career check-up newsletter//July, 2010

Creating and Maintaining a Good Curriculum Vitae

When pursuing a job opportunity, a Curriculum Vitae (CV) is your main selling point. It is important to make sure that all relevant Education, Training, and Work History is included in a clear and concise format, so that hiring entities are able to easily see your credentials and qualifications.

CVs can be formatted several different ways, but most commonly have a heading that includes your name, address, and contact information. List the easiest way to be reached, such as a cell phone number and/or e-mail address. The body of the CV typically begins with Education; Medical School and Post-Graduate Training programs, including locations and dates of attendance in month/year format.

The next section of your CV should be Work History listed in chronological or reverse chronological order. Include all places of employment and any locum tenens assignments. Academic appointments should be in a separate section, if they were not your main employment at a particular time. In addition, if you have worked with one or more physician groups, list both the name of the group, along with any hospital affiliations associated with that group. Provide dates in a month/year format and make sure there are no gaps in practice over 30 days. If there are gaps, be sure to include an explanation; this will help during the privileging process.

The last section of the CV should include state licenses, Board Certification/Eligibility, and any additional certifications you may have. List any volunteer positions or research, publications, presentations, etc…at the end of the CV.

Review and update your CV on a yearly basis, if not more often. Add locums tenens assignments and locations as you complete them; this will keep your CV current and will help with future privileging processes.

Download an example