Writing your resume is essential for any job application. In this post, we'll advise you on how to prepare an eye-catching CV for academic job.

How to Prepare an Eye-catching resume (CV) for Academic Job?

2 September 2019

Writing your resume is essential for any job application. In this post, we’ll advise you on how to prepare an eye-catching CV for an academic job.

Introduction: What is an Academic Resume and How Does it Actually Work?

A CV is a document that includes a comprehensive summary of one’s academic and professional experience, as well as the relevant skills, experience and qualifications required for the desired position.

One of the first requirements for any application is a CV or resume. The contents of the CV for an academic career are generally the same. If you’re applying for an MSc or BSc study program, peer-review articles or lecturing experiences are not expected. However, for PhD, Postdoc, and Professorship applications, the latter is needed.

An academic resume is a type of resume that typically includes an academic record, teaching experience, and research experience. The purpose of this type of resume is to provide the reader with a holistic view of the applicant’s qualifications.

A CV or curriculum vitae is a document that summarizes an individual’s education, employment history, and other relevant personal data for employers or graduate schools to consider for employment or admission.

The purpose of this type of resume is typically to highlight your specific skillsets and achievements in order to get your foot in the door with potential employers. It should be noted that this type of resume does not focus on school grades but rather focuses on your professional qualifications.

Before discussing the resume, it might be helpful to know the average salary in different countries. For instance, do you know the salary of a PhD and a postdoc in western Europe?

The Most Important Parts of a Typical Academic Resume

The academic resume is a document that provides information about the applicant’s education and work experience. It is one of the most important parts of a typical job application.

The most important parts of a typical academic resume are:

  • Education section
  • Experience section
  • Honors and awards section
  • References section.

Choosing the Best Words for Your CV Summary

The purpose of a CV summary is to get someone interested in reading your CV. It should be concise and interesting enough to entice the reader.

The 10 best words to use on a cv:

  1. Expert
  2. Knowledgeable
  3. Experienced
  4. Professional
  5. Hardworking
  6. Responsible
  7. Result-oriented
  8. Creative
  9. Innovative
  10. Motivated

The Two Most Common Mistakes that Get Employers Rejecting your CV

These mistakes are the most common when it comes to academic resumes. They can be fixed by following the steps mentioned in this article.

Mistake 1: Missing your degree

This is a big mistake that happens because of a lack of education on how to format your resume properly. If you want to be successful in this field, you need to make sure that you include the right information on your resume and make sure it follows the requirements of employers.

Mistake 2: Failing to list all relevant experience

This is a big mistake because many people think that they only need their degree and not anything else. This mistake can be fixed by making sure that you include all relevant experience in your resume so employers know what kind of skill sets you have and are looking for.

What Should Your Academic Resume Look Like and How Long Should it be?

In the academic world, resumes are very different from what you might be used to. They are typically much longer and more detailed than what you may be used to in the professional world. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to create an academic resume that will get you noticed by your potential employers.

The length of an academic resume can vary depending on the level of education and institution attended. Make sure that your resume is long enough to include all relevant information about your skills, experience, and achievements.

Typical points of writing Academic Resume (CV)

Here, we list some of the typical points that should be considered for an academic Resume (CV). 

How to mention Personal Information and Education on a Resume (CV)?

Let’s talk about how to prepare an eye-catching resume (CV) for an academic job. The personal information should be placed on the very first few lines of your resume (CV). It follows the academic background. You should include your degree, name, and place of the university, graduation year, your GPA. Ideally, you should include your rank in your class if available. The latter helps the person assessing your resume (CV) to have an idea of how good is your GPA in your place of study. Note that the latest degree should appear first. You should only include your records of education in high school if you apply for a BSc or MSc program.

How to list the Distinctions and Awards on my Resume (CV)?

It is important to list distinctions and awards on your resume. These distinctions and awards can help you to make an extra impression on your potential employer.

You should include your distinctions, achievements, and awards following your background. Make sure to list any particular achievements that you gained in your previous course of studies and research activities. It should include but not be limited to, “best student award,” “best poster in conference XX,” or “First rank in XX national/international competition.” Please note that you have to describe the value of the award to the reader of your resume (CV). We recommend providing a line about the award/distinction (e.g. the number of participants, award selection committee, the reputation of the award organization, etc.).

How to list the Publications on your Resume (CV)?

One of the most important parts of a resume is the list of publications. It’s important to understand how to list publications on your CV so that you can get the best results from your CV.

Among the most important parts of an academic resume (CV) is the list of peer-reviewed publications. Start by listing your first author publication followed by your contributing author publication (e.g. when you are the second, third, etc. author of the article). Include the name, volume, year of publication, and page number of each article. That is a common practice now to include the impact factor of that journal in parentheses, too. For example: “M.X. Johny, K.N. Juli, Z.j. Kumar, “how to apply abroad”, Journal of application abroad (Impact factor: 1.7) 2015, 2, 45-47.“.

How to mention the Skills on your Resume (CV)?

The purpose of a resume is to help employers identify the skills you have that will be useful for their company. You need to include skills in your resume that are relevant to the job you’re applying for, but also include any other skills or experience that may not be related to your job.

Your skills should appear in the next paragraph of the resume (CV). Here, you list the top skills and competencies that you have. For example, if you are applying for a “PhD position in nanofabrication of 2D materials,” it is practical to write your experience in using electron microscopy in nanostructure characterization instead of your HTML competencies. Nevertheless, you should also write important software (computer) skills that you have.

If you have any teaching, mentoring, or supervision experience, please list them. But please provide the necessary details of the course that you were in charge of. Your role (lecturer, assonant lecturer, tutor, etc.), name of the course, year, level of the course (High School, BSc, MSc, PhD), and University where the course is given (city, country).

How to list the References on a Resume (CV)?

A resume (CV) is a professional document that contains information about your qualifications, skills, and experience. It can be a tricky task to write a clear and concise list of references on a resume (CV).

At the very bottom of your resume, you can list the name of your previous supervisor and an advisor who has known you for a long time and can provide comments on your qualifications. Make sure that the person you are writing his or her name and address (email) as reference agrees to write a letter of recommendation on your application otherwise exclude his or her name from the list. Never list the name of a student, lab assistant, or technician as a reference list but instead, at least a PhD holder should be your potential reference person.

Including your personal photo in the CV is optional and depends on the country in which you send your application. In German-speaking countries, for example, photo in a CV is very common.

Fastepo has a special academic portal where you can find more academic career opportunities, such as PhD positions, Postdoc positions, and scholarships.

The Application Documents Section is designed to give you all the information you need to be successful in the application process.

PhD and Postdoc Salary

Would you like to know the salary amount of PhD and postdoc positions in Europe? 

You can find all the available full-funded PhD positions in different countries here.

We will update all different types of academic positions (the latest ones) and so you can find them on our home page, and also on the academic jobs page. Therefore, make sure to follow our Facebook page to not miss any new vacancies and also enjoy our tips and advice on academic jobs. But if you get bored reading text, watch our PhD and Postdoc-related videos on our YouTube Channel.