how to make cv for phd application

• How to Write a PhD CV

Written by Chris Banyard

As you embark on your journey towards obtaining a PhD, crafting a compelling academic CV is a crucial step in your PhD application . Unlike a traditional CV, an academic CV focuses intensely on your academic accomplishments, research experience, and scholarly contributions. It’s your opportunity to showcase your qualifications concisely and effectively to potential supervisors and admission committees.

Writing a PhD CV can feel daunting, especially given its importance and the specific requirements it entails. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore how to write a compelling PhD CV, offering detailed examples and actionable advice to help you stand out. Whether you're applying for a program in the UK or internationally, these tips will ensure your CV is both informative and engaging.

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What is an academic cv.

An academic CV is a document tailored to highlight your academic achievements and research activities. Unlike a standard CV, which typically focuses on work experience and skills, an academic CV offers extensive details on your academic background, publications, research projects, teaching experience, and more. This format allows you to provide a thorough representation of your scholarly journey and potential to contribute to your chosen field of study.

How long should an academic CV be?

While an early-career academic CV should be kept to no more than four pages, most can effectively convey necessary information in two pages. It’s important to avoid being overly verbose and to maintain relevance throughout. Keep in mind that clarity and relevance are more impressive than length. Admission committees often appreciate a well-organized, concise CV that communicates your qualifications effectively.

Key features of an academic CV

• Professional and up-to-date : Ensure the CV is professional, up-to-date, and tailored to the specific PhD program you’re applying for. Regularly update your CV to include new research, publications, and academic achievements.
• Reverse-chronological order : Present information in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent activities. This approach makes it easier for reviewers to see your latest work and progress.
• Focus on relevance : Highlight experiences and accomplishments relevant to the PhD program. Tailoring each section to align with the specific requirements and interests of the program can significantly increase your chances of success.
• Concise and clear : Despite the potential for length, aim for clarity and conciseness. Avoid overly verbose descriptions and ensure that essential information is easily accessible.

PhD cover letters

An academic CV is often accompanied by a PhD cover letter. This will give you the chance to expand on the experience you've laid our in your CV and fill in any gaps.

Read more about PhD cover letters .

PhD CV format

An academic CV has several additional sections compared to a standard CV .

1. Personal profile and research interests

2. publications, 3. research experience, 4. teaching experience, 5. funding and awards, 6. professional society membership.

• 6. Referees

This section, often found at the top of your CV, should provide a brief summary of your research experience and interests. Tailor it to the specific PhD program by addressing the project or job description directly. A well-crafted personal profile can set the tone for the rest of your CV.

As with all aspects of a PhD CV, it is better to show, not tell . Give evidence of skills, interest and enthusiasm where possible rather than just stating it outright.

If you are deeper into your academic career, and have lots of publications and research experience, you may not need to have a research interests section – it should be fairly clear from your research experience.

• "I have spent four years studying 18th Century History, focusing on the French Revolution. I've published several articles in renowned history journals and presented my findings at international conferences. I aim to deepen my expertise through PhD research at your esteemed institution, particularly exploring socio-political impacts of revolutionary movements."

"I’m enthusiastic about Science and I really like learning. My research interest is Physics. I’ve got undergraduate and Masters degrees in Physics, so I want to do a PhD next."

List any journal articles, books (or chapters), reports, and patents in reverse chronological order. Highlight your name if you are one of many authors. This section demonstrates your ability to contribute original research to your field.

If this is a long list, it may be better suited as an appendix .

Detail all relevant research projects, including your current research. Describe the projects clearly, listing the skills and experiences gained. Mention supervisors and highlight any impressive aspects. This section is crucial as it shows your hands-on experience and technical abilities.

2017-present: Investigation into Viral Capsid Protein Self-Assembly

Masters degree research project, supervised by Prof. J. Bloggs. Acquired knowledge in molecular biology techniques and in vitro protein analysis. Presented findings at several academic conferences.

2016: Redox Sensors of Bacillus subtilis

Undergraduate research project under the supervision of Dr S. Smyth. Gained experience of protein crystallisation and bioinformatic analysis. My research report for this project was awarded a First Class mark.

Laboratory research. I have research experience in Molecular Biology laboratories at the Universities of Aberdeen and Dundee, developing relevant skills such as PCR, genetic cloning, protein purification, and protein crystallisation.

Presenting. I have presented research using a variety of techniques, including talks, posters, and workshops. These have been presented to academic experts at national conferences.

Academic writing. I have written many pieces of assessed research writing. These include literature reviews, research reports, and meta-analyses. All marks shown in Education section.

Include any teaching or mentoring roles you've undertaken, indicating the level of students and any additional responsibilities, such as planning or grading. Teaching experience is often highly valued in academic settings as it shows your ability to disseminate knowledge effectively.

List any competitive grants, scholarships, fellowships, or bursaries you’ve received. This demonstrates your ability to secure competitive funding—a key skill in academia. Highlighting these achievements can significantly bolster your application.

Being actively involved in professional societies shows commitment to your field of study. Ensure you include dates of membership. Active participation in these societies can also provide networking opportunities and demonstrate your engagement with the academic community.

7. Referees

Always check the application requirements for the number of referees needed. Typically, provide at least two academic references who can vouch for your competence and potential. Choose referees who know your work well and can speak to your specific qualifications and achievements.

What if I don’t have publications / experience?

As a PhD applicant, it is unlikely that you will already have lots of publications, research experience or academic funding / awards.

If you do, this will go a long way to building a successful application.

However, as an undergraduate or new postgraduate student you will not be expected to have lots of this.

It is important to include any experience you have (for example, a research project at Masters level) and show an enthusiasm for research.

It could be worth changing your PhD CV to a more skills-based format. In this way, you can put more focus on transferable skills that are useful in academia, and less focus on research experience.

If your CV still seems bare, it may be beneficial for your academic CV if you can find ways to get research experience or develop research skills.

Academic CV flexibility

There is some flexibility in writing a CV – you can change the sections included to better suit you or better suit the application.

General CV sections

Some of the same sections as a general CV should be included in an academic CV. However, these may need to be adjusted to be appropriate for a position in academia.

This should be your name, fairly large and clear, at the top of the page. It is not necessary to write “CV” or “Curriculum Vitae” – this should be obvious to the reader.

Include your contact information below this, such as your address, phone number and email.

For an academic CV, this is an important section and usually is found near the top of the CV. List by degree, plus titles, with the most advanced first (i.e. PhD, Masters, Bachelors etc.). It is acceptable to include your current degree, clearly noted.

This section is vital to show the hard skills necessary to be eligible for the position. For example, if a PhD project description states that applicants require a Masters degree, then your relevant Masters degree should be prominent here.

If useful to the application, you can include individual courses on a degree with their marks. But, give course titles and do not include course codes – these are usually just for internal administration purposes.

Results pending

A student applicant may not have received exam / dissertation results at the time of applying. This is acceptable – just include any results or marks you have already.

Other skills

Research and teaching skills may already be included in specific sections, but this section may serve for any other relevant skills .

This can include things like administrative experience, professional development, additional training, and languages (with proficiency noted).

• Administration experience: treasurer for University English Literature Society, management of local business’ social media accounts
• Technology skills: Diploma of Graphic Design & Desktop Publishing (awarded by International Career Institute)
• Languages: French (fluent), German (conversational)

I like reading books. I have experience of working in a local shop. Good with animals. Can do 46 keepie-uppies in a row. . .

Discussion of CV content at the interview

If you are shortlisted for a PhD interview , you may be asked to discuss the contents of your CV. Therefore, you can keep the CV concise and clear, and expand later at the interview if it is relevant.

Should I include a photo of myself?

In the UK, USA and Canada, a photo should not be included. In some professions, this will cause the CV to immediately be discarded due to anti-discrimination laws.

However, in some countries, for example in continental Europe, photos are often included at the top of a CV. Always check the conventions of the country you are applying to.

Layout and formatting

Most of the same rules apply for a general CV as for an academic CV. However, it may be useful to check the common PhD resume format conventions for a specific academic field – these can sometimes vary.

Organisation

For all CVs, the most important parts for the application are placed at the top. Generally speaking, you should follow this PhD CV template when ordering the sections of your resume:

• 1. Name and contact information
• 2. Education
• 3. Publications
• 4. Research experience
• 5. Teaching experience
• 6. Funding and awards
• 7. Professional society membership
• 8. Referees

The exact order of these can be adjusted to better suit the application and the applicant.

There is some flexibility in the PhD resume formats. You may choose a style that you like, but it should follow the following rules.

The format of the CV should always be clear, with a readable, normal-sized font and line-spacing where possible. Make sure the format is consistent throughout.

Headings and subheadings can be larger and / or emboldened. There should be clear spaces or definitions between each section.

UK and Canada CV vs. USA CV

There can be differences in the layout and formatting of CVs in different countries. UK / Canadian CVs tend to be shorter and more condensed than their American counterparts. Always check the conventions of the country you are applying to.

Tips for writing an academic CV

As you write your academic CV for a PhD application, there are plenty of things you should bear in mind to make sure that you give a strong impression to those reading it. These are our tips for producing a great academic CV:

• Make it clear and scannable : Ensure all information is easy to find at a glance. Use clear headings, bullet points, and avoid splitting sections across two pages. A well-organised CV will make a better impression.
• Proofread and seek feedback : Have multiple people review your CV to catch potential errors and improve clarity. It’s particularly useful to receive feedback from someone experienced in your field.
• Avoid redundancy : Do not duplicate information already present in your cover letter, research proposal, or personal statement. Each document should provide unique insights into your qualifications and ambitions.
• Tailor to each application : Customise each CV to align with the specific requirements of the PhD program or project description. Highlight the experiences and skills most relevant to each unique opportunity.
• Correct formatting : Use consistent fonts and styles, avoid jargon, and submit your CV in PDF format to prevent formatting issues. Proper formatting ensures that your CV looks polished and professional.

Finally, always get additional advice and opinions. Not all advice is good, but you should always get help to find any mistakes or opportunities for improvement. Advice from someone who is experienced in the research field – perhaps a PhD graduate themselves – who can offer discipline-specific help on the academic CV will be particularly useful.

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Our guide explains how to contact a potential PhD supervisor to discuss your proposal or ideas with them before applying.

A checklist of the things you'll need to do when making an international PhD application, from meeting the entry requirements to sorting out your visa.

What documents you need for a complete study abroad application, what they are and what they should and should not include.

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CV for PhD Application: How to Write One Like a True Scholar (+CV Example)

• Klara Cervenanska , 
• Updated March 13, 2024 11 min read

A PhD is the highest level of academic qualification you can achieve. To secure your position, however, you first need an impressive CV for your PhD application.

Earning a PhD degree requires you to produce extensive research in a narrowly defined subject within a certain discipline and to make a considerable original contribution to your field.

Hence why PhD programs are always very selective. The admission rates hover around 10% and only about half of the admitted candidates actually finish the degree, according to a recent psychology research .

As a result, less than 1% of the population attains a PhD.

So, how do you become a part of the 1%?

The process of attaining a PhD starts with a strong application which includes an impressive academic CV .

A CV for PhD application needs to be carefully crafted, well formatted, and contain specific sections.

We'll show you how to craft a stellar PhD application CV, and a sample academic CV from a real person admitted to a PhD program in France.

Table of Contents

Click on a section to skip

What is an academic CV?

What to include in an academic cv for phd application.

• How to write an academic CV for a PhD application?

Tips on how to write a CV for PhD application

How to tailor your cv for different phd programs, phd cv example.

First, there are two types of career documents job seekers widely use. A resume and a Curriculum Vitae (CV).

These two documents are similar but not identical.

So, let's have a look at the key differences between a CV vs a resume :

• A resume is used when applying for a position in industry, non-profits, or the public sector. It should focus on skills and past experience while being tailored to a specific job position. The length of the document shouldn't be more than 1 or 2 pages.
• A curriculum vitae (CV) is used when applying for positions in academia, science, or medicine. It focuses on education, research background and scholarly accomplishments. Finally, its length depends on the number of references, publications, etc.

There are even more types of CVs. A general CV, an industry (professional) CV, or an academic (research) CV — which is exactly the one you'll need.

In a nutshell, an academic CV is a career document that provides extensive information about your educational and research background. Scholars and researchers use this document when applying for jobs in academia — such as a PhD application.

Lastly, an academic resume is a term you can often come across, too. To avoid any confusion, it's the same as an academic CV. A more appropriate term is, however, the latter.

Rules are important in academia. That's why all academic CVs usually follow pretty strict structures regarding their content and formatting.

First, let's have a look at the resume sections you should include in a CV for PhD application:

• Contact information. Include your full name, email, phone number, and location.
• (Research) objective. A concise, brief paragraph outlining your research plans and strategies.
• Education. It should form the bulk of your CV and detail you educational background.
• (Research) experience. Your research experience can often set you apart from other candidates.
• Publications. Include anything from journal articles, published reports, to your research dissertation.
• Awards. Mention all awards and accomplishments you’ve received in reverse chronological order.
• Skills. These should be relevant to the PhD project or show that you have what it takes to succeed as a researcher.
• References. Finally, try to include at least two references, such as your dissertation supervisor and one other member of staff.

Let's have a closer look at each of the 8 CV sections in the next chapter.

How to write an academic CV for a PhD application ?

Applying for a PhD will be a lot less stressful if you follow this quick guide on how to write a CV for a PhD application:

You should always start your CV or your resume by providing your contact details to form the CV header . Include your full name, your professional email address, and your mobile number. Additionally, you can include your location. However, we don't advise including your full home address for privacy reasons. Entering the country and city you reside in is usually enough. Since a CV is a bit different than a resume, we don't recommend including links to your social media .

