Focus your CV for Higher Education Executive Leadership Searches

Preparing a CV for a job application is a highly subjective process. There is no one best way to organize a CV. At the same time, there are differences when preparing a CV for a leadership position versus a faculty position. A leadership CV should stress one’s leadership experiences and accomplishments. Leadership CVs are generally shorter and focus on specific leadership contributions whereas faculty CVs document a person’s contributions in research, teaching, and service. It is common for senior faculty members to have CVs that are 40 or more pages long. I have even heard of senior faculty CVs being close to 100 pages. The question arises, what is the purpose of the CV and what do you want to communicate to the people reviewing it. As I constantly remind myself, put yourself in the place of the reviewer.

           For executive leadership searches (i.e., Dean or Provost jobs), search committee members want to see at least six things: 1) Do you have a terminal degree from an accredited institution?; 2) Do you have the scholarly record to be a leader of the faculty?; 3) Do you have a progressive chain of increasing academic leadership responsibilities; 4) What have you accomplished as an academic leader?; 5) Are you prepared to assume this leadership position?; and 6) Can the reviewer envision you as their next leader?

           Applying for Deanship or to be a Provost requires an applicant to demonstrate they have the requisite terminal degree from an accredited institution. From my experience, the pedigree of the institutions you earned your degree can be a factor in your application. Depending on the search committee member, some members look at your degrees and see if you earned them from a peer or aspirant institution. If you have not, then this may represent an uphill battle for you. One way to overcome this hurdle is having the requisite experience at similar institutions. In higher education, the perception of one’s degree is given greater weight than it should (i.e., did you get a degree from an Ivy League or top flagship institution?). I have come to terms with this and it has helped me focus on the leadership opportunities where I am a viable applicant.

           For executive leadership searches, applicants are generally required to hold and/or be eligible for the rank of full professor. This means an applicant needs to illustrate they have the necessary scholarly credentials for the institution they are applying to. Faculty on the search committee will assess your CV to determine whether your scholarly accomplishments meet their requirements. This can vary greatly depending on the institution. To illustrate my scholarly record, I include in my CV all scholarly activities (i.e., books, peer review journal publications, and external funding).

           The third area search committees look for in a CV is a progression of leadership responsibilities. An applicant needs to show they have experienced increasing levels of responsibilities, e.g., like moving from faculty leadership or shared governance roles like serving as the faculty senate chair or equivalent to department chair or associate dean. Increased responsibilities usually includes managing and supervising personnel, having budgetary oversight, or demonstrating leadership over a department or unit.

           Fourth, it is critical for an applicant to highlight their major accomplishments as a leader. This can be done in a bullet format. Accomplishments can range from student success metrics like improving student retention or four/six year graduation rates to increasing enrollments to faculty metrics like increased scholarly productivity, external funding or other productivity metrics to institutional indicators including raising funds, leading a big initiative, or recruiting and hiring new and diverse faculty.

           Fifth, your CV should illustrate why you are ready to assume a role with greater responsibility and complexity. For example, moving from a department chair to dean requires one to have a big picture perspective. A CV can show this through an applicant’s experience and whether they have led initiatives outside their department. For example, a CV can display how an applicant has fostered interdisciplinary partnerships across the college or university or taken leadership among the department chairs on a project or professional development activity.

           And finally, use your CV as an opportunity to paint a picture for reviewers to envision you as their next academic leader. Allow your CV to highlight why you would be a viable candidate for the job. While your past experiences are a part of painting this picture, remember you want people to envision you as their next Dean and not as a department chair or associate dean. You have it within your control to paint whatever picture you want to share with reviewers. Use this opportunity to convene your story.