How Do I Tailor My Curriculum Vitae for Maximum Impact?

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The curriculum vitae (CV) is a highly visual document that can either capture interest or create a total lack of interest due to either its complexity (as a data dump) or its lack of relevant detail to the sought opportunity. Simply put, the curriculum vitae should not be a manifesto of everything a person has done in life -- career-wise -- with little to no foresight as to what the curriculum vitae is being offered towards (i.e., employment, promotion, tenure, publication, et.al.). It is not a one-size-fits-all and must not only be tailored to the opportunity but also aligned to address the tenets of the opportunity. This fundamental principle, therefore, addresses persons at the inception, midpoint, and apex of their academic journeys.

Think change. Think innovation. Think empowerment.

These are words often used in the twenty-first century academy; consequently, academicians at all levels should incorporate change and innovation into their narrative (curriculum vitae) toward empowerment as [their] academic careers evolve.

Associate the CV with a Venn diagram. The Venn diagram is a visualization that shows the relationships - emphasis on logical relationships - between and/or among two or more sets of areas/data. Note in the diagram below that the three circles overlap in the areas of education, experience, and outcomes illustrating logical commonalities of a curriculum vitae which must be further extracted in the design of one that is not only functional but also highly effective as a narrative of empowerment.

Where to Begin?

A well-designed curriculum vitae should be a narrative illustration of the relationship between and/or among a person's lived education, experiences, and outcomes-to-date. The innovation in the creation of the empowerment tool is accomplished through the capacity of the individual academician to incorporate and highlight the nuances of their career to enable a progressively successful academic journey. The design for each specific opportunity will yield increased success in the sought outcome.

Look closely at the diagram and note the unlabeled areas. This is where the design of the CV for each opportunity -- employment, promotion, tenure, publication, et.al. -- evolves toward successful notice in the next steps of the process wherein the curriculum vitae is offered. So, the question becomes what are those necessary changes that academicians must present as a vivid palette of the cohesion of the logical and documentable elements of a career whether at the inception, midpoint, or apex?

Put another way, how can the qualities necessary for the opportunity be shown in a contemporary manner without sacrificing historical education, experience, and outcomes? Additionally, how can a person show that they not only have the qualities necessary for the opportunity but also that those qualities align specifically with those within the sought opportunity?

Logical responses to these questions require more excavation in the design of a curriculum vitae -- a visualization -- that 'speaks' clearly to move persons to the next step of successful engagement in the sought opportunity. Creating a concise list of do's will enable people to realize their unique don'ts in developing a CV for each opportunity.

In the approach to curriculum vitae redesign, consider:

• Opportunity: Is the curriculum vitae for employment, promotion/tenure, grant procurement, publication, or something else? Reviewing the details of the opportunity is essential to effective design. For example, if the opportunity is for an administrative leadership position and most of a person's experience is in teaching and research, a 360 redesign may be necessary to emphasize those elements of the teaching and research that clearly highlight leadership capacities and successful outcomes.
• Organization: What needs to be rearranged to move to the top, middle, and end of the curriculum vitae? Is it experience, publications, awards/recognitions, teaching platform (hybrid, online, face-to-face), or something else? What will the recipients of the CV want to see first without going on a hunt for essential information? The organization of details (experience, outcomes, et.al.) in the curriculum vitae should be strategically positioned to immediately address the opportunity after the requisite educational information. (Refer again to the Venn diagram above to create logical intersections of the education, experience, and outcomes.)
• Length: Keep in mind that review committees are often reviewing as many as fifty to one hundred (or more!) curricula vita for a single opportunity. If a full curriculum vitae is requested, rather than an abbreviated/short form, be mindful that moving beyond 10-12 pages expends the energy and patience of review committees. After the aforementioned number of pages, most review committee members will move on to the next curriculum vitae and possibly miss an essential detail that has been "hidden" at the end of the document. While storied careers are highly respected, everything a person has ever done should not be in the curriculum vitae. Create the interest! The curriculum vitae is offered to give a person and the review committee something to talk about at a later date.
• Format: Keep it clean and consistent with the font, bulleting, and section headings. Photographs and insertions of images of publications, et.al. should be avoided unless requested (seldom happens!) as a component of the CV.
• Synthesis versus Synchronicity: This tip refers back to the use of the Venn diagram as a means of envisioning and revisioning the curriculum vitae for each sought opportunity. Synchronicity, a term introduced by Carl Jung, moves toward the thinking that events that occur simultaneously are related although there is no demonstrable causal connection. This approach to details in the curriculum vitae should be completely avoided. Instead, aim for synthesis of details which is a clear path to the logical relationships among the education, experience, and outcome footprints that define a person's career. Put another way, artful synthesis design will lead to an empowering narrative that culminates in successful outcomes toward the sought opportunity.
• Repetition versus Redundancy: Here is where the review and artful proofreading are essential in CV design and redesign. While both repetition and redundancy are used to varying degrees of success in both writing and oral presentations, redundancy is the unnecessary inclusion of details that repeat, as well as the inclusion of excessive/superfluous details that do nothing to highlight a person's capacity for the sought opportunity. Repetition, conversely, places emphasis on the highlights of a person's capacity. For example, in listed roles/positions on the curriculum vitae, the repetitive use of words such as 'produce, lead, implement, design, collaborate, advance, complete' et.al. are powerful in highlighting both the continuity and evolution of a person's capacity in progressive roles/positions.

While there are many perspectives available on the design and redesign of the curriculum vitae, it is clear that one size does not fit all. Encouragement is offered to all doing design and redesign to continue to be thoughtful and put in the additional work when offering the curriculum vitae toward a successful review.

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