Research objective is basically a brief paragraph at the beginning of your CV outlining your research plans, interests, and strategies. It paints a picture of you as a person and will guarantee that the admissions committee will be interested in reading and learning more about your professional background. Your research plans and strategies should align with the PhD project you're applying for. Hence, read the project description carefully and make sure to tailor your objective accordingly. Ideally, without making stuff up.

The education section should form the bulk of an academic CV. No one expects a potential PhD candidate to have 10 years of experience in the field. But what's expected is an appropriate educational background. A common practice is to list your education in a reverse chronological order. This means listing your Master's degree first and then a Bachelor's degree. For each degree, provide the full name of the degree, the type, its duration, the relevant courses and modules, the corresponding (or expected) marks, GPA , and any relevant projects or presentations. Also, include the name and the description of your final year dissertation project.

In this section, introduce all of the research projects you worked on, whether they were a part of your undergraduate degree, your master's degree, or you have undertaken this project elsewhere. You can include any voluntary , part-time , or full-time work experience you deem relevant for the PhD project of your choice. For instance, skip the part-time bartending job and rather include a teaching experience or a voluntary project you undertook.

Of course, it's okay if you don't have any publications yet. If that's the case, simply skip this section. However, if you do have any work published at this stage, list it in this section. The publications can include anything from journal articles, published reports, contributions to peer-reviewed journals, or an adaptation of your dissertation project. Make sure to check the citation style your institution or field prefers and use it consistently in your publications section. The most common ones are APA, MLA, and Chicago.

In this CV section, list relevant honors, achievements, or awards you earned for going beyond average — again in reversed chronological order. It includes scholarships, university fellowships, competitions, work-related awards, or academic awards . For instance, you can mention a very high GPA, subject-specific awards, or any grants you received. However, keep in mind that mentioning how much money was involved is only common in scientific fields.

The skills you mention in your academic CV should be relevant to the PhD project you're applying for or show that you have what it takes to succeed as a researcher. Between the two types of skills , hard and soft, hard skills are more appropriate to include in your CV for PhD application. Examples of hard skills include Python, data analysis, polymer synthesis, C++, Chem Draw, Ahrefs , languages, or other computer skills . However, completing a PhD degree usually also involves demonstrating your teaching abilities. For this reason, listing soft skills such as a good oral communication and presenting is also a good idea.

While a references section in a regular resume is pretty much redundant, in a CV for PhD application it's a must-have . Why? Well, having a person attest to your skills and achievements is a great way to leverage your professional experience. The person you ask should be articulate and in a reputable position. Your best bet is to ask your dissertation supervisor, a professor you had a good relationship with, or one who taught the subject most relevant for the desired PhD program. Finally, don't forget that your references have to agree with having their contact information shared, first. Read our quick guide on how do you ask someone to be your reference .

Apart from making sure the content of your CV is spot on, you should also follow some well-established formatting tips.

A clear layout and composition ensure your CV is professional and easy to read.

Here are a few tips to help you achieve that:

• Keep the formatting consistent. If you choose a certain font type and size, stick to it. The same goes for margins, spacing, and capitalization.
• Less is often more. It might be tempting to use bolding, italics, or underlining in order to make the document "easy" to read. However, an excessive use of these features actually has the exact opposite effect.
• Avoid long paragraphs. A CV is all about providing objective facts regarding your professional background. Hence, no need to provide generic statements or go into too much detail. And if you happen to write more text, you can always divide it using bullet points.
• Use professional language. It goes without saying, but don't use slang. Similarly, use professional jargon and abbreviations within reasonable limits.
• Don't limit yourself to one or two pages. The length of your academic CV depends on the number of publications, awards, references, and experiences. Unlike a resume, a CV is a complete summary of your academic and professional background.
• Convert your CV to PDF. Doing this considerably reduces the risk of compatibility and formatting issues. A PDF file keeps your formatting intact across various devices.

Too much to keep in mind? Kickresume's CV & resume builder can save you the headache and provides useful templates with appropriate formatting designed by career professionals.

When applying for different PhD programs, it's crucial to tailor your academic CV to suit each specific program. 

This doesn't just improve your chances of catching the eye of admissions committees ; it demonstrates your genuine interest and alignment with their goals. 

To effectively tailor your CV for different PhD programs, follow these three tips:

#1 Understand program requirements and values

How do you do that? Start with in-depth research about the PhD program:

• Visit the program's website
• Look at the curriculum
• Attend open days
• If possible, reach out to alumni 

Once you have a clear picture of the program's values and requirements, you can begin to customize your CV. 

For example: If a program emphasizes community outreach, you might highlight your involvement in science education for underprivileged youths or your participation in community-based research projects. 

This demonstrates not only your alignment with their values but also your active contribution to areas they care about.

#2 Emphasize transferable skills for PhD programs

This applies to people switching fields or applying to a program that isn't a direct continuation of your undergraduate degree. 

Let's say you're moving from a background in chemistry to a PhD in molecular biology. 

It's crucial to highlight how your analytical skills, understanding of chemical processes, and any lab work or research experience directly apply to molecular biology. 

For instance: Discuss your experience with techniques that are common in both fields, like chromatography or spectrometry, and how they've prepared you for the research you aim to conduct in molecular biology. 

Tailoring your CV in this manner demonstrates your ability to bridge different disciplines and apply your skills in new contexts.

#3 Adapt your CV for international PhD programs

Adapting your CV for international programs involves more than just translating it into another language. 

Start by researching the academic culture and CV formats preferred in the country you're applying to. This might include:

• the preferred length
• whether to include personal information such as a photo
• emphasis on certain types of experience or qualifications

For instance: in some countries, a detailed list of courses and grades might be important, while in others, a focus on research experience and publications is key. 

Websites of the target universities, country-specific academic career resources, advice from current international students, or even online forums like Reddit are invaluable for this purpose.

Finally, to help you tie everything we talked about together, we thought one picture is worth a thousand words.

Here's a CV sample from a person who managed to get accepted into a PhD program at the university of Lyon in France.

There are several things Herrera included to ensure her CV was successful:

• A complete professional and academic background. We can see that this section forms the bulk of the resume. As it should.
• Plenty of hard skills. Herrera included 7 hard technical skills and multiple languages. All of these skills are very valuable in academia.
• A succinct description of all projects. She includes the full name of the projects, their duration, and theme.
• References, publications, and certifications. All of these sections are included in the full version of this resume and can be found by clicking the button below the sample CV.

Lyon University PhD Student Resume Sample

This resume sample was contributed by a real person who got hired with Kickresume’s help.

Klara graduated from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. After having written resumes for many of her fellow students, she began writing full-time for Kickresume. Klara is our go-to person for all things related to student or 'no experience resumes'. At the same time, she has written some of the most popular resume advice articles on this blog. Her pieces were featured in multiple CNBC articles. When she's not writing, you'll probably find her chasing dogs or people-watching while sipping on a cup of coffee.

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• How to write an Academic CV for a PhD Application
• Applying to a PhD
• The purpose of an academic CV for a PhD application is to provide a summary of your educational background and demonstrate the research skills and relevant experience you have that make you capable of undertaking a PhD.
• It should be divided into nine sections : (1) contact information, (2) research interests, (3) education, (4) research and work experience, (5) teaching experience, (6) relevant skills and experience, (7) publications and conferences, (8) professional memberships, (9) referees.
• It should ideally be up to two pages for a new research student, but can extend up to four pages if required.
• The smaller details matter more than you think – write concisely, use consistent formatting, avoid jargons and general statements, check spelling and grammar, and have at least one academic to proofread it for you, ideally in the same area you are applying to.

Introduction

So you are nearing the end of your current degree or making a return to education, and you’ve decided to make your next step a PhD. While the road ahead will be filled with much excitement, you’ll need to secure your position first. This will all begin with a strong PhD application and an equally impressive academic CV and personal statement or cover letter.

Together with your personal statement or cover letter, your CV will show who you are as an individual and what you have to offer. It needs to be concise, correctly formatted and well written to convince your preferred university and supervisor that you are the right student for the project.

This step-by-step guide will get you on your way to creating an outstanding academic CV for your next PhD application. We’ll discuss the sections your CV should be structured into, what each of these sections should include, and how it should be written. We’ll also give you valuable tips that are sure to get your readers’ attention.

What Is an Academic CV?

When applying for a PhD position, it’s common for the university to request a curriculum vitae (CV) from you to accompany your application.

An academic CV may appear similar to a standard CV used for job applications, but they are two relatively unique documents.

Where a standard CV focuses mostly on what your previous responsibilities have been and what you have accomplished to date, an academic CV concentrates on your academic background, achievements and experiences . Your academic CV will be used by a PhD supervisor to determine whether you can meet the challenges associated with undertaking a demanding PhD research project, as not everyone can.

How to Write an Academic CV for A PhD Application

A good academic CV should be broken into nine section headings:

• Contact Information
• Research Interests / Personal Profile
• Research and Work Experience
• Teaching Experience
• Relevant Skills and Experience
• Publications and Conferences
• Professional Memberships
• Referees / References

Below, we discuss what each of these sections should contain and how they should be written.

1. Contact Information

Start your CV by providing your contact details. All of the following should be included:

• Full name  – Your name should be your document title, formatted in bold and centralised text.
• Email address and contact number
• Location  – Your town/city and country, e.g. ‘Birmingham, UK’, will be sufficient; it’s not necessary to provide your full home address.
• Profiles  – Include a link to any professional profiles you may have, such as LinkedIn or ResearchGate.

NOTE:  Some individuals include a profile photo but be careful before doing so. While this would be expected in some countries such as those in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, this would not be the case in other countries such as the UK and US. This is because it can lead to complications with labour and anti-discrimination laws and potentially cost you your application. We therefore strongly advise you to look into the norms and regulations of the host country before deciding to do so.

2. Research Interests / Personal Profile

For an academic CV written for a PhD position, your ‘research interests’ section will double as you ‘personal profile’. As a brief introduction to yourself, this will be an important section as it sets the first impression of you for the reader.

Use bullet points or a brief paragraph to summarise who you are, your relevant qualifications, your research interests and your relevant skills and experience. When writing this section, your focus should be on two aspects: demonstrating your  ability to conduct a PhD  and your  enthusiasm for the project .

To create an impactful research interests’ section, adhere to the following:

• Tailor to each research project you apply for:  One of the easiest ways to do this is to read the project description attached to the PhD advert, identify two to three of the most prominent keywords, and incorporate them into your writeup.
• Keep it short:  This section is only an introduction, so keep it concise and punchy over long and detailed; 50 – 60 words is a good target.
• Make every word count:  As 50 – 60 words isn’t much, be as specific as you can. Avoid clichés such as “I am committed to research and have a high attention to detail” at all costs; not only are they generic and overused, they also don’t provide the reader with any useful insights into you.

3. Education

A PhD CV is all about academic achievements and qualifications, so your education section should be given high importance and form the bulk of your CV, especially as it will be used to determine if have the core skills required for the position.

Working in reverse chronological order, provide a breakdown of your current academic qualifications. For most of you, this will be an undergraduate Bachelor’s degree and a postgraduate Master’s degree.

When listing your qualifications, provide the full name of the degree, the degree type, and the duration in terms of its start and end year. You do not need to limit this to your past qualifications; if you’re currently studying or taking an external course, include them as well, but state that they are ongoing and provide an expected grade if you have one.

If your degree is relevant to the PhD project you are applying to, include a list of the modules you completed and your corresponding marks; the same applies to your final year dissertation project.

Note:  If you list your relevant modules, streamline their names by removing any course codes. For example, “FN01 Fluid Dynamics” should become “Fluid Dynamics”. Course codes are only used for internal purposes, and each university will have its own system, so remove them to avoid any possible confusion.

Feel free to also list your GCSEs, A-Levels or other relevant academic qualifications if applicable to the field you are applying to, however, this isn’t necessary, and most supervisors will not ask for them. The exception to this is if your university degree is not directly related to the project you are applying for, but your previous qualifications are. In these cases, include them to help demonstrate the suitability of your academic background.

Finally, list any honours, awards and prizes that you have won or any other notable academic achievements that will help to strengthen your application.

4. Research and Work Experience

Your research and relevant work experience is just as, if not more, important than your educational background. This is because most applicants applying for the position will have similar qualifications, so your research experience can often be the deciding factor when all other things are considered equal.

Your research experience may include both paid and voluntary, full-time and part-time work, as well as university project work. However, in all cases, the experience you mention should be relevant to the project you are applying for or have helped you develop skills that make you a more capable researcher. For example, it’s not necessary to mention your time in retail, but any previous time as a laboratory or teaching assistant or teaching support absolutely will be.

If you any discuss research that you have done as part of your studies, present them as individual project listed in reverse chronological order, as before. You can also include research projects you are currently working on, regardless of how developed they are.

When discussing any projects, include the following:

• What the project was about,
• What research methods you used,
• The skills you gained,
• Any notable achievements or outcomes.

5. Teaching Experience

Since one of the main career paths after a PhD is an academic career, teaching experience can significantly strengthen your academic CV. However, it is generally accepted that not all applicants will have teaching experience, but if you do, include it here.

When discussing your teaching experience, state what level it was at, e.g. undergraduate or postgraduate, and what it involved, i.e. marking, teaching, supervising or organising.

6. Relevant Skills and Experience

This section should describe all other skills and experiences that will help strengthen your application.

They should be specific to the PhD project or demonstrate your potential to become a competent researcher. This includes:

• Technical skills and experience, e.g. the use of computer software packages or research equipment common to the project you’re applying for.
• Non-project specific courses you’ve sat, e.g. an academic writing and communication course.
• Languages you know with their proficiencies noted.

