Tips for creating a better CV
Your Format-Make it easy!
The biggest thing to remember is that the first person reading your CV may not be a physician. It may very well be an administrative representative for the practice who is trained to look fort certain matching key words. Make sure your CV is easy enough to read for a non-physician to recognize the message you are giving. You can always have a second CV-which reads more medically- ready for the direct physician you may be speaking with after you are in the door.
Your Picture--Never Do It!
Don't ever place your picture on your CV. This can create a huge distraction to the professionalism of the CV. It also allows a preliminary judgment to the reader. It may make it stand out among other CV's-but not in a good way.
Your Education--Use the 5 year rule to put it in the right spot!
If you are less than 5 years out of your training-highlight the education portion of your CV at the top. If it has been more than 5 years since this training-place the education portion after your work experience. Remember you need to match training with the job you are seeking, make a new CV for if you need to.
Publications and Research--Less may be more!
If you have more than one page listing your pubs and research activities, consider creating a second CV in a different format for the more lengthy entries. This will allow your initial CV to be more inviting and easily read. Remember the first tip--the initial reader may not be a
physician!
Name and Contact Info--Easy on the eye!
This is the most important part of your CV. Your name and how they can contact you. Be careful not to make this section too elaborate. You want clean lines-which match the rest of your CV. Having type set that is a bit larger or in a different font is okay-as long as it will not distract from the content of the rest of your CV. AND-include all of your contact information- phone, cell, e-mail--if you are applying for a position, you should want the potential employer to be able to get in touch with you. That being said--if you do not want them to phone you at your current work--just enter your preferred method of contact with your information. Also make sure your email is not tied to school or a temporary location.
The worst thing to happen is for that perfect job to try to contact and they can’t reach you in a timely fashion.