Getting Your CV into Shape for a PhD Application Part III

#7 It's not about the money; it's about the experience

Since you are seeking employment as a researcher, the section of your CV under "Research Experience" is likely the most crucial of all the information that you have included. As such, it ought to constitute the greatest proportion of your total word count.

It is recommended that you write a few lines of explanation for each project, explaining what the research was about, what methods you employed, and whether or not you obtained any interesting results. In light of the fact that it is expected of PhD students to be self-sufficient, you should highlight any experiences in which you were required to take the initiative and think for yourself. If you do not believe that you have the necessary amount of experience, it is probably best to put off applying completely until such time as you attain your goal.

#8 Acquire the abilities about which you are tempted to lie.

When you are writing your academic CV, you should take this chance to focus on how well your skills align with your professional aspirations. For instance, you could be thinking about applying for a PhD in Computational Biology when you come to the realisation that although if you have a significant amount of research experience in Biology, your coding abilities are not up to the level that is required.

It is my fervent belief that a gap of this nature is what drives people to lie on their CVs, so producing a sort of skills wish list rather than an authentic summary of their experience. Instead of making things up, you should utilise this experience as a springboard to acquire the talents you wish to write about.

Your application will benefit from you demonstrating how you intend to achieve this goal. If you are teaching yourself how to code by using books or online resources, and there are computational scientists at your interview, they are probably going to be interested in your progress and excited that you are interested in their field! If you are teaching yourself how to code using books or online resources, click here to learn more. Choose a more formal mode of education whenever you have the option to do so because it will look more impressive on your resume (and you will be able to list it in the all-important "Education" section at the top of the page).

Does your university offer classes that meet beyond normal business hours or in the evening that are relevant? Does the city council in your town? Because particular skill sets, such as those in information technology and languages, are in particularly high demand right now, there are a lot of adult education classes that you can take advantage of to demonstrate your dedication to furthering your professional development.

#9 Always act in a businesslike manner.

The importance of one's appearance should not be underestimated. Because CVs are presented in a variety of formats around the world, it is important to spend a few minutes researching the norms in the country or region in which you will be applying.

It is distracting and unnecessary to include photographs of yourself as well as details about your personal life, such as your date of birth and marital status, when applying to institutions in the United Kingdom or the United States. On the other hand, candidates in some nations across Continental Europe and Asia typically have a great image of themselves in a professional setting placed at the top of the first page next to the contact information.

Obviously, there are a few design ideas that are universal and can be applied to any and all CVs. Pick a simple font, and then arrange the document so that it is easy to read by using headings and indentation to divide the various sections. Avoid using overly vivid colours, intriguing fonts, photos, and GIFs in your CV; the information it contains should be what stands out to potential employers, not how it looks.

#10: Don't be afraid to seek assistance!

Be careful to acquire a second, third, and even fourth opinion on your curriculum vitae before you release it into the void of cyberspace. You should discuss it with your loved ones and close friends to determine whether or not it is as understandable and succinct as you believe it to be. Get a second opinion from someone who is an expert in the same field as you are. This is the most critical step.

You can take your curriculum vitae to a CV clinic at several institutions to seek comments on it from university academics, who are the very same individuals who will evaluate the document once it has been submitted by you. If you are unable to do so for any reason, you should consider what alternative options are available to you for obtaining the advice of an expert. If you are gaining expertise in research by working in a lab or with a research group, make sure to ask them for their opinions! You can even get in touch with folks who have worked with you in the past on research projects so that you can seek for suggestions from them.

If none of these possibilities seem possible, don't be afraid to go to one of your professors; there's a good chance they'll be excited that you want to pursue a PhD (remember, they did one too!). and would be more than happy to lend a hand by reviewing your resume for you.