7. Publications and Conferences

Most students won’t have academic publications, but if you do, list them here. Formal publications can include anything from journal articles, which is most likely to an adaptation of your final year dissertation project if you do have one, and published reports. If you have these, list them in reverse chronological order using the reference system adopted by the university you are applying to, as this is what the PhD supervisor will most likely be used to.

If you aren’t a published author or co-author, you can still include other text publications that you may have been involved in, such as online articles, magazines, newsletters and blogs. The topics of these publications should relate to your field or academia in general and be written in a formal tone that showcases your critical thinking and writing skills.

If you’ve ever given a conference presentation, include it here with details of the name, date and location of the conference, the title of your presentation and a summary of what it was about.

Even if you haven’t presented in conferences, you should still list any you have attended, including any seminars or talks. This is a useful way to illustrate your interest in the subject and your commitment to gaining new knowledge within your field.

TIP:  If you haven’t attended many conferences or seminars, consider attending several upcoming ones relevant to the research area you’re interested in. Not only is this a great way to learn more about the field in terms of its latest developments and gaps, but it can also be an effective way to make your academic CV more relevant if it’s currently light on research experience.

8. Professional Memberships

Being affiliated with an academic group, society or professional body demonstrates your enthusiasm for your field and for connecting with other like-minded individuals within the community.

When listing these, include the name of the group, the associated membership dates and the position you have held within it.

9. Referees / References

Your references will form the last section of your academic CV.

Your PhD application should specify the number of referees you should include, but if it does not, try to include at least two, but ideally three.

Two of the referees should be academic, with most students choosing their personal tutor and their final year’s dissertation project supervisor. It can be other staff members, but the essential requirement is that it is someone who knows you well enough to be able to substantiate your abilities and character.

If you don’t have two academic referees, you can use a professional referee as long as they are still relevant to the project you are applying for. This will most likely be the case for those who have worked in industry for some time before deciding to return to education.

When creating your reference list, list your referees in order of relevance and how well they know you, not in alphabetical order. This is so if only the first referee is called upon, it will be the individual who can provide you the most useful reference. The following information should be provided:

• Professional title,
• Name of current university,
• Phone number and email address.

It’s imperative that you first seek permission from the individuals before listing them as a referee. It would also be beneficial to send them a copy of your CV, cover letter and application form so they can familiarise themselves with the broader details in case they are called upon.

Tips for Creating a Standout Academic CV

No matter how impressive your academic achievements are or how much experience you have accumulated in your field, the PhD supervisor may never find out if your CV is too difficult to read. With this in mind, here are a few tips for achieving a high degree of clarity:

Formatting for Clarity

• Highlight key information through the use of bolding, italics and underlining, but be careful not to overdo it so that it loses its purpose.
• Keep your formatting consistent throughout, such as indentations, font type and font size, vertical spacing and margins.
• Insert page numbers on each page.
• Avoid jargon and abbreviations to maximise clarity.
• Avoid splitting sections across two pages.

Keep It Concise

• Try to limit your CV to two pages and not more than four. If you need to go over two pages, make sure the most important information is on the first two pages.
• Avoid dense paragraphs, overly long sentences and generic statements. The aim is to pass on essential information in a way that doesn’t require the reader to have to extract it themselves. This leads to the next tip,
• Use bullet points whenever possible, they’re easier to digest than paragraphs.

NOTE:  Remember that you will also submit a cover letter or personal statement alongside your CV, so don’t feel the need to cover everything to a high level of detail here as you will have the opportunity to do so elsewhere.

Check and Revise

• As a rule of thumb, the academic CV you submit as part of your PhD application should be the third or fourth version you produce. Try to keep a day or two between each version so that you always approach it with a fresh perspective.
• Proofread for any spelling and grammar mistakes. Although this will seem like we’re stating the obvious, a small mistake can be enough to jeopardise your chances considering that there will be many other high-profile candidates for the supervisor to choose from.
• Have your document checked, first by an academic such as your tutor, and second by a professional proofreader or by an advisor from your university’s careers team. The former will check for technical issues, the latter for common curriculum vitae formatting, spelling and grammar mistakes.

Save in PDF Format

If the submission method allows for it, convert your CV to PDF format. This significantly reduces the likelihood of compatibility and reformatting issues when opened by the supervisor.

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• • 2+ years of experience in how the AI development lifecycle impacts systems, distributed computing, and cloud-native paradigm
• • Main research focused on how blockchain security could be enhanced by 65% within decentralized infrastructure
• • Other research projects (36+), looking at how future trends could impact network security in AI automated systems
• • Had 16+ publications in the Journal of Computer Science and secured +$16M in grant funding over the last two years
• • Assisted 13+ senior researchers and computer science professors in completing various applications by debugging codes
• • Participated in various other aspects of the software development process, including assessing briefs, writing code, and testing systems to ensure 100% accuracy
• • Built 10 full-stack web applications with Java and Ruby
• • Was tasked to help 5 researchers with the development of for-academia software with a focus on security
• • Analyzed the code specifications and transformations to comply with 100% of all security, accuracy, and client-briefed protocols and parameters
• • Met all mandatory schedule dates within the development process - receiving 98% approval in customer satisfaction

9 PhD Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

In pursuing a PhD, you are responsible for conducting original research, contributing to your field of study, and disseminating findings through publications and presentations. On your resume, highlight your dissertation topic, relevant teaching or mentoring experience, and any grants or fellowships you have received. Emphasize your analytical abilities, research methodology expertise, and proficiency in statistical software or programming languages. Mention any collaborations with industry partners or significant conference presentations to illustrate the impact of your work.

All resume examples in this guide

Traditional

Resume Guide

Guide Overview

Additional Resumes

Extra Reads

Writing Your Ph.D. Resume

Resume Header Tips

Ph.D. Resume Summary

Resume Experience Section

Systematizing Your Experience

How to Include Your Degree

Ph.D. in Progress on Resume

Skill Set for Ph.D. Resumes

Certifications on Resume

Additional Sections

Key Takeaways

George C. Jones's 8-year-Odyssey to his doctoral degree in engineering is finally complete. All he has to do now is complete his Ph.D. resume.

Little does George know that within the next three years, he'd apply to 500+ roles and still not be any closer to working in the renewable energy sector.

A little birdie told us why.

Everywhere George applied, he was labeled as an "egghead": book-smart with no real-world experience.

At least that's the story his resume told.

Unfortunately, George's sad "tale" depicts many graduates’ job searches.

By 2030/31, the US is expected to have 221,000 Ph.D. graduates . While this may be fantastic news for the academic community, the job pool is limited.

Swimming into the big blue sea - a.k.a. the "real world" - would require Ph.D. graduates to adapt their resumes to the business or industry requirements.

And listing vague bullets pinpointing your experience just won't do.

Enhancv knows how to translate your skills, knowledge, and achievements to ensure your resume stands out in the vast talent pool.

Because a well-written Ph.D. resume , showing skills, passion, and knowledge, is your ticket to the moon and beyond.

Our exclusive, Ph.D. resume guide will answer some of the following questions for you:

• What are some of the biggest, unintentional mistakes Ph.D. graduates tend to make when writing their resumes?
• Perfecting the top one-third of your resume: how to get recruiters' attention every time?
• 102 of the most popular Ph.D. skills you need to add to your resume right now!
• Lacking much professional experience: how to align your academic background with job expectations?
• Get inspired with more ideas about formatting, writing your resume summary, and including your academic body of work in a way that works.

4 additional Ph.D. resume samples and why they work

Ph.d. bioengineering graduate.

This Ph.D. Bioengineering Graduate has certainly focused her effort on getting that tenure-track position.

Here’s why her resume works.

Within the top one-third of Dr. Taylor’s resume (the headlines, summary, and skills section), you’ll find many relevant keywords for the job advert.

She has also used the summary to qualify and quantify her results to help recruiters better understand her strengths.

The experience section is split into two parts: the first one notes all relevant teaching experience; the second section showcases depth and knowledge of research.

Dr. Taylor has included industry experience and strengths to further define her skill set and show results.

This approach would also be very helpful for any Applicant Tracking System (ATS) reviewing the resume, as it cross-aligns the candidate’s talents with the job requirements.

Ph.D. mechanical engineering

If you’re wondering how to translate your academics into real-life experience, check this example out.

Dr. Aubry’s resume headline highlights his area of expertise and his Ph.D. degree, while his summary qualifies his key academic achievements, contributions, and success.

Dr. Aubry’s skills section focuses more on the technology he is apt at within the specified job requirements.

His roles as a lab technician, contributor, and research assistant also hint to recruiters that he’s results-oriented and can show how his work affected the industry.

Finally, his strengths section cross-aligns soft skills that are important for the role, including mechanical engineering knowledge, cross-disciplinary teamwork, and technical writing.

Apta certified physical therapist

In some industries, a specific certification can be a real game changer to meeting ATS standards.

Dr. Brubaker knows this and that’s why she has used her resume to highlight her American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) certification within various sections (headline, summary, and certification).

Another reason why Dr. Brubaker’s resume works is that it pinpoints her niche of expertise with tangible results.

Her education section not only lists all of her degrees, but she has turned recruiters’ attention to the grant funding her Ph.D. thesis secured (an outcome of the project).

Did you notice how she curated the experience section? Dr. Brubaker started with her more job-oriented responsibilities, followed by a leadership role.

if you’ve participated in any extracurricular activities during your studies, they could indicate various soft skills on your resume, including leadership, initiative, organization, etc.

data scientist, ongoing Ph.D. in statistics

Are you a current Ph.D. student, wondering how to include your ongoing degree on your resume?

Charles Flack’s resume includes some of the best how-to practices.

Charles uses the resume headline and summary’s first section to specify his research niche, which is followed by his ongoing Ph.D. Status.

N.B. Remember that the recruitment process is one of building trust with honesty. If you note in your resume that you’re a Ph.D. graduate (without this being the reality), recruiters will find out.

Continuing with Charles’s resume summary. It goes on to include an array of expertise and soft skills (e.g. leadership, adaptiveness, perfectionism) all within achieved results in academia.

His experience section includes roles in leadership, technical writing, and private tutoring, denoting individual skills and contributions.

The strengths Charles has included are more specific and tie in with data science roles. Those include quantitative problem-solving, deep learning, and iterative process.

21 Ph.D. related resume examples to help you get inspired

• Entry-Level
• Grant Writer
• Lab Technician
• Research Associate
• Research Assistant
• Lab Assistant
• Lab Manager
• Finance Intern
• Data Science Intern
• Entry Level Engineering
• Entry-Level Mechanical Engineer
• Software Engineer Intern
• Nursing Student
• Data Analyst Entry Level

Quick steps to success in writing your Ph.D. resume to get recruiters’ attention

Let's start with a big no-no: your academic CV, the one you used to secure that tenure position, is a No-go. Put simply - it lacks personality .

HRs and the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) need more context to your experience.

Unfortunately, here comes one of the biggest disadvantages you may face, leaving academia. Often, Ph.D. graduates get rejected as they lack practical work experience .

Don't get discouraged. Instead, find a resume format that works for you.

For Ph.D. graduates that have less work experience, we recommend a functional-skill-based format . It will help you highlight your unique skill set and academic excellence.

Also, it'll align your niche area of expertise with the role expectations.

Now that we've settled the formatting debate, let's look at a couple of more quick pointers for your Ph.D. resume.

1. The top one-third of your resume - the resume header and summary - is crucial to getting a high score on the ATS.

That's why you should try to include as many of the advert's relevant requirements within this section.

2. Expand your qualifications and skills within the experience section.

Don't just list plain bullets, but focus on the outcomes of your studies, research, or publications.

How to write your experience bullets:

3. Speaking of impact, detail your accomplishments within your academic work.

Focus on the picture and your research's influence on the scientific field, business/ industry, or communities.

Bonus: Remember to always list all work and academic experience that is relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Your Ph.D. experience can open many doors for you, giving you a front-row seat on the cutting edge of new technologies.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves, here are a couple more bits and pieces to keep in mind when writing your Ph.D. resume.

What recruiters are looking out for in your Ph.D. resume:

• What methodology or technology have you used to prove your research?
• If you've ever led teams, were you able to manage them successfully?
• Would your niche area of expertise contribute to the organizational goals?
• Can you bring to the table more than just theoretical knowledge?
• How fast can you adapt to a non-academic environment and deliver tangible results?

Ph.D. resume's five most important sections:

• Resume header with keywords from the job description
• Resume summary cross-aligning requirements with experience
• Resume experience to expand on the summary
• Education section, listing all diplomas
• Professional achievements in research and publications

Your Ph.D. resume should balance your knowledge with how fast it can be applied in a real-world environment.

That's why you need to be precise about the resume sections you chose to prove your merit.

Mythbusters: Your PhD resume header under the Enhancv microscope

After endless hours of searching different platforms, you've finally found that cancer research position that perfectly matches your profile.

Avoiding all emotional attachment and excitement, you finally decide on the following header:

2 PhD resume header examples

Let’s look at the bright side of things. If the organization would like to get in touch with Dr. Garnett, they'd easily find his contact details .

But on the other hand, he is making one huge mistake: Dr. Garnett isn't taking advantage of the power of the top section of his resume. More specifically - his headline .

This crucial section could provide Ph.D. graduates with an opportunity to include all relevant keywords that could match their profile. And at the same time, tease their professional story.

This may be obvious, but this example works as it shows that Dr. Garnett is not only a Ph.D. graduate, but his specific area of research and interest, which should supposedly match with the role he’s applying for.

