What is a Vita?
A vita is a written summary of your educational and professional experience which is submitted as part of the academic job application process. A vita is used by search committees as an initial screening device to see if the applicant possesses the qualifications necessary for the available position. The vita, therefore, should reflect the position for which you are applying. Most likely, you would submit separate vita for positions in teaching, research and administration.
A vita sometimes differs from a resume in name only. However, a resume is more often used in business settings and tends to be brief and skills/accomplishments oriented.
A curriculum vitae is also referred to as: vitae, vita, c.v., or detailed resume.
What to Include in a Curriculum vitae
1. Name Address and Phone Number
State these items at the top of the first page. Include your work phone number in
addition to your home number if you want to be reached during business hours.
State your name and page number on subsequent pages at the top left corner in case the
pages come apart.
Some vita begin with the title "Curriculum Vitae". This is unnecessary.
2. Education
List your educational experiences in reverse chronological order with the highest
degree earned or anticipated first.
State the institution, degree and year received, major and area of specialization (if
applicable). Either the institution or the degree can be listed first, depending on which
you want to emphasize.
Doctoral degree holders should list under their Ph.D. the title of their dissertation and
their chairperson. A short (two or three line) summary of the research can also be
included. Master's students may list their thesis.
Do not list grammar school or high school.
Do not list grade point averages. You may, however, say that you graduated with
distinction or cum laude, etc.
Additional coursework or private study (particularly for Fine Arts people) can be included
in the Education section or after your formal studies have been listed.
You may list qualifying, comprehensive or preliminary examinations passed (optional). Do
not list all your graduate courses. This should be in your credentials and/or transcript.
3. Dissertation By listing your dissertation in a category separate from
Education, you are calling attention to it. This may be desirable if your topic is of
special interest to the types of academic institutions to whom you are applying to.
4. Honors/Awards List academic and professional awards you have received.
Honors and awards can be listed within the Education or Professional Activities section
instead, when appropriate. This might be done if one had only a few awards and did not
want a separate section of Honors/Awards.
5. Military Experience (Optional)
6. Professional Employment List full or part-time related experiences in reverse
chronological order
Provide title of the position, place and date of employment and a brief description of
duties.
Indicate any unique responsibilities you may have had such as "designed the
course", "selected texts," or "team taught." Do not over
emphasize routine tasks such as grading papers, constructing tests, etc. Emphasize your
accomplishments.
Teaching assistantships, internships, practicums, and field experiences may be included.
Do not include summer or short term jobs unless professionally relevant.
Professional employment can be subdivided into appropriate categories if you have had a
variety of professional experiences. Typical subheadings could be : Teaching, Research,
Administration, Consulting.
7. Performance or Exhibit Experience(For Fine Arts Majors) This category allows
you to highlight your performance and exhibit experiences. List both professional and
non-professional activities which may include: dances performed and/or choreographed,
plays acted in or directed, one person shows, MFA exhibits, symphonies, performances,
student and faculty recitals, etc.
8. Teaching Interests and/or Research Interests This section allows you to demonstrate a range of teaching/research interests. Helpful especially if your education and experience do not necessarily indicate all of your interests. Present a balance of interests - courses you will be required to teach and special interest areas.
9. Publications (Can be placed before Professional Experience for more emphasis)
Include completed publications or those in press, cited in full, in the form customary in
your field.
Do not include: unpublished dissertations, addresses, conference papers, works in progress
or projected work. The following categories may be used as alternatives for these:
Publications and Professional Activities: Proposed Research; Research Interests;
Publications and Presentations; Professional Activities.
10. Professional Activities (Related titles might be: Professional Memberships;
Academic Service)
List activities which contribute to your professional credentials, such as professional
association memberships, conference presentations, committee memberships/activities, etc.
If you have extensive community service activities, (i.e., Rotary, NOW, Youth Counselor,
Red Cross Volunteer, etc.) you should have a separate category called Community Service.
This is particularly helpful if applying for community college positions.
11. Languages
Indicate the languages in which you are fluent.
You may qualify the level of fluency (i.e., Italian: excellent speaking, fair reading and
writing).
12. ReferencesUse one of the following options:
A) Available upon request.
B) List the names of your recommenders, their department and university.
C) List the names, complete addresses and phone numbers of your recommenders.
OPTION "A" is best for the candidate who desires a great deal of control over
the use of his/her reference. (Helpful when using, for example, two references for one
type of position, and three references for another type of position.
General Considerations
1. Omit References To. . .
health, physical appearance, marital status, children, age
social security number
geographical preferences
reasons for changing jobs
salary requirements
date available
NOTE: We recognize that employers are often interested in personal information. However, legally most employers are prohibited from seeking out this type of data. If an employer receives Federal money they are an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. Use your own discretion concerning volunteering personal data. Salary requirements and date available are best left to the interview, or if requested, to the cover letter.
2. Seek Feedback
Show your vita to colleagues and faculty members, including junior faculty who have
recently been through the job search.
Review your vita with a career counselor.
Consult your professional organization for vita models specific to your field.
3. Sharp appearance and style can make the difference between an easy to read and
understand vita and a tedious, dull one. Keep in mind . . .
Appropriate length: 1-3 pages for recent Ph.D. recipients. (Conference and
placement functions often request a one or two page vita). The length of the vita normally
corresponds to the amount of experience you have. Six pages, however is a recommended maximum.
Use concise, active language to describe your activities. Avoid complete sentences and
"I" statements.
Have your vita professionally typed to avoid a sloppy appearance.
Maintain adequate side and top margins as well as sufficient space between categories to
allow for ease of reading.
Proofread your vita several times to catch grammatical and typographical errors. Have at
least one other person proofread it also.
Choose a conservative paper color (shades of white, gray, tan) and good quality paper
(bond paper, or paper with some texture).
4. Constructing a Vita Is Both an Art and a Science
This handout can serve to lay the groundwork for the "science" part of your task. The "art" part of it has a lot in common with the principles of effective marketing. Experiment with different models to come up with a style that gets your message across in the manner you wish.
Click here to see a sample curriculum vitae.
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