A cv is not a resume

I decided to apply for the adjunct professorship after consulting with my advisor. I thought it would be a worthwhile opportunity. Teaching a calculus-based class on my own at a school that's not afraid to try new things sounds like a great experience. My advisor agreed.

While collecting all the necessary documentation to send in my application, I realized that I needed to update my curriculum vitae (cv). I haven't used my cv for anything important yet. I've really just treated it as a way to keep track of all the crap I do. But, now I'm applying for a job and I had to really think about what goes on the cv and what doesn't.

First of all, a cv is not a resume. It's not limited to one page nor does it read like a sales sheet. It is a collection of your accomplishments, so keeping a living document is important. But when it's time to dust it off and use it, make sure you've read over it for typos and the like.

The most important things to put on your cv are:

• your degrees and certifications,
• your work experience (research and teaching),
• a list of publications, posters, and presentations (this is why you keep updating it),
• awards or honors you've received.

You shouldn't put your hobbies, age, or citizenship on your cv. And leave off the high school accomplishments, seriously. You can put any outreach work you want, but make sure it's relevant.

Keeping your cv up-to-date will keep the bother of cleaning it up and remembering all your work to a minimum. I guess we'll see how mine works out.