A rule of thumb for headers is to never be vague about your research and expertise.

You could list your Ph.D. degree within your resume title so that it’s the first thing recruiters (and the ATS) see.

In the case of Dr. Garnett, his resume title could read “Dr. David Garnett, Ph.D.”.

Our suggestion is to be wary about the organization you’re applying for because if the culture is more informal, this may come off as “pretentious”.

Ph.D. resume summaries: HRs’ favorite instrument for advanced career storytelling

The Ph.D. resume summary is a really useful section for good first impressions and explaining your experience.

The summary can be used to highlight your skills, strengths, and achievements. While telling the story of your professional growth.

We know how important real-world examples are for you.

So, without further ado, here's how Dr. Lucina Collard rewrote her resume summary. And in the end, got the attention of a prestigious software development company.

2 PhD resume summary examples

Dr. Collard may have spent too much time in the lab, as her Ph.D. resume summary just lists what courses she took and her thesis statement.

No results, no outcomes.

In the end, she did decide to include some soft skills and passions, but without actually pointing out the “why” behind her work. This doesn’t make sense at all.

Here’s what her modified resume summary looked like in the end:

This summary works for one simple reason: it qualifies the achievements.

Dr. Collard has noted that within the past 6 years, she has been specializing in the job advert keywords “robotics” and “mechatronics”. The award is also a nice touch to paint the big picture of her experience.

Dr. Collard is apt at achieving results within a dynamic environment. That includes various professionals from different backgrounds.

When talking about her thesis, she goes on to show her familiarity with the process.

Editing Dr. Collard’s summary may seem just like one small step for her, but it’s actually a giant leap to securing an interview.

Making your Ph.D. resume experience section stand out for all the right reasons

When listing their experience section, most Ph.D. graduates are probably making the same mistakes.

The first one: leaving out your academic practice, thinking that recruiters only want to see work experience.

That's not true at all.

Your education would not only prove your technical capabilities, but also your soft skills. But, more on that in the following paragraphs.

The second error: those tricky job titles.

You'd find 1000+ resumes, listing each experience using the given academic titles; e.g. Professor, Lecturer, Post Doctorate Student, Graduate Student, etc.

Robotic vs personalized approach: 1:0.

The ATS, reviewing your resume, is set to recognize keywords that are vital for the job. The faster those appear at the top of your experience, the better.

Instead of listing that you used to be a "Lecturer at XYZ University", go with "Data Science and Machine Learning Lecturer at XYZ University".

Third slip-up: those tricky experience bullets.

Some Ph.D. graduates just list all their courses, research, and publications.

This isn't the way to go.

You should rather align your knowledge with the job description to prove tangible results.

A couple of questions to help:

• What did this course help me learn and achieve that could be applicable to the job I'm applying for?
• How did leading lectures help me to cooperate better within the learning environment?
• What grants did my publications secure for the educational institute?
• What effects did my research have on the big-picture subjects within the field?
• The more you can get into the actuality (and practicality) of your education, the higher your chances are to get your first interview booked.

Let’s look at an example of how your experience can be showcased within your resume as crucial for the job.

Phd resume experience examples.

• • Got PhD in Philosophy
• • Took Philosophy of Mind, Brain, and Behavior Course
• • Took Ethics Course
• • Wrote Diploma on ‘To Be Or Not To Be: The Ethics of The Human Existence In The 21st Century’

This experience section is pretty negligent and robotic. Did you just get a diploma during those three-plus years?

You may be exiting from a leading higher education institution, but putting in the extra effort to your resume shows that you are diligent.

And that you’re actually invested in getting that particular job.

• • Contributed 60+ publications to the university scientific journal, niching within human rights, ethics, and the big why of human existence
• • Peer-reviewed publications for 12+ philosophy colleagues and professionals with a focus on consistency and validity of the thesis
• • Collaborated with 10+ professionals from arts, science, and biotech fields to question and understand the ethics behind their projects
• • Apart from the scientific paper for my final thesis, entitled 'To Be Or Not To Be: The Ethics of The Human Existence In The 21st Century’, published a short video on the university website to help inspire young professionals of philosophy to always stay alert

There’s no ground for comparison between the two examples. But let’s look at some of the basics.

The first experience bullet hints that the professional can write technical papers for their niche.

Next, the candidate showcases an eye for detail, collaboration, and teamwork.

Finally, they have found a way to get their thesis submitted on time and also make it more understandable.

On a side note - did you notice how a better job title could be a complete game-changer?

One bonus tip on better systematizing your Ph.D. experience

General practice is that you'd create one single resume experience section.

But what if while writing your Ph.D. resume, you realize that in the past six years, all your experience is for the same institution?

Here's an idea to spice up your experience section. You can create a couple of experience sections, based on functionality.

Thus highlighting job advert keywords and, at the same time, including more details.

So you could have some of the following headers, under which you could classify your work:

• Research Experience
• Technical Experience
• Analytical Experience
• Leadership Experience
• Mentorship Experience
• Teamwork Experience
• Higher Education Experience

Feel free to align your transferable skills, which would be beneficial for the job you're applying for.

How should you include your degrees within your Ph.D. resume education section?

Here's the advice you've probably been waiting for; introducing…

… "How to write about your degree without sounding like a snob?"

And there are two possible scenarios at play.

The first is that you're applying for a job related to your area of study.

You should list your Ph.D. degree in detail, including research topics, method expertise, and publications.

As you're writing for non-specialized audiences, don't go overboard with the complex terms. Instead, weave keywords from the job requirements within your education section.

In the second case scenario, you're applying for a job that has nothing to do with your degree.

Keep your education section plain and simple with your degree, university/college, dates, and location.

Either way, remember to always list all of your degrees in chronological order, starting with the latest.

This isn't just some made-up rule or HR caprice. Your resume education helps recruiters determine if:

• Your basic training and knowledge would fit the job
• You stayed focused on your coursework and graduated on time
• You would be a good fit for the team. Some companies tend to hire graduates from the same university

Ph.D. in progress: Should you include your potential degree on your resume?

Being transparent on your Ph.D. resume is what builds that fantastic initial relationship with the company you're applying for.

Thus, you have to be very clear and precise, especially in your education section.

If you're still pursuing your Ph.D. degree, shift the focus from the future to what you've achieved so far.

Your education section could answer any of the following questions:

• How applicable your degree is to the job opening?
• Which of the courses you've completed would help the company grow?
• Is your education a stepping stone within your professional experience?
• What is your expected graduation date?

Being on the course to completing your Ph.D. is definitely commendable, but sometimes life happens. And you may be forced to drop out of your Ph.D. education.

Should you then list the degree you didn't complete?

The answer is 100% yes, as your Ph.D.:

• fills gaps within your professional experience
• is valuable experience
• has helped you gain new knowledge

Making it clear to recruiters that your degree is "Incomplete" or that you "Didn't Graduate" is very important.

List your degree, dates, university/college, and status.

If you get to the interview stage, recruiters will ask you why you dropped out. Be prepared to talk about why it wasn't the best option for your career at the time, or hint at the circumstances.

Even if it's hard to believe, HR managers are people - just like you and me - and they are able to show understanding and compassion.

Ph.D. resume: Is there a dream skill set your potential employers would like to see?

Recruiters review your resume to see how your experience aligns with the role, with a big focus on transferrable skills.

Or in other words, what else can you bring to the table to help the business or institution grow?

And transferable skills can be both hard (or technical ) and soft skills .

Your hard skills include the technology you used to complete your studies.

Consider the opportunities you've has to:

• test and measure antennas parameters in an Anechoic chamber
• audit in a lab environment renewable energy sources' efficiency
• develop software, using Python, to patch cybersecurity risks

The list can go and on and on. Your Ph.D. has probably provided you with a pretty solid technical background.

When writing your resume’s separate technical skills section, ever wonder which technology should go first?

Rule of thumb: align the technology within the job description with your expertise.

The more proficient you are at a certain skill, the sooner you should list it.

Wondering what some of the most popular Ph.D. resume hard and technical skills are?

Check out our list, based on some of the most popular industries.

PhD resume technical skills for various roles:

15 hard skills for opportunities in business consulting:

• Knowledge of different business-crucial frameworks, including Benchmarking, Balanced Scorecard, Porter’s Five Forces, The GE-McKinsey Nine-Box Matrix, The BCG Growth-Share Matrix, Core Competencies
• Data Management and Analysis
• Advanced Data Modelling
• Strategy, Planning and Implementation
• Assessing and Managing Risk Using Frameworks
• Statistics and Understanding Correlations
• CRMs: Salesforce, Zendesk, Bitrix24, etc.
• Lead Generation Software: Zendesk Sell, Pipedrive, HubSpot, etc.
• Project Management Software: Jira, Hive, Asana, etc.
• Employer and Customer Satisfaction Surveys
• Proposal Writing
• Scheduling Software: Calendly, Google Calendar, Doodle, etc.
• Revenue Optimization and Sales

15 technical skills for biology, biotech, biochemistry, and medical research:

• Design, conduct, and analyze scientific research
• Tissue Culture
• PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)
• Gel Electrophoresis
• Western Blot
• Molecular (Gene) Cloning and various techniques
• Flow Cytometry
• Mass Spectrometry
• Confocal Microscopy
• Cell-Based Assays
• Radioimmunoassays
• Data Analysis in biotechnology, bioinformatics, and medical research
• Laboratory and Equipment

15 engineering technical skills to add to your PhD resume:

• Manufacturing: Forging, Welding, Assembling, etc.
• Quality Control
• Industrial /System Design and Analysis
• Conceptual, Logical, or Physical Data Modeling
• AI and/ or Machine Learning
• Design Tools: AutoCAD, SolidWork, 3dsMax, etc.
• Programming Languages: C++, Python, Java, etc.
• Equipment Diagnosis
• Project Management: Trello, Zoho, Microsoft Project, etc.
• Data Analysis Software: Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, Qlik Sense, etc.
• CNC Programming
• Advanced Physics
• Structural Analysis
• Nanotechnology

15 recommended computer science technologies:

• Programming languages: C++, PHP, Swift, etc.
• Software engineering and development: Atom, GitHub, Chrome DevTools. etc.
• Cloud Platforms
• Data migration and deployment
• Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
• Integrated Environments Management
• Network Maintenance
• Cybersecurity
• Machine learning AI
• Business Intelligence and Statistical Analysis Tools
• SQL Consoles
• SAS Development and Forecasting
• Data Modelling Tools: ER/Studio, Archi, Ludichart, etc.
• Automation Tools

15 academic and research technical skills:

• Technical Literacy
• Presentation and visual: Tableau, Prezi, PPT, etc.
• Learning platforms: Moodle, Classroom, Teams, etc.
• Surveys: Google Forms, MailChimp, Kahoot, etc.
• Data-Processing Software: SPSS, RStudio, NVivo, etc.
• Academic Networks: Google Scholar, Academia.edu., ResearchGate, etc.
• Academic Research and Technical Writing
• Email Writing
• Data and Information Analysis
• Copyright and License
• Videoconferencing: Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, etc.
• Applications for Securing Grants and Funding
• Peer Reviews and Co-Writing Interdisciplinary Technical Papers

Moving on to your PhD resume soft skills

There's still no precise formula for how soft skills are gained and applied in the workplace.

How many times have you seen an advert that requires "a can-do attitude and teamwork"?

Yet soft skills are on all recruiters' must-have checklists.

In the case of Ph.D. applicants, these transferable skills are built thanks to all the healthy habits you've maintained through your education, including your:

• collaboration
• ability to meet deadlines

Soft skills hint to recruiters more about your character and style of work.

Here are some ideas as to which ones you can include within your resume:

37 PhD soft skills to spice up your resume:

• Critical / Logical Thinking
• Problem-Solving
• Time Management
• Brainstorming
• Creativity and Innovation
• Meeting Deadlines
• Working Under Pressure
• Negotiation
• Project Management
• Organization
• Prioritization
• Flexibility
• Independent Work
• Ethical Decision-Making
• Leadership or Mentorship
• Collaboration
• Teaching or Lecturing
• Conduct Meetings
• Supervision
• Feedback and Evaluation
• Motivating Others
• Communicating Ideas
• Presentation
• Constructive Debating
• Leading or Participating in Group Discussions
• Public Speaking
• Accelerated Learning
• Attention to Detail
• Writing Proficiency
• Quantitative Literacy
• Listening and Reflection

When describing your leadership or mentorship soft skills, here are a couple of questions you could answer within your resume to qualify your achievements:

• What actions did you take to maintain a constant and successful team dynamic?

Mix in extracurricular certificates

Back in the day, you earned a couple of extracurricular certificates and wondering if you should include those on your Ph.D. resume.

Again, it's a matter of analyzing how necessary your certification is for the job.

E.g. if AICPA's CPA certificate is listed as obligatory within the job description - and you have earned yours - you know what to do.

Certificates show that you're willing to put in the extra effort to stay relevant. Proving that you're committed, flexible, and a life-long learner.

So, think about the relevancy the certificate would have within your field.

