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Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Mignone Center for Career Success | 54 Dunster Street Harvard University | Faculty of Arts and Sciences [mcs@fas.harvard.edu | careerservices.fas.harvard.edu](mcs@fas.harvard.edu | careerservices.fas.harvard.edu)  \n© 2025 President and Fellows of Harvard College All rights reserved.  \nNo part of this publication may be reproduced in any way without the express written permission of the Harvard University Faculty of Arts & Sciences Mignone Center for Career Success.  \n08/25  \nMignone Center for Career Success Harvard University Faculty of Arts & Sciences Cambridge, MA 02138  \n[mcs@fas.harvard.edu](mcs@fas.harvard.edu)[ ](mcs@fas.harvard.edu)[careerservices.fas.harvard.edu](careerservices.fas.harvard.edu)  \nGetting Started with CVs and Cover Letters  \nEvery graduate student needs a curriculum vitae, or CV  \nYour CV represents your accomplishments and experience as an academic and helps to establish your professional image. Well before you apply for faculty positions, you will use your CV to apply for fellowships and grants, to accompany submissions for publications or conference papers, when being considered for leadership roles or consulting projects, and more. CVs are also used when applying for some positions outside academia, such as in think tanks or research institutes, or for research positions in industry.  \nAs you progress through graduate school, you will, of course, add to your CV, but the basic areas to include are your contact information, education, research experience, teaching experience, publications, presentations, honors and awards, and contact information for your references, or those people willing to speak or write on your behalf.  \nSome formatting pointers:  \n􀂃 There is no single best format. Refer to samples for ideas but craft your CV to best reflect you and your unique accomplishments.  \n􀂃 Unlike a resume, there is no page limit, but most graduate student CVs are two to five pages in length. Your CV may get no more than thirty seconds ofthe reader’s attention (if you're lucky!), so ensure the most important information stands out. Keep it concise and relevant!  \n􀂃 Be strategic in how you order and entitle your categories. The most important information should be on the first page. Within each category, list items in reverse chronological order. Category headings influence how readers perceive you. For example, the same experience could belong in a category entitled: “Service to the Field,”“Conferences Organized,” or “Relevant Professional Experience.”  \n􀂃 Use active verbs and sentence fragments (not full sentences) to describe your experiences. Avoid pronouns (e.g. I, me), and minimize articles (a, and, the). Use a level of jargon most appropriate for your audience.  \n􀂃 Keep locations, dates and less important information on the right side of the page – the left side should have important details like university, degree, job title, etc.  \n􀂃 Stick to a common font, such as Times New Roman, using a font size of 10 to 12 point. Use highlighting judiciously, favoring bold, ALL CAPS, and white space to create a crisp professional style. Avoid text boxes, underlining, and shading; italics may be used in moderation. Margins should be equal on all four sides and be ¾ to 1 inch in size.  \n􀂃 And most importantly…Follow the conventions of your field! Different academic disciplines have different standards and expectations, especially in the order of categories. Check out CVs from recent graduates of your department, and others in your field, to ensure you are following your field’s norms.  \nTailor your CV to the position, purpose, or audience  \n“Why should we select YOU?” – That is the question on the top of your reader’s mind, so craft your CV to convince the reader that you have the skills, experience, and knowledge they seek. Depending on the purpose, you might place mo","cbCaijROWqVAhRli","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaijROWqVAhRli","pdf",4731770,23,"English","# Getting Started with CVs and Cover Letters\n## Key elements to include in a CV\n## Formatting pointers\n## Tailor your CV to the position, purpose, or audience\n## Action verbs for describing experiences","[{\"question\":\"What is the purpose of a graduate student CV?\",\"answer\":\"A CV represents academic accomplishments and experience and helps establish a professional image. It supports applications for fellowships, grants, publications, conference submissions, leadership roles, and research opportunities in and outside academia.\"},{\"question\":\"How should a graduate student structure and format a CV?\",\"answer\":\"Focus on the most important information on the first page, use strategic category order, and list items in reverse chronological order within categories. Use active verbs and sentence fragments, keep text concise, and follow common academic formatting conventions such as consistent fonts and appropriate margins.\"},{\"question\":\"How can you tailor a CV for a specific role or audience?\",\"answer\":\"Craft the CV to convince the reader why you match the skills and knowledge they seek. Adjust the emphasis on experience types (such as teaching) and maintain an archival master CV to tailor from.\"},{\"question\":\"What kind of action verbs are recommended for describing experiences?\",\"answer\":\"Use action verbs grouped by functions such as Achievement, Help/Teach, Administrative, Lead/Manage, Communication, Plan/Organize, and Creative. The document provides example verbs to support clear, field-appropriate descriptions.\"}]","Harvard Griffin GSAS - Graduate Student Information - CVs and Cover Letters - Getting Started | PDF",1789278695,8]