#cirriculumvitae

Curriculum Vitae (C.V.)

The purpose of a C.V. is to show your academic capabilities in a related field, basically an overview of your experience, qualifications, and life’s accomplishments. Archaeologists use them a fair amount when hiring for field crew and staff.

I look at a C.V. as showcasing what I am capable of academically and laying out key skill sets. Keep in mind your intended audience. Is it for a research position? Cultural Resources Management Firm? A C.V. can be tailored specifically to what you are applying for. If you are applying to a research position, highlight your research interests, publications, and presentations. For a CRM firm, skills and previous experience should stand out.

I will be using the structure of my C.V. as a template to help get the writing process going. I find formatting to be one of the hardest parts of writing a C.V. You have all the experience and skills, just have to fill it in!

The layout follows the following structure. I have also attached a photo of what the layout looks like for what is explained below:

Name

Address

Phone

Email

Current Status

What are you currently doing? Are you still a student? Working ? Give a short explanation of what you are up to and where.

 Academic History

Recent – Least Recent

2007-2011 University of Learning, Town, State

                      B.A. Anthropology (whatever your degree is)

                      Cum Laude (Special honors, etc.)

                      GPA

2003-2007 Yet Another University…etc.

 Academic Awards and Achievements

Recent – Least Recent (select what you think is appropriate)

  Research Interest

What do you like?

  Project Experience (if you have CRM experience list a few projects you have worked on and all field school experiences/internships)

Presentations

Publications

Research Skills (relative to your field)

Other Skills (anything that will contribute to the position)

Previous Employment (show that you at least have a bit of work experience. I usually have this when applying to a CRM firm but it is not always asked for)

   Keep your CV between 1-4 pages at most. When applying to a CRM firm sometimes less is more. Allows the hiring manager to easily see all your qualifications while getting the message that you are capable filling the position.

Listed are a few helpful websites when writing your CV (I used these sites frequently):

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/641/01/

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/curricula-vitae-cvs-versus-resumes/

Book on Kindle/Amazon for less than $5:

Resume-Writing for Archaeologists by William White...has some good examples and tips to keep in mind.

I hope this is helpful when writing a CV. Just keep in mind you have done all of this great work and now it is time to organize and show what you have accomplished! Please feel free to chime in with more tips or any questions!

I have recently been asked to write about tips on making a good Curriculum Vitae (CV). They are definitely a different breed compared to regular resumes. There are some great sources that I am currently compiling and I will hopefully have them posted within the next few days!

Some quick pieces of information to have when compiling a CV are:

Basic Information

Current Status (are you working, student?)

Academic History

Project Experience

Research/Other Skills

Stay tuned!