Then, consider including some of these popular certificates:

Top 50 PhD certificates from various institutions for your resume:

• Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) - Certified Professional
• ACRP - Clinical Research Associate Certification
• ACRP - Clinical Research Coordinator Certification
• American Health Information Management Association - Coding Specialist Physician-Based Certification
• Nationally Registered Certified Patient Care Technician
• National Healthcare Association (NHA) - EKG Technician Certification
• NHA - Phlebotomy Technician Certification
• NHA - Clinical Medical Assistant Certification
• American Association of Medical Assistants - Medical Assistant Certification
• Red Cross - Nursing Assistant Certification
• Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. - Registered Behavior Technician
• American Association of Professional Coders - Certified Professional Coder
• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board - Certified Pharmacy Technician
• Society for Clinical Data Management - Clinical Data Manager
• American Medical Writers Association - Medical Writer Certified
• Board of Editors in Life Science - Board-Certified Editor in Life Science
• International Society for Medical Publication Professionals - Certified Medical Publication Professional
• Regulatory Affairs Professional Society - Regulatory Affairs Certification
• Google Project Management Professional
• Society of ​​Petroleum Engineers - Petroleum Engineering Certification
• American Institute of Chemists - National Certification Commission in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Certification
• Coursera - Software Engineering MasterTrack Certificate
• Cisco Certified Network Professional in Service Provider Operations
• CompTIA Security+ Certification
• (ISC)² Certified Information Systems Security Professional
• American Society for Quality (ASQ) - Quality Engineer Certification
• ASQ - Reliability Engineer Certification
• Advanced Certificate Program in CFD-Aircraft Aerodynamics
• Engineer in Training License and Certification
• Society of Broadcast Engineers - Certified Audio Engineer
• Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering - Certified Technical Professional
• International Council on Systems Engineering - Systems Engineering Professional Certification
• American Academy of Project Management - Certified Planning Engineer
• Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Master Specialist Certificate
• iNARTE Electromagnetic Compatibility Designer Engineer Certificate
• American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists - Board Certified Environmental Engineer
• American Public Power Association - Key Accounts Certificate Program
• Global Association of Quality Management - Certified Agile Developer
• Environmental Protection Agency - Operator Certification Program Management
• Institute of Management Accountants - Certified Management Accountant
• National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers - Certified Bookkeeper
• Association of International Certified Professional Accountants - Certified Public Accountant
• Chartered Financial Analyst Institute - Chartered Financial Analyst
• Internal Revenue Service - Enrolled Agent
• The Institute of Internal Auditors - Certified Internal Auditor
• Association of Certified Fraud Examiners - Certified Fraud Examiner
• National Association of Sales Professionals - Certified Professional Sales Person
• Institutes of Management Consulting - Certified Management Consultant

PhD resume: let’s get creative with a few more resume sections

When completing your Ph.D. resume, you should always find ways to stand out from the crowd.

That’s why we’ve compiled for you some of the most popular sections which you could add to your resume.

Before doing so, always question each section's relevance to the job you're applying for.

• Publications or Projects - focus on topic, methodology, and impact; include your grant ID code, if your research won any funding
• Academic Awards - once more, consider if those would shine a better light on your expertise
• Conference Presentations - this would showcase your public speaking abilities
• Language Skills - be honest when listing your language proficiency

One final word of warning - your Ph.D. resume offers limited space to showcase your expertise, so try to make the most out of it.

key takeaways

• The extra effort to align your Ph.D. skills with the job you're applying for always gets recruiters' attention.
• Include as many relevant keywords within the header and summary of your Ph.D. resume.
• Have separate sections, detailing how your academic background has helped you attain experience, skills, and certifications.
• List chronologically all degrees you've earned through your education, with an adaptable approach to details.
• Remember that the recruiters or the ATS assessing your resume may not be that scientifically literate. Substitute complex terminology with impact and results.

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The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

How to Write a CV for a PhD Application (with free template!)

When you’re faced with writing an academic CV for a PhD application it can be hard to know where to start.

After all, along with your personal statement an academic CV is the heart of your PhD application: essentially acting as a “highlights reel” of your greatest achievements. You need it to be well formatted and engaging, yet concise enough that all of your most relevant experience is unmissable at a glance.

Quite a challenge!

In this post we’ll break down what to include. From the essentials to the nice-to-haves. All quotes are from the CVs I personally used when applying for PhDs.

If you’re just getting started be sure to download my Academic CV Template.

In addition, if you’d like to get some inspiration from active researchers’ CVs, you may wish to check out the repository of example academic CVs I have put together here:

Academic CV Examples From Active Researchers

What should i include on an academic cv for a phd application, contact info.

Name, email address and phone number. Personally I don’t see a need to include your address and certainly not a photo.

Education / Qualifications

List all major grades from aged 16 upwards: GCSE, A-Levels and university degrees.

• Undergraduate (and masters degrees) should include the subject, university and grade. I’ve tended to include the title of any significant research projects and the titles of the most relevant modules.
• For A-Levels you should name each of the subjects you took with the grade. Personally to keep the page more clean I’ve not included the schools I went to: though it may be worth drawing attention if you did well despite attending a particularly poorly performing school.
• GCSEs can just be summarised to the grades. Subjects needn’t be named.

My aim is to apply my skills to improve lives. I have a proven track record of overseeing successful development of innovative medical devices and now desire the opportunity to expand my skills beyond mechanical engineering into biomaterials research.

Sometimes it can be useful to include a few lines about your motivation and aims for your career. Despite currently having a short profile on my own CV I’m not 100% convinced by them: they can sound cliché especially if you’re fresh out of undergraduate . Profiles are most common in industry and it is up to you whether you think you have content worth sharing: do not waffle, and avoid excessive use of the typical buzzwords: hardworking, motivated etc!

University Research Projects

Third year project “3-D printing of multi-scale porous bioscaffolds for ligament attachment” Manufactured novel magnesium calcium phosphate scaffolds to investigate 3-D printing parameters for optimum implant integration Analysed parts under SEM to verify multi-scale porosity and XRD for detecting phase changes and composition Conducted a statistical analysis of variance study in sample porosity using optical microscopy and deduced the optimum printing parameters to maximise porosity Wrote a technical report and presented results during an oral presentation and viva

More than likely the research projects you’ve undertaken during the latter years of your degree will be your most substantial research experience. State the title of the project followed by a few bullet points covering:

• Useful skills and experience you gained such as: experimental & analytical techniques; software; instrumentation; report-writing; presenting
• Any substantial outcomes: prizes; publications & patents

Feel free to also state whether these projects were undertaken as a group or individually but remember to avoid clutter: you can go into more detail for your personal statement.

[Work] Experience

Jan – May 2013 Research Assistant, Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge Developed prototype HIV diagnostic devices for commercialisation within a multi-disciplinary team: Debugged, calibrated and optimised several novel medical devices Produced standard operating procedure and calibration documentation Experienced an audit and developed an appreciation of ISO 13485 and FDA requirements Inspected and tested parts for quality control processing

Whether you include this section will depend on what experience you have outside of the typical university projects. Here you can describe any additional work experience you have had such as: summer internships; research job roles; years in industry plus any potential outreach you’ve taken part in or voluntary work.

The level of detail you go in to will depend on how relevant the work was and how long ago: working in a shop at weekends when you were 17 probably isn’t particularly relevant. Unless you have had a significant amount of relevant (or impressive) work experience I’d keeping this section below University Research Projects .

A keen photographer, my photographs have appeared in the international press and have raised over £5000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. University of Warwick Photographic Society Executive Committee (2010-2012) Positions held: President, Treasurer, First Aider and Equal Opportunities Officer Duties included overseeing the 270 member-strong society’s running and progression – leading to a doubling of active membership over two years, chairing meetings and international trips, implementing new payment methods and securing funding.

Unless extremely relevant or impressive, I tend to not put too much emphasis on extra-curricular activities: no admissions tutor really needs to know that you enjoy cooking or cycling unless to a very high level. Having said that, do be sure to include anything which can show useful transferable skills such as team-work and responsibility.

I like to include any roles of responsibility such as society committee positions with any useful outcomes.

Nice-To-Haves

There are number of other sections which are common among academics further up the ladder. Unless you have more than a couple of pieces of content per category I suggest adding them where relevant elsewhere: for example an undergraduate award could feature under Education . If you have enough relevant content to warrant adding a new section, they can look very impressive.

Publications

It is often said that publications are the currency of academia. If you have managed to get involved with any publications then display them here in your favourite citation style.

If you’ve been involved in a significant amount of scientific outreach: STEMNET; teaching; mentoring; schools events; unpaid tutoring; public events etc.

Other sections sometimes included, and which are pretty self explanatory:

• Awards & Prizes
• Professional Memberships
• Grants/Scholarships

Tips for Writing a CV for a PhD Application

Translate your skills.

Beyond any subject-specific skills that you know will be useful, translate how your previous experience can transfer to your PhD.  Think about things such as:

• Independence
• Problem-solving

Ask yourself: how did your work standout? Use specifics to quantify performance rather than sticking to buzzwords. For example imagine if you’re writing as your role as president of a society:

“Leadership and teamwork experience”

“Overseeing the 270 member-strong society’s running and progression: leading to a doubling of active membership over two years”

Now you don’t need to go to that level of detail for everything, but if you’ve put in the work, make sure you do yourself justice.

Keep Things Concise

Make sure things are understandable but avoid long-winded sentences and especially paragraphs creating big blocks of dense text. Not only are big paragraphs off-putting to read, they make it really difficult for the reader to tease out the crucial information.

Bullet points are faster and easier to read, plus easier on the eye: all things you want to be encouraging! If you can’t succinctly describe a role in a few one line bullet points you’re probably adding too much information.

Don’t forget you can go in to more detail in your personal statement. Don’t waffle on your CV for a PhD application.

Well-Formatted

• Leaving lots of white space around your text keep it easier to read and therefore more likely that someone will continue to read it.
• In Word, zoom out so that you can see the pages of your document at once. If possible format sections so that nothing, and especially sentences, trails between pages: it makes the document look clean and professional. You can accurately play with line spacing by adding blank lines and setting the font size to something small: in my template I use size 3.
• Lead the eye . Make key information bold for it to stand out: though keep it consistent and don’t go too crazy!
• Try and keep your most important information to two pages . Anything beyond that should be supplementary.

If you’d like some guidance with formatting be sure to click  HERE for my downloadable Academic CV Template .

Spelling & Grammar

Nothing can more quickly make you appear incompetent than spelling mistakes, especially near to the top of your CV or in section headings. Once you’ve double checked your spelling take a break and come back to the document with fresh eyes: it’s amazing what you’ll spot. After that, ask a friend to have a read through too.

Save as PDF (if allowed)

Now that you’ve formatted your CV nicely, I suggest saving it as a PDF if the online submission allows. With PDFs the formatting is locked in place and you needn’t worry about the formatting screwing up because of differing versions of Word.

Take Inspiration

Often senior academics will include links to download their CVs from their personal webpages and I keep a folder of them for some inspiration. You can check out my online respository below!

If you’d like personalised help with your PhD application I am now starting to offer a small number of one-to-one sessions. Please contact me to find out more or click here to book a call.

I hope this post has helped with writing your own CV for a PhD application. If you have any tips or advice to share then I’d love to hear them in the comments! You can also subscribe for more content here:

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4 Comments on “How to Write a CV for a PhD Application (with free template!)”

Hey Jeff, great article!!

Any chance you can do one on personal statements?

Thanks, Yusuf

Hi Yusuf. I’m glad you’ve found it useful! Good idea about one for personal statements, I can see that being helpful so I’ll add it to my schedule and hope to get it out in not too long! Best wishes, Jeff.

hi, I cant seem to access the downloadable template! please could you post another link?

Hi Georgia, sorry that you’re having issues accessing the template. I’m tried it on two computers and it seems to work okay for me. Here is the same link again which works for me . Does that work? In case not I can email it to you. Let me know. Best wishes, Jeff

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• Knowledge Base
• Applying to graduate school
• How to Write a Graduate School Resume | Template & Example

How to Write a Graduate School Resume | Template & Example

Published on February 7, 2020 by Shona McCombes . Revised on June 1, 2023.

When you apply for graduate school , you’ll usually be asked to submit a resume or CV along with your application. A graduate school resume should give a focused, concise overview of relevant experiences and achievements.

The exact sections you include depend on your experiences and on the focus of the program you’re applying to. Ensure your resume gives full details of:

• Your college education
• Relevant work experience
• Relevant voluntary and extracurricular experience
• Any awards, honors, publications, or other relevant achievements
• Any relevant skills, certifications, and memberships

The main difference from a regular resume is that you’ll put more emphasis on your education and academic interests to show that you’re a good candidate for graduate school.

Download the Word templates and adjust them to your own purposes.

Resume template 1 Resume Template 2

Table of contents

Step 1: plan the structure and layout, step 2: create a heading with your personal information, step 2: detail your education, step 3: outline your work experience, step 4: highlight other relevant skills and achievements, step 5: proofread and save as a pdf, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about graduate school resumes.

Before you start writing, you need to decide how you’ll organize the information. Which sections you include, and in which order, depends on your experience and the program you are applying to.

If you’re applying for a research-focused program in the sciences, social sciences or humanities, emphasize your academic skills and achievements. Awards, publications, grants, fellowships, and teaching experience should take center stage. If you don’t have many academic achievements yet, you can focus on your courses, grades, and research interests.

If you’re applying to a professionally-focused program, you’ll probably want to emphasize your work experience and practical skills. Internships, jobs, and voluntary work should all be included.

Keep the layout clean and simple. Make sure all headings are the same size and font, and use text boxes or dividing lines to separate the sections.

Example of a resume outline

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting.

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

• Academic style
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See an example

At the very top of your resume, you need to include:

• Your name (usually in a larger font size)
• Your address
• Your email address
• Your phone number

You can also include a sentence summarizing your background and stating your objective.

• Don’t write “resume” in the heading – just your name is fine.
• Do include links to relevant professional or academic profiles, such as LinkedIn, Academia.edu, or ResearchGate.

