I've popped my CV on the web, I'm currently applying for PhDs and I am changing the research interests section for each one but this is the one I most recently used - if anyone feels like having a look at it and offering some constructive criticism I'd be much obliged!

http://www.mutilatedtoperfection.co.uk/Chris%20CV%20minus%20personal%20info.pdf

Thank you,

Chris

so far, your history paragraph has a mistake, now i cant copy and paste it as its a pdf file, but you end a sentence in the, which makes no sense.

another point, its always good to sell yourself on a cv, but this oversells you a little bit, the main one that jumped out at me was the passing your driving test for the first time.

some people may read it as being over confident

Thanks - the first one was a copying error in making the pdf document (but an important one that I didn't notice!).

The second point... I see what you mean. CV writing guides suggest selling yourself as much as possible. I usually have problems with being too modest but I think I've overcompensated there :) It just looks a bit sparse when you actually put what I've done down on paper :/ feels like I've done more with life but... I guess I haven't done anything else worth writing down.

I'll take that bit off. Did anything else look a bit over the top?

Thanks for the advice. Could do with getting one of these positions!

P.S. you can copy and paste pdf files if you click on the select button at the top - just thought I'd let you know!

Hi,
I would suggest a couple of things...change the bit where you say average grade 2:1 to predicted grade 2:1...it sounds like you fully expect to achieve the grade that way!
Also, it is critical when applying to PhDs that you make them believe that theirs is the only project you want (believe me, I know, been there done that and now go through applicants cvs prioir to interview for my new boss!).
so, the bit where you say you would work on any project you need to modify. Either tailor it to each application in terms of interest, or change the "i'll do anything" paragraph to one stating something along the lines of "I am interested in expanding my technical base to include a wide range of laboratory techniques" then you can relate to the bit you have about being a fast learner in the lab. It covers you for choosing something slightly out of your field.
Make sure you have phone numbers and email addresses for your referees as that is the most common way of requesting a reference, and if you have done/are doing a final year lab project make sure you use that supervisor as one of your referees.
Finally, remove any exclamation marks...its a cv, not a letter to a mate....these serious professor types are pretty picky about who they interview due to the vast number of applicants so you need your cv to reflect your serious and capable lab side!

Oh, and also make sure you write an excellent cover letter as that is the first impression we get of you, state in it why you are interested in the project, what skills you already have and what you think you can bring to the group.
When you get interviews make sure you have done your reading, especially as you have stated in your cv that you read widely. (in a recent interview the candidate knew everything on our last 2 papers but had no idea what an epithelial cell looked like or how it functioned even though that was fundamental to the project). Wear a suit and tie, the profs like it!
best of luck, hope you manage to get a position on a project you want...one final word of advice, dont take a project unless it really interests you...its damn hard work and 3 years is a long time to be miserable cos you made the wrong choice. However, when you do find the right one, enjoy! I certainly did!

i think it looks good :)

Thank you joeyannie - I can see the logic behind all those points. I have done a lab project already this year, but my supervisor is currently in the US and doesn't have access to grade information etc. so I've had to put my head of year down instead. I do have email addresses on the proper one but thought I'd preserve their privacy for the public version. I'll add phone numbers as well.

I'm only applying for the projects that really interest me to be honest, I just hope I'm not limiting myself too much. There are still quite a few out there though!

What are you/did you do for your PhD?

Thanks for the help!

Ok, I've updated it and put the new version on.

Keep them coming :) It's very helpful!

Hiya, I am interested that you were home educated, (a bit ot!); can I PM you re this?

Thanks :)

Hi, I am currently working as a postdoctoral fellow (5th year post phd) so have a say in who gets the projects i will be supervising within my lab group. I did my PhD in Liverpool on the genetics of a very rare familial cancer and have since worked on gametic recombination hotspots (postdoc 1), immune cell therapy development for gastric cancer (postdoc 2) and currently am looking at developing diagnostic tests for childhood cancers and the involvement of DNA repair genes in disease.
the new cv reads well, only thing i would do is take out the bit at the end about contacting you for further information and the thank you...that will bein your covering letter and they will get in touch on the strength of what they've read without you needing that bit!
good luck!

