At this point, I’ve taken a look at hundreds of student CVs, mostly those of students in the STEM fields.
Patterns start to emerge, and everyone seems to be making the same couple of mistakes.
Or, only a minor percentage of CVs stand out, if you prefer that phrasing.
The first thing you have to do, whatever you’re applying for, is to understand how your application will be evaluated.
For example, if you know that you’re applying for a Ph.D. program that gets 500+ applicants, then you have to know that people will go through a process of fast elimination, and won’t be reading your CV in depth.
Well, let’s start there.
Mistake 1: Not understanding that your CV will only be scanned for 10-30 seconds
Imagine being a professor, and you have to go through 500 CVs.
If each of them is 2 pages, that’s 1000 pages I have to go through.
No one is going to do that.
What the professor is going to do, is have some key things he/she wants to find in that CV: maybe specific examples of excellence, or specific characteristics he/she finds valuable.
They’re going to be scanning for what they think is an indicator you’re a great fit for the job.
So, you first have to know what the reader finds valuable, and then you’ll have to convince them you have that in 10-30 seconds.
Solutions:
customize the CV to whoever will be reading it.
It should be concise and easy to read
1 page is ideal, and 2 pages is maximum.
highlight the most relevant achievements for that role
Mistake 2: Endless lists
Many biology student CVs simply list every single molecular or digital technique the student has ever used, so half the page is taken by paragraphs like this:
SKILLS: PCR, gel electrophoresis, SDS page, RFLP, DNA extraction, RNA extraction, Western blot, Northern blot, Southern blot, Eastern blot, Microsoft Word, Python, Excel, Paint, Photoshop, television channel switching, drinking water, holding flasks, drinking coffee, reading books, being analytical etc.
Do you think someone is reading your CV and going through each of these, thinking: “Oh my, I must take this student, he did so many techniques. Look, there’s even Python there”.
First, they cannot know how good are you at these techniques. Maybe you did them once, or maybe you are a master at them, but they cannot tell, because you’re not demonstrating any knowledge or skill by simply making a long list.
Second, even if they did know, they wouldn’t be interested in reading 40 different techniques you can perform.
They are interested in 3-5 key aspects of you as a candidate (for example, how fast can you learn and how good are you at finishing science projects) and understanding how well you fit the lab/program.
Solutions:
if you have to list, emphasize only the most relevant techniques
rather than just listing, incorporate techniques with achievements using them (for example, if, in your thesis, you used the qPCR method to evaluate 50 different genes to study cancer, say it like this: “I used multiple cell lines, evaluated 50 cancer-related genes and using 2 independent techniques, qPCR and microarrays, confirmed significant downregulation of 4 genes under these specific conditions”.
if you’re talking about coding skills, linking your coding portfolio on Github or to some publication where you used coding is way more influential than simply listing: “Python” in your skills section.
Demonstrate, don’t simply list things.
And if you have to list, at least make it relevant.
We know you know your Microsoft Word.
Mistake 3: not providing quantified outputs
By far, this is the most important point I can advise anyone on.
Take a look at these two short examples of CV paragraphs about a random student who did his MSc thesis at John Doe’s lab.
Example 1: “MSc thesis in John Doe lab, titled ‘Studies of xy effect on zr’.
Example 2: “During my 9 months in John Doe’s lab, I discovered that xy negatively regulates zr genes, using 2 independent techniques. I also mentored 2 undergraduate students, held 20+ practical lab tutorials for biology course students, and held 3 theoretical seminars relating to cancer biology for 100+ students of the Biology department”
The first example simply lists.
The second example provides quantified achievements during that period.
Whenever possible, quantify.
Specify.
What have you done? How? For how many people? In what way?
As you might imagine, writing things this way quickly takes up a lot of space, so you cannot talk about too many things.
That’s why you choose what you highlight carefully, and aim to convey the clear message as fast as possible.
P.S. If you’re struggling with developing and organizing your CV, I do offer the service of giving direct feedback.
You upload your CV, I send you back my honest comments and tips for improving.
If you’re interested, you can click HERE for a 10% discount.
Until next time,
Kenan