A graduate school resume should always start with your educational history. For each program you’ve completed (or are soon to complete), always list:

• The degree (e.g. Bachelor of Arts in English Literature)
• The college and location
• The month and year of graduation

If you’re applying for a research-focused program, you can also give the title of your thesis and go into slightly more detail about your studies – for example, by listing 2–3 advanced courses that demonstrate relevant academic skills.

• Don’t include your high school education.
• Do include other applicable information such as your minor(s), study abroad programs, and other relevant educational experiences.
• Awards and honors

If you’ve received any awards, honors, scholarships, or grants, make sure to include these too. If you have several such academic achievements, it’s worth including a separate section on your resume to make sure they stand out.

Next, your resume should give an overview of your professional and voluntary experience. If you have varied experience, you might want to split it up into separate sections:

In a resume for an academic program, you could include headings for teaching experience and research experience.

A professionally-focused resume could be divided into sections for employment, internships, and voluntary work, or headings for managerial and administrative roles.

Each section should be organized in reverse chronological order. For each role, list:

• Your job title
• The dates of employment
• The organization’s name and location
• A bullet-point list of your main responsibilities

Be concise and specific when describing your work.

• Don’t attempt to list everything you did in every job.
• Do pick out some key achievements that show what you learned and how you succeeded.

For example, instead of:

• Made lesson plans
• Taught students
• Graded papers
• Attended departmental meetings

You could write:

• Designed lessons in academic writing skills
• Taught classes of 20–30 undergraduate students
• Graded practical assignments and coordinated peer feedback sessions
• Contributed to the evaluation and redevelopment of the curriculum

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

The other sections of your resume depend on what you want to emphasize. You can include some of the section headings listed below, or combine them into larger sections.

Publications and presentations

Publishing in academic journals or presenting at conferences is a big selling point on a graduate school resume. List any publications (including co-author credits) or papers you have presented.

You can also include pending publications – that is, articles that have been accepted by a journal but not yet published. Make sure to note what stage the publication is at (e.g. under review, in press).

Certifications and memberships

If you have participated in professional development or other relevant training courses, list your certifications.

Are you a member of any professional bodies or organizations? You can list these too to demonstrate your involvement in an academic or professional community.

Languages and technical skills

If you speak more than one language, list your level of fluency (with certification if applicable).

There’s usually no need to include standard computer skills like Microsoft Word, but do highlight your proficiency in specialist softwares or tools relevant to the program (such as statistical programs and design software).

Extracurricular activities

Don’t include irrelevant hobbies or try to show off how busy you were in college, but do list any community or voluntary activities that demonstrate your skills in things like leadership and communication, or that are directly related to the subject you want to study.

Examples of the kinds of things that are worth including might be:

• Organizing events
• Editing a college paper, magazine, or journal
• Being president of a club
• Being involved in a community project

Make sure to carefully proofread your resume (and the rest of your application) before you submit. Also, check out Scribbr’s professional proofreading services to see what we can do for you.

To ensure your formatting stays consistent, it’s generally best to save your resume as a PDF file (unless the university specifies another format).

If you want to know more about college essays , academic writing , and AI tools , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

College essays

• College essay examples
• College essay format
• College essay style
• College essay length
• Diversity essays
• Scholarship essays

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Avoiding repetition
• Literature review
• Conceptual framework
• Dissertation outline
• Thesis acknowledgements
• Burned or burnt
• Canceled or cancelled
• Dreamt or dreamed
• Gray or grey
• Theater vs theatre

A resume for a graduate school application is typically no more than 1–2 pages long.

Note, however, that if you are asked to submit a CV (curriculum vitae), you should give comprehensive details of all your academic experience. An academic CV can be much longer than a normal resume.

Always carefully check the instructions and adhere to any length requirements for each application.

The sections in your graduate school resume depend on two things: your experience, and the focus of the program you’re applying to.

Always start with your education. If you have more than one degree, list the most recent one first.

The title and order of the other sections depend on what you want to emphasize. You might include things like:

• Professional experience
• Voluntary and extracurricular activities
• Publications
• Skills and certifications

The resume should aim for a balance between two things: giving a snapshot of what you’ve done with your life so far, and showing that you’re a good candidate for graduate study.

No, don’t include your high school courses and grades. The education section should only detail your college education.

If you want to discuss aspects of high school in your graduate school application, you can include this in your personal statement .

A resume is typically shorter than a CV, giving only the most relevant professional and educational highlights.

An academic CV should give full details of your education and career, including lists of publications and presentations, certifications, memberships, grants, and research projects. Because it is more comprehensive, it’s acceptable for an academic CV to be many pages long.

Note that, outside of the US, resume and CV are often used interchangeably.

Cite this Scribbr article

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McCombes, S. (2023, June 01). How to Write a Graduate School Resume | Template & Example. Scribbr. Retrieved September 9, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/graduate-school/resume/

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5 PhD Resume Examples Made to Work for 2024 

• PhD Student Resumes by Type
• PhD Student Resumes by Role
• Write Your PhD Resume
• Entry-Level
• Senior-Level

With the role of a PhD student, you’re the intellectual powerhouse driving groundbreaking research and contributing to the advancement of knowledge. Your expertise allows you to dive deep into complex subjects, developing innovative solutions and pushing the boundaries of what’s already known. 

At the same time, you’ll need to balance your responsibilities as a teacher as well, imparting your knowledge to the undergraduates at your institution. Crafting a resume and creating a cover letter that demonstrate your ability to shine in this diverse role is no easy task.

Luckily, we’re here to guide you through the maze of showcasing your academic journey. With our varied PhD application resume examples , you’ll find the ideal resume template to help you craft your own winning resume in no time.

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• Thankfully, Liam does a great job highlighting his internship and project achievements and how both are applicable in helping sustainably improve production.

PhD Student Resume

• One strategy you can use to boost the chances of your PhD student resume to clinch an enrolment slot into the health sciences department is by harnessing the achievements from a volunteer project that brought screening services to a marginalized community.

PhD Application Resume

• Therefore, achievements in increasing student participation and engagement accompanied by metrics in improved grades and assessment scores would go a long way to prop your suitability.

Engineering PhD Resume

• Hence, including it in your engineering PhD resume will do wonders and show that you’re a state-approved individual who knows what they’re doing. Employers will almost always prefer a licensed professional over an unlicensed one.

PhD Scientist Resume

• That’s where you’re going to include some numbers to add readability to your PhD scientist resume. Now, don’t be random and use metrics for impactful bullet points like decreasing experimental errors or analyzing a large number of samples.

Related resume examples

• Research Assistant

Adapt Your PhD Resume to the School You’re Applying to

As an aspiring PhD student, your resume is your scholarly calling card, showcasing the intellectual artillery you bring to the academic battlefield. 

This is where you can showcase your skills and express why you’re the right person to join the program. To do this, tailor your skills section to align with the specific requirements of your desired program and department. 

Highlight your expertise in research methodologies, statistical analysis, and any specialized software or equipment you’ve mastered. For the more technically inclined, don’t shy away from showcasing hard skills like Python, Matlab, Java, or Tableau.

You can also include a couple of soft skills because they’re essential for giving lectures and mentoring students. Just remember to reinforce them with demonstrable examples in the experience section later. 

Want some pointers?

15 top PhD skills

• Microsoft Office
• Google Sheets
• Research Methodologies 
• Academic Writing
• Public Speaking
• Lesson Planning
• Grant Proposals
• Grading Essays
• Collaborative Research

Your PhD work experience bullet points

From conducting groundbreaking research to publishing papers, your journey as an academic is about more than just the day-to-day grind. In the experience section of your resume, the real spotlight should be on your transformative contributions. 

If this isn’t your first PhD, highlight achievements from your previous studies like securing research grants, publishing impactful papers, or successfully leading research projects. If you’re moving up from postgraduate studies, highlight the best and most impressive accomplishments from your master’s and bachelor’s degrees. 

Add some numbers to make your accomplishments pop. This could be the number of students mentored, successful experiments and research projects, or the reach of your published work. 

• Highlight the number of your articles or research papers that were published in reputable journals.
• Quantify the success of research projects with metrics such as project scope, budget management, or studies carried out.
• Demonstrate your ability to secure research funding by specifying the number and value of grants obtained.
• Showcase your impact as a mentor or tutor by talking about the number of students you’ve guided or the way they were able to improve their grades through your help.

See what we mean?

• Created engaging course materials using Articulate Storyline, resulting in a 39% increase in student engagement and comprehension
• Managed EHR software to document patient assessments, vital signs, and medication administration, maintaining 99.99% accuracy in recordkeeping
• Partnered with farmers to develop customized crop management plans, resulting in a 31% increase in yields
• Assisted in the development and implementation of assessments, leading to a 33% reduction in student dropout rates

9 active verbs to start your PhD work experience bullet points

• Innovated 
• Collaborated

3 Tips for Writing a PhD Resume With Little Prior Experience

• Mention your involvement in conferences and workshops. This will showcase your ability to engage with and contribute to the broader scholarly community.
• Echo your passion for knowledge throughout your resume, and look into the future. Outline your career objectives , illustrating your commitment to making a lasting impact through your PhD studies.
• Any and all academic achievements look great on a PhD resume, so make sure to add them. Talk about your GPA, awards won, or competitions you’ve participated in to show your drive as a college student.

3 Tips for Writing a PhD Resume for Your Second PhD

• Research is often independent, and academics are sometimes considered lone wolves. That’s why it’s important to emphasize your leadership and collaboration skills explicitly. The school needs to know you can mentor students and collaborate with other colleagues effectively—so turn up the enthusiasm for this area!
• If you’re going for a research role, it’s essential to be at the forefront of your field—following all the latest papers and studies. You can show this by mentioning your participation in research initiatives or the conferences you like to attend. 
• Show that you put just as much effort into your students as you put into your research by sharing student performance and engagement metrics. You can also discuss your favorite lecture and seminar-planning techniques to convey your passion and commitment. 

Absolutely! While not mandatory, a tailored career summary can be a powerful tool. Customize it for the PhD position, mentioning the specific program and academic role. Don’t forget to highlight things like research methodologies, data analysis, and any unique contributions to your academic field.

Choose a clean and professional format that prioritizes your academic achievements and research experience. Use clear headings, bullet points, and a consistent structure, much like you would in a research paper. 

Include skills that align with the specific requirements of the PhD program and your academic discipline. Highlight technical and soft skills relevant to research, teaching, fieldwork, and collaboration.

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A quick guide to a CV for a PhD application

How is a phd cv different from other cvs.

Whilst it may include a lot of the same information, a CV for a PhD can be slightly different from a CV for a graduate job. Here are some key things to consider when writing a CV for a PhD application:

• Emphasise your academic excellence.
• Highlight your enthusiasm for your research topic through previous research experience, attendance at conferences etc.
• Showcase research skills gained through Masters and Undergraduate dissertations or projects, lab work or specific technical skills where relevant.
• Draw attention to modules and other courses you have taken that are especially relevant to the PhD topic.
• If you will be undertaking duties such as teaching alongside the PhD, include relevant experience of working with students.
• Your PhD CV may be slightly longer.

How is a PhD CV similar to a CV for a graduate job?

• You should still ensure the layout is clear, concise, and professional.
• It is still important to tailor your CV for the opportunity by providing evidence of relevant skills and experience.
• You should still aim to keep language positive and achievement focussed. Don’t undersell yourself.

What should I include in my CV?

Personal details.

Include your full name and contact details at the top of your CV.

Research interests

You can include a short summary of your research interests as an introduction to your CV. Make sure this is relevant to the PhD you are applying for to show your motivation towards that field.

Include the title, dates, institution and grades for your previous degrees. You may also include titles of relevant modules and research projects/dissertations.

Research experience

Summarise your Undergraduate and Masters research projects and any other research projects you have undertaken, either as part of your studies or elsewhere.

Additional experience/Positions of responsibility 

This section is an opportunity to showcase any additional experience and skills you have which are relevant to the PhD. If you will be taking some teaching duties as part of the PhD, you should include any experience you have that is relevant. Choose a title for this section that best fits your experience. Highlight transferable skills which will be useful for the PhD and give examples of how you have developed them. Also, highlight membership of any relevant societies or professional bodies.

Publications

If you have had any work published at this stage, make sure you include it. You will not be expected to have published work at this stage, so exclude this section if you haven’t.

Conferences

You can include attendance at relevant conferences, particularly if you have presented. If this does not apply to you, exclude this section.

Provide a brief summary of your relevant extra-curricular interests. Use this section if your hobbies demonstrate an interest in your subject and/or research, or if your hobbies help you to demonstrate skills you will need to undertake a PhD (e.g. creativity, self-motivation) that you can’t show through your education or work experience.

References 

You will normally need at least two academic referees. Ensure you ask their permission before you include their contact details.

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Center for Career Development

Building Your CV Guide for Graduate Students

This guide is designed for graduate students in all fields and is not tailored to any specific discipline. It offers introductory advice on how to write or update a CV. Before moving forward, we encourage you to:

• Find several sample CVs from your discipline (check assistant professors’ CVs from faculty profiles on your department website)
• Speak with your mentors and advisors to understand specific expectations of CVs in your discipline 
• Request your trusted peers, mentors, or advisers to review your CV draft and collect feedback

The insights you gain from these additional sources along with this guide and sample CVs will help you write and revise your CV based on your goal. You can also make an appointment to meet with a career adviser from the Center for Career Development to review your CV and provide feedback. 

What is a CV

Your CV is a written record of an entire history of your scholarly achievements. It usually includes nearly all aspects of your academic experience. Your CV will continue to grow as you progress in graduate school and beyond. It is a living document with no length limit. It is best to build your CV as early as possible and revise it throughout your doctoral training to capture the developments in your academic career. 