Thank you very much joeyannie :) I agree, it does look a lot better. I'll do what you suggest with regards to the covering letter also - It sounds like your current research group is working in a similar area to that which I'm hoping to, coincidentally. Hope all goes well! I'll pop a further revised version up just in case anyone else has any insights. Cheers everyone!

Now I just need to apply for as many as possible :)

Lizzmobile - go ahead, I'd be happy to talk about it - I can put you in touch with various local groups also if you aren't already.

Hi Crayfish.

Hope you don't mind a layman's comments on your otherwise impressive CV, but having read it over a few times the thing that jumps out at me is the constant - and repetitive - use of 'I', particularly at the head of sentences.

Just thought it may read better if some of these sentences were altered, and linked as clauses.

The first sentence for example:

'I was home educated prior to starting college at the age of fourteen' could read;

'Prior to starting college at the age of fourteen I was home educated, and am now currently.................etc'

Just a thought!

Hmm, I did notice that myself. I've cut down on it a little but... some clauses look sillier than the I in my opinion. I'll see if any more imaginative ways of avoiding overuse spring to mind. :)

Cheers though, it's great to get second opinions.. I can never read something I've written through properly!

I can only comment on how I would view this as a prospective employer, I don't know how it would be viewed if looking for a research post.

The entire "personal details" part is a waste of space. It can be put at the top as you have done with the phone numbers etc.

The very first part of a CV is the bit they will read and then they will scan the rest. There needs to be a single paragraph that sums up either you, your main interest, your key skills or something else relevent to why you have sent the CV. These paragraphs can even be different for different audiences.

I would be inlcined to say more about the degree subjects, and partcularly any individual projects. I would make the bit about A levels much smaller, probably one line without even the grades (eg. "4 A Levels In Maths, Chemistry, Biology, Sport"). In my experience nobody really cares about A Levels once you have a degree.

Some of the language in the "History" section is poor and there are mistrakes. The paragraph starting "I have done a lot of very inten ...." is terrible. It would put me off completely as it makes it sound as if you have a) been left behind at some point, b) you want a job where you just read books.


It is purely a personal thing, but martial arts on someones CV. really puts me off. There are other topics which have the same effect such as dungeons and dragons. I would reword the title to say "Sport" .

Cheers - I can see your point about the personal details bit, I'll fix that.

This CV will be accompanied by covering letters, which will be different for each position I apply for. I think that a summatory paragraph would just repeat what's in the in the covering letter. I'll think about that one though, thanks for the suggestion.

The problem which I have with applying for these posts is that I will (hopefully!) have a Biology degree, and I will be competing with candidates who hold degrees in Molecular Biology. The positions I'm applying for are all related to the latter. I need to show that I have a sufficient base of knowledge in molecular biology to do the job.

The intensive reading part is therefore both true and relevant as it shows that I am interested enough in the subject to put effort in above and beyond that required by my degree course, and that I have a good level of the specialist knowledge they'll be looking for. I'll take the bit about catching up out though - it's true but I can see it might not be what a prospective employer would want to hear!

Which bits of the language are poor, specifically? I would really appreciate any help you could give me with this - I haven't done any English since GCSE and I've been given very little if any guidance since then on how to write effectively.

I think that as you say the prejudice against martial arts may be a personal thing and I can't really predict where people's prejudices will lie. Can I inquire what exactly it is that has put you off about martial arts, and which sports you would find acceptable?

I think if you came down to a training session you would see why it doesn't fall in the same category as dungeons and dragons. It's also one of the most widely practiced sports in the UK. That said... there are a lot of martial arts and I have to admit that in my eyes some of them are slightly dungeons and dragonsesque.

However - BJJ, muay thai and kickboxing are all serious sports with a range of physical and mental benefits. I was considering calling them combat sports but didn't want to sound aggressive (which I'm not). I suppose that sport might be as good a title as any to cover them.

