CV Help

[Jon Miller]

Well, I should be graduating soon, and so I should have already been looking for jobs. And I have been doing enouhg looking to know that they exist, but not enough to have actually applied anywhere yet. One issue is that I haven't applied for a real job, ever really. It has either been no skill jobs when I was young (which I basically never got), or academic jobs. And I will still be applying to academic jobs, but want to look at applying to some non-academic jobs as well.

So anyways, I need a good CV.

Attached is an attempt at one that I made. I think that the skills and summary sections are the parts that I need to make better, but perhaps other parts need a bit of work as well? Also, it is two pages which might be too long (except I need to talk up my experience because for non-academic jobs none of my experience is directly related).

JM

[FrostyBoy]

I'm not hiring you, you have mentioned nothing about how fun you are.

[Ben Kenobi]

When do you need it by? I can whip one up for you but I usually charge for it.

[Jon Miller]

Well, as soon as I feel comfortable with my CVs, as long as my two people writing letters for me are happy (which I think they are right now), I will be applying.

I don't think I need something created, more just some suggestions? Maybe it is terrible though.

JM

[FrostyBoy]

When do you need it by? I can whip one up for you but I usually do it for free with superb graphics.

[Japher]

Get rid of "Objective", move summary to before education.

I would prefer you to have an objective at the top, what kind of job are you looking for?

[Wiglaf]

I've read CVs of Klan members that were less depressing. Where is your spark, your sexiness? It needs to shine through in your resume. Also, list your party affiliation: better to get those sorts of disputes out of the way first. And delete your criminal history and your lack of sex history, those have no place in a CV

[Jon Miller]

Where Objective is I will write a couple line statement directed at the job I am applying for. This isn't a good thing?

Jobs I would be applying for are ones that I think could use my analysis skills and experience, my physics skills, and/or my experience with large data sets. That is why I tried to emphasize those in the CV.

Jobs I know that people in my position have applied for:
Government jobs
Medical jobs
Applied physics jobs
Engineering jobs
Physics jobs
Oil jobs
Finance jobs

Medical jobs are now being gotten more by medical physicists (which is understandable, they have spend years more in that area). Oil jobs I don't know much about, Finance jobs it would be my analysis skills/etc, (not really looking into this in this job market, unless someone tells me of an opportunity). I don't really have the hardware background for the engineering type positions, I think. For governmental jobs I need to emphasize being a scientist (or physicist). Physics and applied Physics jobs are obvious.

By the way, the order of Education first (for new PhDs) was recommended to me both by a book and by a friend (who got a government type job, for Northrop Gumman). Is there a good reason you are suggesting to change that?

JM

[onodera]

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1138

[Jon Miller]

If I don't get offered more than $60k (probably more than $70k) I will definitely go the post doc route, so not interested in applying for a position where my PhD doesn't matter.

Do note, however, that I have my publications and presentations on the second page. I know that they don't matter as much. I don't go into great detail about my teaching experience either. Possibly I could move my skills up?

JM

[-Jrabbit]

Far too long. Give yourself a one-page limit.

One thing most people dont seem to understand: It's not 1990 anymore; we have computers! There's no need to "finalize" a CV and have 100 printed up. This sort of "standard CV" is useful mostly for mass mailings and headhunters only. Which almost never nets a job.

Think in terms oF specific job apps. You should be researching the gig (job description, the organization itself and the hiring manager) and customizing your submission to that situation. So you may want to take a modular approach, creating versions that emphasize different strengths for various types of opportunities (pure research, management track, consultant/advisor, teaching, etc.).

[snoopy369]

phdcomics My GF reads that religiously...

Jon - what a resume reader will be focusing on is what makes you a fit for the job. If you're applying to be a researcher, then include things related to research experience (how long you worked as a researcher before being a student if any, how much of your PhD experience was directly research, etc.) primarily, secondarily communication elements (papers written or posters presented, but only important ones - at national/regional seminars, only things the resume reader would recognize), and tertiary things related to intelligence/adaptability (computer programs known, etc.); that's the key. Get the research stuff up front.

And of course objective should always be the first thing after the address stuff. It should define what you want the resume reader to know before they throw out your resume - why should they read the rest of it. "I want a job with your company please", not so much... "I am a dedicated physics PhD with a vast amount of published work and way more intelligence than you", not either. "I am a dedicated Physics Ph.D. who wants to translate my experience in the lab/whatever you call it in Physics into real-world technical expertise, and make a difference in a real world application." Something that tells them you want to work for them and not just "I want to cash in please."

[Jon Miller]

I basically want something to start with, and then modify it for whatever particular track I am going on.

Pure research won't be getting this CV. Neither would teaching get this CV. It would be more for applied research/consultant/advisor type jobs.

That being said, maybe I should cut down/out the teaching part? But I want to show that I can train others (is useful for consultant type jobs, I think? Or am I wrong?).

And I had read that two pages was fine because I need to present myself as a highly skilled and worth a decent salary, despite needing training in the area that I will be hired in.

I am not sure how management track would look different compared to other opportunities? While I have led different areas of the experiment (and it is a large group of people working on the experiment), I haven't really been in charge of anyone. Most graduate students aren't, except occasionally for an undergraduate student for a summer or so.

JM

[snoopy369]

I would cut down/out the teaching part unless you are going for trainer specifically. Teaching is something most PhD students do, so unless you do it exceptionally well in a manner you can show in a line or two (an award for teaching, etc.) don't bother with it.

Management track = people and presentation skills primarily, as opposed to applied research which wouldn't care as much about those. A manager will not be doing research except for relatively early on (first few years), if I remember correctly (this is my dad's career after all, a physics researcher and eventually manager in an applied research company) and so you don't focus on the research side as much - you lead with presentation skills, as that's all you can really show. There is something of an assumption that most 'physics nerds', similar to IT, cannot communicate; if you can prove that you can communicate, that's most of the way to proving you can manage. (Ask RAH about this... )

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Far too long. Give yourself a one-page limit

For a resume, yes. For a CV, no.