If you are curious about the differences between a CV and a resume, please review our CV vs. Resume Guide .

When do I need a CV?

Your CV is the first of many documents you will be asked to send when you apply for: 

• Academic positions such as tenure-track faculty (e.g., assistant professors), non-tenure track faculty (e.g., visiting assistant professors, teaching assistant professors, lecturers), and postdocs
• Research positions at national laboratories or research institutions 
• Fellowships, scholarships, and awards 
• Research grants 

How can I format my CV?  

There is no single formula to format your CV, though some fields have style preferences. Check the following key rules to design an effective CV that captures your readers’ attention: 

• Choose a layout that allows you to present your accomplishments concisely, clearly and consistently so that readers can easily skim your CV and find the information they need. 
• Make your CV stylistically consistent. For example, if you make one heading in bold and title case (e.g., EDUCATION), all the headings of your CV should follow the same style (e.g., RESEARCH EXPERIENCE). 
• There is no page limit, so do not use fonts smaller than 11 points and keep one-inch margins on all sides. 
• Organize headings in decreasing order of importance to put your most relevant accomplishments on the first and second pages of your CV to capture your readers’ attention.
• Use reverse chronological order when organizing information in each section, with your most recent information at the top and the oldest at the bottom of each section.
• Don’t forget to check for spelling errors and typos to avoid making grammatical mistakes.

Should I tailor my CV for each application?

Even though differences among your CVs won’t be substantial, tweaking your CV based on readers’ specific expectations is important. 

For example, suppose you are applying for faculty positions in different types of institutions (e.g., teaching-focused liberal art college vs. research-focused university). You may need to emphasize different aspects of your academic achievements relevant to each audience (e.g., put teaching experience first over research when applying for a faculty position that primarily involves teaching). 

What information should I include? 

Your CV should be organized with headings to draw your readers' attention. CV headings are the titles of each section to highlight different aspects of your experiences or accomplishments. They help readers quickly locate key information on your CV. 

Getting started

Start building your CV with the common headings suggested below to ensure that you are not overlooking anything relevant. The final headings you need in your CV will be based on your discipline and the positions/fellowships you are applying for.

Please schedule a one-on-one career advising appointment using Handshake for help developing or updating your CV. 

Related documents

Common headings.

• Honors & Awards

Publications

• Experience (e.g., Research Experience, Teaching Experience) 

Conferences & Presentations

• Professional Affiliations/Memberships

Additional Headings

• Research & Teaching Interests

Skills & Languages 

• Student Advising & Mentoring 
• Patents (mostly for Ph.D. students in engineering and natural sciences)
• Media Coverage  
• Professional Experience

List each institution, degree, field concentration and date your degree was (or is expected to be) conferred. You do not need to add starting dates for each degree. 

Remember that your highest degree or degree-in-progress should be listed first since CVs use reserve chronological order. You can also include your dissertation title and the names of your adviser(s) and dissertation committee members. CVs usually do not include high school information. 

Honors & Awards 

Include dissertation awards, scholarships, fellowships, research or teaching-related awards, and other honors relevant to your field. You may consider listing them under “Education” instead of creating a separate heading if you only have a few awards. 

List the names of the awards/honors, the awarding institutions, and the date awarded. If you were selected to receive a fellowship or award but had to turn it down, you may consider listing it here and note it was "declined."

List relevant experience that highlights your scholarly accomplishments. Include your organization/employer, position title, location and employment timeframe.

You can also use one-to-two bullets (also known as accomplishment statements) to describe your significant accomplishments in each position, which offers a good understanding of your unique scholarly contributions to readers. Avoid using too many bullets as they are more commonly used in resumes than CVs.

Instead of using a general "Experience" heading, it is more effective to subdivide it. For example, "Research Experience" and "Teaching Experience" are the most used experience headings in CVs. 

If you’ve worked as a research assistant under a specific faculty member/Principal Investigator (PI), a research group/lab or a research center, list that under research experience. You can include research internships outside academia, such as national labs, government agencies and private companies if they are directly relevant to your field of study. 

Include all full-time, part-time, volunteer and adjunct teaching experiences as a teaching assistant, assistant in instruction, co-instructor, solo-instructor, or lecturer in your teaching experience section. Along with your titles, institutions where you taught, and employment timeframe, include the name of each course taught to demonstrate your competencies. 

If relevant to your goal, you may add additional experience headings such as "Other Professional Experience," "Administrative Experience and "Museum Experience." What you  include may vary depending on your field and the positions/fellowships you are applying for.

If you plan to use your CV for tenure-track faculty positions, postdocs and fellowships that primarily involve research, this is one of the core sections you need to highlight. If possible, include this heading on the first or second page of your CV. 

Please note that your dissertation itself is not considered a publication in academia, so do not include it here. To list your publications, use the citation style of your academic discipline (e.g., APA, MLA, IEEE, Chicago). You can make your name bold to highlight your authorship. 

Since there are prestige hierarchies among academic publications, you can create subheadings to differentiate types of publications. For example, your publications may be categorized as below. 

• Peer-Reviewed Articles or Refereed Journal Articles
• Books 
• Book Chapters 
• Book Reviews
• Conference Proceedings 
• Technical Reports 
• Web-based Publications 
• Other Publications (non-academic publications such as blog posts)

If your work is accepted or/and in the final process of production, it should be considered published work. When listing it, replace the year of publication with the term "accepted," "forthcoming," or "in press." 

If you have several manuscripts you submitted to a journal for review, you could create a "Manuscripts in Submission" subheading.

You may have a "Manuscripts in Preparation" subheading if you have ongoing research projects to submit for publication in the near future. Do not list too many in preparation or submitted items in your CV because they are not officially accepted or published yet.

Along with the publications section, this is another core area to showcase your research accomplishments. Similar to your publications, follow the citation style of your field. In general, you need to include the names of presenters, the presentation or poster titles, the names of conferences, and the dates you presented.

You may subcategorize them to demonstrate different types of scholarly engagement. For example, you may consider subheadings such as:

• Paper Presentations
• Poster Presentations
• Invited Talks & Lectures
• Campus Presentations
• Panels/Workshops Organized

If you have an accepted paper or presentation but a conference was canceled due to COVID, you can list it with an additional note in parentheses (e.g., canceled due to COVID).

List any volunteer work contributed to your department, university and professional associations, such as a committee member, manuscript reviewer, and department representative. 

You may categorize them with the following subheadings:

• Departmental Service such as department student organizations, department committees and department seminars organized
• University Service such as campus-wide committees and graduate student organizations
• Disciplinary Service or Professional Service such as journal/conference paper review, ad hoc or regular committees affiliated with professional associations and conferences organized

If you develop a CV to apply for academic positions (e.g., assistant professors), your readers are interested in your service activities. Even though they are not directly related to research performance, this section highlights the way you’ve volunteered to give back to academic communities.

This section is optional, but if your field requires specific foreign languages or technical skills to conduct research, you may want to consider adding this section to your CV. As for languages, specify the extent of your proficiency (e.g., advanced reading and conversational knowledge) for each language.  

Professional Associations/Memberships

List your memberships in international or national scholarly organizations by including the names of the organizations. 

As a graduate student, it is common to include at least three academics who are willing to write letters of recommendation (e.g., adviser(s), dissertation committee members). Include their names, titles, institutions, and contact information (e.g., email addresses).

Accomplishment statements

To write effective bullets or accomplishment statements in CVs, start with an action verb, then offer detailed descriptions by covering the following aspects:

• What: What did you do exactly? Be detailed and explain each part using quantitative and qualitative terms.
• How: How did you do this? Did you lead or work on a team? 
• Results or Why: Share the outcomes of your action to show the value of your contributions or highlight the purpose of your work. What was the goal of the project? Did this lead to a publication? 

Remember not to overuse bullets since they are optional in CVs. Include one or two most significant and relevant aspects of each work if you decide to use bullets in your CV. If your target readers are scholars with a similar academic background and are familiar with your field-specific jargon, you may use your field vocabulary to describe your work. 

Examples of accomplishment statements include:

• Applied a general circulation model to analyze the regional climate impacts, which led to three conference presentations and one peer-reviewed journal article 
• Examined the relationship between medieval material culture and visual culture in religious communities in southern France 
• Analyzed the effectiveness of anti-corruption audits on governments by examining changes in management and bureaucratic organizational structures
• Collaborated with three graduate research assistants and two postdocs to design novel experiments that assess cell mobility to determine the path of least hydraulic resistance
• Facilitated weekly precepts involving discussion of lectures and readings on 19th-century British and American literature for a total of 30 undergraduate students
• Developed and implemented learning lessons to introduce materials science to 50 first-year undergraduate students, later adopted by the department 
• Integrated multimedia and humanities to offer theoretical and historical understandings of global art history using film and instructional technologies

For more information on creating bullets/accomplish statements (e.g., action verbs), please review the Transforming Your CV to a Resume guide .

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• Should I Do A Masters?
• Types of Course
• Entry Requirements
• Choosing A University
• Research Vs Taught Masters
• Taught Masters
• Research Masters
• What is a PhD?
• PhD Entry Requirements
• Applying for a PhD
• Choosing A Topic
• Choosing A Supervisor
• Writing A Research Proposal
• Personal Statement
• Writing A PhD CV
• Postgraduate Jobs

Writing your CV for a PhD application

Once you've decided on the department(s) and supervisor(s) you are going to contact and apply to, it is likely you will need to submit an academic CV as part of your application. 

For a PhD position , an academic CV is usually required to demonstrate your ability to undertake a PhD.

A CV which is used when applying for a PhD position varies from a standard CV or resume used when applying for a conventional job.

Your academic CV should provide a concise overview of your academic background and academic accomplishments.

Formatting a CV for a PhD application is fairly simple and straight-forward, but there may be variations across different areas of academia, so it's best to consult with members of your particular department, regarding any specifics attached to your field. 

Your academic CV needs to consist of a detailed subject breakdown of your University undergraduate and postgraduate (if applicable) degrees.

Many applicants also include a brief summary of their GCSE and A Level results, this is not mandatory and should only be included if you feel it is in any way relevant to your application. 

As a general guideline, your academic CV may include the following:

• Personal Details and Contact Details - This should include your name as the document title, with all other details beneath. 
• Education and Qualifications - Make sure this is in reverse chronological order. Include any relevant qualifications and/or relevant awards and prizes. 
• Relevant Work/Research Experience - This can include both full time and part time work, paid or voluntary. Remember to keep this relevant to your application.
• Skills - Include specialist and technical skills, along with IT skills, plus any skills that would be crucial for the PhD position.
• Posts of responsibility - Highlight any post of responsibility, such as course organisation.
• Attendance at conferences and seminars - List any conferences and/ or seminars you have attended or been invited to.
• Interests/hobbies - Include any journals, relevant to your application, you read to keep abreast of new developments. Other relevant hobbies and interests should also be included.
• Referees - Include at least two academic referees who have given you permission to be included in your CV.

When writing your PhD application, nothing is more important than realising who will be reading your CV.

Consider the report below, taken on behalf of the ACS International Schools group, when applying for a PhD position:

"University admissions tutors are most impressed by applicants who demonstrate a desire to study independently, a new poll has found.

Almost half of the admissions officers surveyed said that "independent enquiry" was the quality they prized most when assessing personal statements"

It's important to tailor your CV to each PhD you are applying for, different PhD positions will require different specifications.

An academic CV that isn't adjusted for each application, is unlikely to stand out from the crowd. Also, if possible try and keep your CV to no longer than 2 sides of A4.

A great PhD application, along with a well structured, thought out academic CV can be the difference in you receiving a PhD position, or not receiving one at all.

Take your time to write a first draft, then put it away for a few days. After you've written a second draft, show it to a few academics (preferably those who aren't afraid to point out faults!).

Make any necessary changes and double check for spelling mistakes and grammar issues. 

Examples of academic CVs can easily be found by simply searching online, with Monster Jobs , Prospects and Jobs.ac.uk being some good places to get started.

There are also specific companies who are able to offer advice and even help you write your CV.

Further information

For more tips and advice on applying for a PhD, please see:

• PhD entry requirements
• How to apply for a PhD
• Choosing a topic
• Choosing a supervisor
• Writing a personal statement
• Research proposals

How To Write a CV for a PhD Application

• Katie Baker
• July 31, 2024

Most UK universities ask PhD candidates to submit a curriculum vitae (CV) with the rest of the application materials, which typically include a cover letter, a completed application form, a personal statement and a research proposal.

An academic CV differs from the CVs you would ordinarily submit to potential employers; the education section should form the bulk of your CV; a PhD CV should predominantly focus on your academic achievements and qualifications; there should also be room to outline your relationship with your research interests. 

Of course, if you have relevant work experience within the field you will be researching, outlining this information in relation to how the experience has made you a prime PhD candidate for the program you have applied for will also win plenty of favour with the admissions team in charge of reviewing your application.

This page will discuss how your PhD should be formatted, which information should be provided and how to make the best impression with the admissions team. 

Why Are PhD CVs Important?

Applying for a PhD position or program is not worlds apart from applying for a professional job in academia. In addition to revealing a list of your qualifications and achievements, you will also want to establish yourself as a candidate with resilience, research skills, critical thinking ability, initiative, and dedication. 

While you will have plenty of room for this in your other application materials, such as personal statements and cover letters, alluding to your commitment and perseverance on your PhD CV can increase your chances of being invited to an initial interview. After all, many experienced PhD supervisors and admissions tutors can attest to how perseverance and commitment are even more important qualities than raw intelligence. 