Thanks for taking the time to help!

Chris

How about putting a personal profile at the top - a short paragraph detailing your strongest points, what you're doing now and what you are looking for in a new job...

If it helps I can email you a copy of my cv. Some of it will not be relevant (in terms of publications etc which you wont have yet) but the basics remain the same, and it has got me a PhD and 3 jobs, so cant be all bad! I will try to remember to bring it to work with me tomorrow, let me know:)

I certainly put being a martial instructor on my cv and it generally gets a question or two. It lets me talk about something other than work or technical skills and lets the interviewer personalise you a little more. I'd say keep it, especially the bit about being an assistant instructor.

A very well written cv IMO, I might have another look with a more critical eye later.

That'd be great if you wouldn't mind joeyannie! Don't worry if it's too much trouble.

I agree cyclone, it's not something I'd really want to hide. I don't think many people would have a severe negative view of martial arts, and it's been a large enough part of my life for long enough that I think it's pretty much necessary to include.

It's one of those things that could come across as geeky if you don't have much experience of it (or have the wrong experience)... but hopefully it won't to the majority of people.

Hmm, I'm struggling with the personal paragraph thing JBee... it seems like I'd just be repeating what I'm saying in the covering letter. Could do with something else in though as it's starting to look a bit bare with all the things I've cut out! :)

hi,
sorry, got home really late last night and totally forgot about my cv, but promise I will sort it out for monday!
on the subject of bulking out your cv, dont worry too much, short is good as people dont want to plough through buckets of padded info, but you should perhaps add a paragraph about your final year project (what it was, what techniques you used, what conclusions (if any) you drew from it and what could be done in the future the project) as it shows the ability to assess ongoing work and plan for further experiments.
Also I think you should keep in your martial arts stuff, it shows disipline, commitment and the fact you are a rounded person with hobbies outside the world of science, which is all good!
I assume you have finished your degree already? if so it might be a good idea to sign on with an agency like lab staff to get some temp lab work, all adds to experience!

I did have a thought on your comment about competing for mol biol jobs with a biol degree. I was in a similar situation at the end of my degree (genetics) as I had only done tissue culture in my final project so I was competing in a field against people with experience on a wider array of techniques

If you feel you are lacking in experience you could follow the route I did and take a 1 year master of research (did mine at manchester although lots of other unis offer them now). At the time this involved 3 lecture courses, which you chose, a number of training modules on things like microscopy and immunohistochemistry, and 3x 3 month lab projects which you write up in thesis form. It gave me about 30 techniques in a year and improved my cv no end. it also gave me experience in things like microscopy whic hare always useful, and in thesis writing which proved invaluable. I also did a course in scientific business management and patent law as part of the course, which gives you an insight into another avenue for future work.
I submitted my PhD and within the 3 funded years so this extra year of study was only equivalent to those who spent a 4th year writing up.
I dont know what the course is like now as it is a few years since I took it, but it would be worth investigating and applying for it, you can always turn it down if you are offered a PhD in the interim!
either way good luck with your applications, and I will email you my cv on monday if you pm me your email address, J
:P

I hold a full clean UK driving license.

Change spelling of license to LICENCE.

Oops, how Americanised of me! Thanks Hopman.

Cheers joeyannie, I've pmed you.

I'm in my final undergraduate year now. I am actually signed up for a fourth year, but as I'm on a biology course it wouldn't necessarily involve much in the way of molecular biology laboratory techniques. I'll see if there are any more relevant masters courses that I could apply for though, that's a good idea and I might have more chance of getting one!

I'm hoping to get a position this year but if I don't I'll probably end up sticking with doing the fourth year and tailoring it towards gathering useful skills as much as possible.

My third year project was actually a questionnaire based study on CO2 emissions due to work related flight of academic staff at the University of Sheffield... which isn't particularly relevant :(

I think I might leave it as it stands just for the moment - thanks for everyones help on this, it's much appreciated!

Cheers,

Chris