In Latin, “vitae” means “the course of one’s life or career.” It is also commonly referred to as a curriculum vitae, or CV. It is similar to a resume in that it is used to document professional experience and education. However, a curriculum vitae is more detailed and emphasizes academic achievements. It is most commonly used in academic settings, especially higher education, while a resume is more appropriate for a business environment.

Proper presentation of a vitae will enhance the possibility of persuading an employer to grant you an interview. The vitae can serve as a framework for generating interview questions and answers.

There are a number of different ways to present your vitae. The most common formats used are business, left justified, or centered. Utilize white space appropriately throughout to create a balanced and visually attractive document. Headings and sections should be spaced and emphasized by using capital letters, underlining, indenting, or bolding. Since the vitae is a formal document, it should not look cluttered or disorganized.

Be consistent in use of format, spelling, and grammar. Proofread for typographical errors. Always spell out words (except for names of states - use current 2 letter abbreviations).

Be specific and yet concise with descriptions in each section. Avoid the use of complete sentences in favor of phrases. Descriptions should be no longer than 6 lines. Utilize "action words" to begin phrases (present tense for current activities and past tense for former ones).

The length of a curriculum vitae will vary depending on your experience and background. Generally a vitae is between 3-7 pages, with 3 pages the average for the new professional.

Identify name, address, telephone numbers, fax and E-mail for home (and office if non-confidential) at top of first page. All subsequent pages should contain name and page number at top left of page.

Identify the position you are seeking in terms of specific role, type(s) of environment, and skill utilization. You may also include short and long term goals. These should match the program or position.

This category is used to provide a brief overview of your background by succinctly describing most relevant skills and personal attributes that relate to position.

Identify all institutions, types of degrees, dates, and academic disciplines. Also include majors/minors, concentrations, and emphases. You may also wish to include coursework related to the professional objective. Under this category (or in a self-standing section), identify short abstracts for dissertation and/or thesis information. This category may also include postgraduate work and additional training. List all entries in reverse chronological order.

This category contains certifications and licenses that are pertinent to your professional objective. List the name of certificate and give status (active, expiration date) in order of importance.

Identify fellowships, assistantships, awards, and citations. List name of honor/award and a brief description. Focus attention on graduate performance. List all entries in order of importance related to your professional objective.

Identify all experiences and accomplishments that relate to your specific professional objective. For each list position title, name of organization, city/state, dates, and description of duties, skills used and accomplishments. It is important that the descriptions be concise and involve short phrases. Depending on your professional objective, this section could be titled research experience, teaching experience, administrative experience, etc. List all entries in reverse chronological order.

Identify additional experiences and accomplishments that you would like to include, that indirectly relate to your professional objective. Use same format as “Professional Experience” section. List all entries in reverse chronological order.

For publications, identify all articles, audio-visuals, chapters, books, periodicals, book reviews, technical papers, research, and monographs that have been either published or submitted, or are in progress. Be sure to utilize citation style appropriate to your field of study. If the list is extensive, include only the most relevant items and provide an appendix separate from the vitae.

For presentations, identify all relevant workshops, conferences, exhibitions, lectures, panels, and other speaking engagements. List name of event, topic, location, and month/year. Use citation style appropriate to your field of study. If the list is extensive, include only the most relevant items and provide an appendix separate from the vitae.

Identify all organizations in which you have held membership and/or leadership positions. List offices held, name of organization, and description of activity (optional). List all entries in order of relevance to your professional objective. (You may also choose to include events/conferences attended that relate to your objective, if they are of significant length or intensity.)

Identify all activities related to your professional objective that have not been previously mentioned, such as consulting and or committee assignments. List name of organization, title (or involvement), location, and dates. List all entries in order of importance to your professional objective.

If appropriate to your field of study, identify research and grants received and in progress. List name of grant/research, funding amount, purpose, program outline, program outcome, and dates. List entries in either order of importance or in reverse chronological order.

Use this category to describe “catch all” items that do not fit with any other category. Possible items to include are computer hardware/software skills, extensive travel, volunteer or other community involvement, certifications, and/or language skills (if not listed already). Limit to items related to your professional objective.

This should be the last section listed on a vitae. It is helpful to provide a list of references on a separate page. Include the professional name, official title, department, street address, city/state, zip code, office telephone and E-mail for each reference, as well as the relationship of each individual (ex. advisor, supervisor). Include a list of references only if you are prepared for employers to contact each reference.

You may have more than adequate number of entries to a section. Since the human eye cannot absorb more than 8-10 lines of information, it is best to highlight the most relevant items and provide a separate detailed ADDENDUM page that includes everything else. This idea works especially well with Extensive Publications, Presentations, Professional Activities and/or Affiliations.

Some career fields seek out various “competencies.” If so, it may be beneficial to provide a separate page of information that highlights 3-4 competency areas with specific topics addressed under each area.

When applying for a position through the mail, your vitae should always be accompanied by a typewritten cover letter. Employers pay close attention to the grammar and punctuation of cover letters. Refer to CSC cover letter handout for specific information.

You should prepare your vitae on a computer and use a laser printer for your final printed draft. Since your vitae needs to be targeted to each specific employer and position, it is important that you be able to make changes to the objective and categories on short notice. It is not necessary to have your vitae typeset. Not only is it more expensive, but the turnaround time for changes is not as efficient.

Choose white, ivory, or light gray resume paper. Use 9”x12” envelope if mailing. Purchase blank matching sheets/business envelopes for future correspondence with same employer.

Please note: some items require the Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader, which can be downloaded from the Adobe web site.