What is a Curriculum Vitae

What is a curriculum vitae?

A curriculum vitae is a full history of your academic achievements and your work history. This includes: education, awards, research experience, professional organizations, leadership positions, teaching experience, publications, conference presentations, research and software skills, professional positions, professional service, grants, editorial work, or any achievements or experience relevant to academics and research. To learn the difference between a curriculum vitae and a resume, read our blog here.

How long is a curriculum vitae?

The length of a curriculum vitae depends on the stage of career you are in. A student curriculum vitae may start off as 1-2 pages and as you gain experience the length will increase. A post-doctoral fellow will have on average around 5 pages. A curriculum vitae of a professor or high level position in industry can be as long as 10 pages. There is no limit on the length of a curriculum vitae.

When to use a curriculum vitae?

A curriculum vitae is used in academia and research fields. Examples of when to use a curriculum vitae include applying for fellowships, grants, postdoctoral positions, and teaching/research positions in postsecondary institutions or high-level research positions in industry. If you are in academia or research, then you should have a master curriculum vitae of all of your research experience and achievements. Then when a company specifically requires a resume, instead of a curriculum vitae, you can easily pull the relevant information you need off of your curriculum vitae and put into your resume.

 

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