- Ali MK Hindi Newsletter
- Posts
- How to Write an Academic CV That Actually Gets You Interviews
How to Write an Academic CV That Actually Gets You Interviews
Ali Hindi
February 14, 2025
Crafting an academic CV can feel like a daunting task. Unlike a traditional resume, an academic CV is a detailed document that showcases your scholarly achievements, research, teaching experience, and more.
But here’s the catch: most academic CVs fail to make an impact because they’re too modest, vague, or cluttered.
Here are some tips on how to make your CV to stand out and land you interviews.
1. Drop the Humility
In academia, humility is often valued, but not on your CV. Hiring committees want to see confidence and authority in your accomplishments. Instead of downplaying your role, frame your experience with leadership language. For example:
Weak: "Assisted in research on..."
Strong: "Led data analysis on a £200K-funded project, influencing policy decisions."
By using strong, action-oriented language, you demonstrate that you’re a leader, not just a participant.
2. Show Skills, Not Just Tasks
Hiring committees aren’t just interested in what you’ve done, they want to know what skills you bring to the table. Instead of listing mundane tasks, highlight transferable skills that showcase your expertise. For example:
Weak: "Conducted systematic reviews."
Strong: "Mastered systematic review methodologies, including PRISMA and meta-analysis."
This approach shows that you’re not just doing the work but you’re excelling at it.
3. Use Metrics to Quantify Your Impact
Numbers speak louder than words. Wherever possible, quantify your contributions to make your impact clear. For example:
Publications: "Published 5 peer-reviewed papers, 2 in Q1 journals."
Teaching: "Taught 3 courses, supervising 15+ postgraduate students."
Funding: "Secured £50K grant for interdisciplinary research."
Metrics provide concrete evidence of your achievements and make your CV more compelling.
4. Explain, Don’t Just List
Many hiring panels may not be experts in your specific niche. Instead of listing obscure projects or jargon, add context to help them understand the significance of your work. For example:
Weak: "Worked on computational modeling in drug delivery."
Strong: "Developed AI-driven models to predict drug interactions, improving accuracy by 30%."
By explaining the impact of your work, you make it accessible and relevant to a broader audience.
5. Summarize Key Points
A well-structured CV is easy to skim. Start each section with a 1-2 sentence summary that highlights your key achievements. For example:
Research Experience Summary: "Expert in [X field], with [Y] years of experience, securing [Z] funding."
Teaching Summary: "Designed and delivered courses in [topics], receiving [metric] positive feedback."
These summaries act as a roadmap for the reader, helping them quickly grasp your expertise.
6. Your CV Is Not an Autobiography
Your CV is a sales pitch, not a life story. Avoid including every conference you’ve ever attended or random side projects that don’t align with your career goals. Focus on what’s relevant and impactful. For example:
Cut: Every conference you attended (only highlight speaking roles).
Keep: Projects and roles that align with your career goals and demonstrate key skills.
7. Make Your CV Skimmable
Your CV has mere seconds to make an impression. If it looks like a wall of text, it’s likely to end up in the bin. To make your CV skimmable:
Use bullet points instead of paragraphs.
Leave plenty of white space—don’t cram everything in.
Bold key terms to highlight crucial skills and achievements.
A clean, well-organized CV is more likely to catch the reader’s eye.
Check out my PDF below on how to write an academic CV:
|
Take home message
Most academic CVs fail because they’re too modest, vague, or cluttered. If you want to stand out and land interviews, use leadership language, highlight your impact, quantify your results, and make your CV easy to skim. Remember, your CV is your first impression so make it count.
Questions to think about
What unique skills or achievements do you bring to the table that set you apart from other candidates?
Take a moment to reflect on what makes your academic journey unique and how you can highlight that in your CV.Are you quantifying your impact effectively?
Look at your current CV. Are there areas where you could add metrics or numbers to make your contributions stand out?
Sharing is caring!
Loved this newsletter? Share it with your network, and I’ll send you an exclusive template on how to email and follow up with supervisors without being pushy. Just forward this email to 2 friends and CC me ([email protected]) to claim your reward!
Show some love on Instagram
Check us out on Instagram to discuss everything related to academia—from writing PhD theses and literature reviews to CV tips and publishing papers. Follow us for personalised stories and reels, including frequent videos where I share academic tips and insights directly with you.
1-1 Consultations are back
In 2024, we had the privilege of helping individuals secure spots on medical boards, publish in top journals, and land PhD positions.
Limited spots are now available to work with me 1-on-1 in 2025. Visit my services page for more information.
How it works:
A 15-minute free consultation to understand your needs.
If it ends there, that’s fine. If you wish to proceed, you can sign up for paid consultations.
Bundle offers are available for those requiring multiple services.
Who is this consultation for?
Individuals serious about exploring my consultation services.
This includes help with academic writing, publishing, PhD thesis support, admission to PhD programs, and literature reviews.
The goal is to understand your needs and guide you to the most appropriate service.
Who it’s NOT for:
Those expecting me to secure them a job at the University of Manchester.
People booking without serious intent.
Reply