
20+ Expert CV Writing Tips & Advice for 2023 (with Examples)
20+ powerful CV writing tips to give you a head start in the job hunting race. Learn how to optimise your CV to make the most of your achievements and experience.
You’re switching your alma mater for the private sector. Make the transition seamless with a great PhD CV.
Writing a dissertation is hard. The annoying thing is that it turns out that finding a job in industry isn’t any easier. A PhD CV for industry goes against everything you’ve learned so far. More is no longer more. More is now too much. Industry has less time and less patience. You have seconds to impress. Seconds.
So how do you switch to the less is more mentality without losing anything valuable? How do you compete with candidates who already know the game? Rest easy. We’ve got the perfect summary of what it takes to go from ‘ignore’ to ‘interview’ in less time than it takes you to find a parking spot on campus.
Want to save time and have your CV ready in 5 minutes? Try our CV builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ CV templates and create your CV here.
PhD CV made with our builder—See more templates and create your CV here.
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Greta Rasmussen
grasmussen_zety@gmail.com
0777 777 7777
Teaching Fellow and Programme Coordinator with 6+ years of experience at top-level learning institutions. Looking to leverage programme management and outreach skills to expand the learning program audience at the Seitz Institute.
Work Experience
Graduate Admissions Associate
Goldsmiths University of London
2019-Present
Key achievement. Discovered 20+ new marketing opportunities which led to a 25% rise in number of graduate programme applications.
Teaching Fellow
Goldsmiths University of London
2018-Present
Key achievement. Received highest student evaluation scores in the Department of Anthropology that surpassed teaching quality benchmarks by 15%.
Senior Tutor
Goldsmiths University of London
August 2017- June 2018
Education
PhD in Applied Anthropology
Goldsmiths, University of London
September 2015–June 2018
BA (Hons) in Anthropology
Goldsmiths, University of London
September 2011–June 2015
Skills
Languages
Interests
Here’s how to write a PhD CV that will light up the room with alacrity, eloquence, and candor:
A PhD CV is what you’ll want to use for any job that’s not research oriented or academic. It focuses primarily on your professional experience and skills which is important in cases where the position won’t need a PhD and the hiring manager won’t be able to appreciate your contributions to academia.
This landscape is different from what you’ve known so far. The business world doesn’t have time for lengthy explanations and debates. It wants results— now.
You’re going to have to modify your CV to make it suit private sector needs better.
Intrigue the hiring manager using the following CV formatting guidelines:
At this point you might also be wondering how long your CV should be. If you have a few years of experience outside of academia, go for two pages. Otherwise, a one-page CV template should do the trick.
Introduce yourself through your CV profile, or CV summary. It’s a short and sweet paragraph at the top of your PhD industry CV that explains why you’re the person for the job. Think of it as an attention-grabbing thesis title.
The best way to do that is to answer these three questions:
Then you answer those questions like this:
You know what your greatest challenge is now? Your CV work experience section needs to show your pragmatic side. You see, the hiring manager realizes that you know your stuff. Make them realize that you can also get the job done:
Suppress your academic instincts, this isn’t another dissertation—there’s no room for irrelevant info here.
Now this is the section where you’ll probably feel strongest, and it’s no wonder, you’re a real brain!
Here’s how to nail your education section:
Again, don’t think plethora, think pellucid. You probably want to take this opportunity to list all your certifications on your CV, but leave it for a separate section to keep things clear and easy to read.
This is where you get to do something that you don’t do often in academia—you highlight your skills:
When making a CV in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your CV here.
When you’re done, Zety’s CV builder will score your CV and tell you exactly how to make it better.
Having a PhD doesn’t mean that you’ve got it made. It actually sometimes even makes finding a job a lot harder. Extra sections on PhD CVs give you a chance to highlight some extras that you have and others probably don’t. So go ahead and extol.
If you’re wondering if you should include a cover letter, then let’s make it super clear—yes, you do.
Write the best PhD cover letter this side of Oxbridge with the following tips:
Keep it neat, concise, and no obsequiousness. The ideal length of an effective cover letter is 1 page. Anything longer is just gratuitous.
Read more: How to Write a Cover Letter
And once you have all that sent, remember to follow up on your job application! Things just don’t fall into your lap in academia, the same thing goes for looking for jobs in private industry.
That’s what a successful PhD CV looks like in a nutshell.
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your CV will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Thanks for reading. Have any insider tips or tricks to share about creating the perfect PhD CV? Share them in the comments below!
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