly worked in offices doing... well, office stuff.

I'd really like to work in a resto, bar or coffee shop, but I don't know how to take a CV that is easily tailored to administrative positions and make it relevant to service work. It doesn't seem quite right to feature my retail and serving experience front-and-centre since it's so minimal and from so long ago. I do think some aspects of my office jobs have involved relevant skills (such as reception work) but if that's the first thing they see it probably won't translate to someone who's ready to go on the floor and serve people. Most jobs also say they require experience but I'm not totally confident claiming to be experienced. I do have a good presence when meeting prospective employers, so at least I have that going for me, and I'm sure that goes a long way. It just doesn't go all the way!

Can anyone tell me the best manner of creating a CV for serving out of the raw materials I've got?

Extracurricular activities on my résumé?

Riki tiki — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 00:26:55 -0800

RésuméFilter: What's the expiration date on extracurricular activities? In my senior year of college (2002), I was the director of concerts at my alma mater, managing a 250-volunteer committee and negotiating contracts and budgets ranging from $15k to $50k. It was an unpaid, appointed position rather than a "job" in the strictest sense, but I have it on my résumé because I think it reflects well on my leadership and responsibility, and it's been a great conversation piece in interviews.

The problem is, it's not related to my career as a computer programmer. So as time goes on I'm increasingly concerned that it appears to be a lame way to fill empty space on the page, as if I was listing a summer job flipping burgers as "previous work experience."

I'm in the middle of a new job search and I'm wondering if the time has come to evict it from the CV. Any thoughts from those on the employer side of the street?

How to deyankify a resume?

catesbie — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:07:08 -0800

What is the difference between an American resume and a British CV? I am baffled that Googling has failed me so profoundly in my quest to reformat my American resume, which I am sending to contacts in the U.K. Can anyone explain to me what exactly is different about the two formats? Should I include personal details for British eyes that I wouldn't normally for American ones? Help greatly appreciated, especially from those who have worked in both places!

How do I make them want me?

defreckled — Tue, 29 May 2007 09:21:19 -0800

I'm attempting to apply for a job/internship in a very unusual, creative field. I have as much training as I can get in this area without working as an apprentice or assistant, and that doesn't amount to much. So my question is, how do I get into an exclusive training program when it's impossible to have much prior experience or a portfolio without being in an exclusive training program? Of course one way is to enter the industry in another capacity and to work my way up from there, but before I try that I'd like to take one (or more) big hit at it from the outside.

So far I've sent CVs and cover letters and have received no response. When I've tried to call to speak directly with someone who works in the creative side of the field, I'm immediately redirected to HR who instructs me to send my CV and cover letter. bleh.

As I see it, my only (non stalker-like) way to have direct contact with one of the artists is to send a letter that will compel them to WANT to help me. I've drafted this letter a million times and most versions seem to revolve around my undying passion for the art and the greatness of the person I'm writing to. Each time I try to write the letter from my heart, but my heart must be a real brown-noser because the letters are so sappy and gushy that when I reread them, I'm not sure if I should puke or cry.

Maybe a letter is not the best idea. Maybe I'm just a terrible writer. Regardless, I desperately want to work in this field and will do anything to make that happen. I just don't have any ideas. Help! Help! Help!!!

What should I put on my CV if I failed my degree?

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 12:57:52 -0800

What should I put on my CV (resumé) if I failed my university degree? More through laziness than inability, I failed my Computer Science degree in my final year (2004) and then failed the resits too a year later. What should I put on my CV? I got my current job (which I've been at for 14 months now) before I got the results of my resits (my CV had my degree listed with "pending results of resit exams" underneath) and my employers never asked about my degree results after offering me the job (not that this job requires CS skills anyway).

I'm thinking of changing jobs in the next 6-9 months and was wondering what I should put on my CV for the time I was at uni. List the course modules that I did pass? Just put the dates and "studying Computer Science at xxxxxxx University" but without listing the degree?

Is there any good answer to give if I'm asked about the degree in an interview? Or at this point will employers care more about work experience and current skills than what I did (or didn't) do at uni two years ago?

Other relevant details:
I'm in the UK
I'm 24
I'm not entirely sure what type of job I will apply for, but while it may be IT-related, it will probably not be the sort of thing I'd definitely need a degree or very good programming skills for.
In regards to work experience, not counting crappy retail jobs, I have 6 months at a small software company (being a one-man QA dept) and over a year working in the head office of a large construction company (doing general office work and the occasion bit of IT support). I believe both companies would give me good references.