Doctoral research projects can take anywhere from three to seven years, depending on if you choose to complete your doctoral research as a full-time or part-time student. Universities will want to be assured you have the determination, tenacity and resilience to see the project through. Even if you are a self-funded PhD candidate, universities will scrutinise potential candidates due to the time, support and resources they will require from the university; there is a limited number of placements per intake, and the demand for UK postgraduate research degrees is increasing rapidly. 

In addition to proving you have what it takes to research independently, you may also want to sell yourself as a candidate who will win over the room at seminars and conferences while you represent the university. You will also want to customise your CV around any additional requirements for studentships, such as teaching and mentoring.

Should You Have a PhD CV Professionally Made?

By following a step-by-step guide to an academic cv for PhD applications and reviewing samples, you can write an effective and impressive one covering all the appropriate and essential bases. 

However, if writing CVs is not your strong suit and you are worried that your CV writing skills could get in the way of your admission, paying for professionals to write your PhD CV is a small price to pay when you consider the benefits of being accepted as a candidate.

Alternatively, you could use and purchase a pre-made CV template designed for PhD students; then ask one of your academic contacts or peers to give it the once over, check the spelling and grammar and suggest better ways to highlight your knowledge, skills, and problem-solving capacities, amongst other things.

CV Templates for PhD Candidates

A typical CV used to impress hiring consultants and recruitment agencies will highlight your career achievements, from your most recent position to the earliest. Reverse chronological CVs are recommended for PhD applicants as they spotlight your relevant skills and suitability for PhD programs. 

Before you start formatting your CV, pay close attention to the application specifications provided by the admissions team; this will allow you to review the information and insights they are looking for when shortlisting applicants. Usually, application specifications will include competencies, skills and experiences. Use these three requirements to decide how to write a CV for a PhD application. For more specialist programs, such as STEM programs, admissions committees may ask you to include sections in your CV which aren’t typically found in the average CV.

For postgraduate students who have spent the majority of their working/adult lives in higher education, don’t worry about not having many full-time positions to detail; part-time work, volunteering positions, apprenticeships, internships and temporary contracts can still be discussed to share the skills and experiences you acquired. 

PhD CV Writing Tips

• Your CV should be between one and two pages long. If there is additional information you need to cover, consider how it can become part of your cover letter or personal statement.
• Even though university admissions committees typically take longer to review a CV than the average employer, you still need to ensure it is readable by using headings, bold lettering, sections and bullet points, where necessary.
• Keep the fonts neat and classic; using quirky fonts on your PhD CV isn’t the best way to inject personality into your CV; always opt for Calibri, Arial or Times New Roman.
• Never use colours or images if you want your CV to look professional and be taken seriously. 
• Unless asked otherwise, always send your PhD CV as a PDF or a Microsoft Word document.

Necessary Information for a PhD CV

Name & Contact Details 

Your contact details should always be at the top of the first page, preferably in a bolder or larger font. You need to include your full name, the city you currently reside in, phone number and email address. Ensure your email address is work appropriate and your phone number is the number you are primarily available on. 

Personal Statement 

Writing a concise yet punchy and intriguing personal statement that piques the interest is by far the most difficult part of the PhD CV writing process. 

In the statement, directly under your contact information, you need to prove why you are the best candidate by using your unique achievements, skills, and qualifications to back up your claim you are the perfect candidate. Ideally, this needs to be done within three to four sentences. 

Your statement may need to be redrafted multiple times, but as long as you include a brief statement about yourself, number your years of academic and field experience, provide an impressive fact or figure, and finish with your key strengths, you are on to a winner. You can always conclude the statement with a sentence on your research proposal to keep it fresh in the minds of the admissions committee. 

For extra points, write in the third person, utilise positive adjectives, refrain from exaggerating, and construct your statement around the specification guidelines. 

Work History

The work history section of your PhD should say a lot about your work ethic and professional personality. Never stop at outlining your job title, the name of the company and your time working for them; outline 3 – 6 responsibilities; if appropriate, also detail what you brought to the role and any relevant career achievements. 

Always be specific in your career outcomes using statistics and appear confident by using positive and authoritative adjectives which indicate how you took initiative and overcame challenges. To make this section of your PhD concise and easier to read, consider using bullet points to outline your achievements and responsibilities. 

Skills to Highlight in Your PhD CV 

If you don’t have the strongest academic or work track record, you can turn the tide by mentioning the skills you will bring to the program and university. Your talents and accomplishments can give you a fighting chance against more experienced candidates. 

While you shouldn’t be overly boastful in the skills section of your CV, modesty won’t get you very far either. The skills you highlight should always be included per the candidate’s requirements. However, you will also want to be mindful that you are not simply rehashing them on your CV; the admissions team will spot this inauthenticity a mile off.

You should briefly reference up to twelve skills, which will ideally be split between soft and hard skills. Soft skills are more character-focused and can be transferable from any vocation. For example, soft skills could include resourcefulness, enthusiasm or adaptability. In contrast, hard skills are more technical and field-specific. They could include molecular research, writing critical literature reviews or project management. 

Even though hard skills seem more desirable, without the soft skills to back them up, they are essentially worthless. You could be the greatest intellectual mind since Einstein, but if you don’t have the determination and motivation, you wouldn’t get far as a PhD candidate.

Attributes you may also want to mention include time management skills, research abilities, confident written and verbal communication skills, and your ability to independently identify gaps in fields of knowledge and find innovative ways to fill those gaps. 

Desirable aptitudes can also help you to get shortlisted. For example, are you a member of any relevant societies? Have you completed any informal courses? Do you have a valid DBS check? Do you have experience with data analysis or thinking critically without prejudice or bias? 

The education section of your PhD CV should be one of the easiest to write. However, that doesn’t mean you should rush through it without being mindful of how your educational track record reads. 

If you are applying for doctoral research in a different field from the one you completed your bachelor’s or master’s in , allude to transferable skills and potentially how it led you to an interest in a new field. Otherwise, you name the educational institution, start and end dates, subject title, qualification level and result. Note that it is not necessary to include the details of your high school education or A-levels in a PhD CV unless otherwise stated. 

Dos and Don’ts for PhD CVs

• Spotlight core qualifications and achievements at the top of your CV in the personal statement. 
• Reassure the admissions team you have the soft and hard skills to succeed. 
• Mention your research topic briefly in your CV and in more depth in your cover letter. 
• Submit a CV without a cover letter which introduces you as a PhD candidate, covers your most valuable skills and talents and expresses your interest and enthusiasm for the academic venture. A cover letter can also be a place where you share your career ambitions beyond acquiring a PhD. 
• Rush your CV or submit it to the admissions team without spell-checking. Run your CV through a spellchecker, such as Grammarly, which will also be able to make suggestions on how to make sentences clearer and more impactful. Services such as these aren’t 100% fool-proof; always get someone you trust to give you feedback afterwards.

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PhD resume examples & templates

Resume header

Awards, publications, or referees on your phd resume.

If you’re ready to apply for a PhD, chances are you’ll be asked to submit a resume so that the admissions committee can easily review your qualifications and interests. While a PhD resume will have many similarities with resumes created for job opportunities, there are a few key differences you’ll want to keep in mind while writing.

Luckily, Resume.io is here to help. With 350+ resume examples and writing guides, we’re an expert resource for job seekers (and students!) in all professions and stages of their careers. This PhD resume example and writing guide is designed to help you highlight your best qualities and get accepted into the program of your dreams. Here’s what we’ll cover:

What is a resume for a PhD program?

• How to write a PhD resume (tips and tricks)
• The best format for a PhD resume
• Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education, skills)
• Professional resume layout and design hints.

In order to pursue a doctorate degree, you’ll need to apply to a PhD program, which generally lasts about 4-6 years. In order to evaluate your readiness to take on this challenging educational pursuit, most institutions will ask you to compile a resume (sometimes called a curriculum vitae in academia) showcasing your previous education, relevant work experience, academic interests, awards, and publications. You can think of a resume for a PhD program as a snapshot of who you are and the work or degrees you are most proud of.

PhD stands for “Doctor of Philosophy” and is the highest postgraduate degree available. To obtain a PhD, you not only need to be an expert in your field, but you must also present original and compelling research on a related topic, most often in the form of a dissertation, which is a written work that compiles your research and presents your insights into the chosen subject matter. A dissertation is then defended in front of a committee that decides whether or not you’ve met the standards to obtain your PhD.

How to write a PhD resume

The very first step in writing your PhD resume is understanding what sections to include. Your CV should contain the following elements:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section for work or teaching experience
• The resume skills section which may include research interests
• The education section or academic history
• A publications or awards section
• A referees section if requested

While many of these sections can be found in some form on a standard resume for employment, there are key changes that academic committees will expect to see for candidates pursuing PhDs. 

Once you’ve identified the PhD program you’d like to apply to, it’s important to research the application process and any particular focus areas of the program. This will allow you to tailor your resume to contain the information most important to the selection committee. Be sure to include only the most relevant examples of work experience, while leaving out any odd jobs that are not related to the area you plan to study. For example, if applying to a PhD program in education, include your role as a graduate assistant for a university undergraduate course while leaving off a summer spent waiting tables at a local restaurant.

Choosing the best resume format for a PhD resume

PhD resumes are unique documents that will often deviate from other standard resume formats. Although the best format most closely resembles the reverse chronological structure of professional resumes, you’ll still need to make adjustments to best highlight your educational experience and research interests.

Make sure to order your resume with the most relevant sections first. While experienced job seekers may opt to place their education section at the bottom of their resume, PhD applicants should keep their education higher up on the page, usually after the summary section. PhD resumes should also contain an awards or publication section that are often rolled into the education section on other types of resumes. See our PhD resume example for more ideas on creating the perfect format.

The resume header is the attractive bar at the top or on the side of the page that contains your name, contact information, and any relevant social media profiles like LinkedIn. Your resume header serves a vital purpose in helping the reviewer to identify your document and making it easy to contact you about the next steps in the application process. The header also gives an attractive touch to your resume, but be sure to use a neutral color scheme and a professional font style as academic roles often call for a formal tone.

Resume summary example

The resume summary is the first section at the top of your resume that captures your interests, intentions, and key qualifications. For PhD applicants, make sure to include the name of the program and the university you are applying to (and don’t forget to update this for each different program – addressing your application to the wrong university is a serious mistake!) 

The summary should be about 3-5 sentences in length and should have a formal tone. Since PhD applicants often need to describe their research interests, the summary gives you the opportunity to do so without needing to use precious resume space to create a separate section for this information. Don’t forget to mention any relevant work or educational experience here as well as the goal of the summary is to encourage the reader to continue examining your resume. See our adaptable summary resume example below for more inspiration.

Get even more insight into the summary by checking out our related education resume examples:

• Early Childhood Educator resume sample
• College Student resume sample
• Student resume sample
• Academic Librarian resume sample
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• ESL Teacher resume sample
• Tutor resume sample 
• Teacher Assistant resume sample 
• Substitute Teacher resume sample
• Middle School Teacher resume sample
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• College Professor resume sample
• Internship resume sample
• High School Teacher resume sample
• High School Student resume sample
• Academic Tutor resume sample 
• College Admissions resume sample
• Teacher resume sample
• Academic resume sample
• Education resume sample
• Teen resume sample
• School Counselor resume sample
• Principal resume sample
• Special Education Teacher resume sample
• Camp Counselor resume sample 

Strong background in psychology- and therapy-based academic research environments requiring high levels of focus and attention to detail. Strong analytical and critical thinking qualities.

Employment history sample

The employment history section for a PhD will look slightly different than for those applying to traditional jobs as it will likely contain details of your research experience along with any educational work experiences you’ve completed. Make sure to organize the information in a logical manner, starting with the most recent position and working backward through all relevant roles.

Don’t forget to include the job title or name of the research role, the employer or institution name, the dates completed, and the location. Just as you would for a job, create 4-5 bullet points that explain your most relevant accomplishments and duties completed. See our adaptable employment history resume sample below.

Student Researcher, University of Washington, Seattle November 2021 - Present

• Gather, analyze and report data for academic research projects.
• Maintain donor databases and publications records.
• Assess research efficiency and identify areas for improvement.

Assistant Teacher, St. Clare School for Children with Special Needs , Singapore July 2018 - June 2020

• Aided special education teacher in collaborating with students with varying levels of physical and mental disability.
• Assisted teacher in preparing daily activities, lesson plans, and individual education plan (IEP) for each student.

CV skills example

While skills are seemingly more relevant for employment than for an academic position, the CV skills section can still be adjusted to meet the needs of a PhD applicant. The best part about the CV skills section is that it takes the form of a bullet point list meaning the reader is likely to take notice of this section early on while evaluating your resume. Use the skills section to highlight research areas, academic areas of interest, specialized skills from relevant roles, and any teaching skills you may have to put to use during the PhD program. Make sure to check the program requirements to see if there are any specific qualifications that can be easily added to this section. See our adaptable resume example below.

• Data Analysis
• Academic Writing
• Psychological / Behavioral Sciences
• Research & Analysis
• Therapeutic Crisis Intervention
• Mental Health Assessments
• Clinical Care
• Research-based Treatment
• Behavioral Health
• Marriage Family Therapy

PhD resume education section

The education section of your PhD is one of the most important areas that the selection committee will take into account. Make sure to place it high up on your resume, usually after the summary. The education section is the place to list all previous degrees, the awarding institution, dates attended, and location. Since you are applying for another degree program, it’s worth creating bullet points under your previous educational experiences to offer insight into your most relevant achievements like grades, awards, or leadership roles. See our adaptable education resume sample below.

Master of Science in Marriage & Family Therapy, University of Washington, Seattle September 2018 - May 2020

Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Western Washington University, Bellingham September 2014 - May 2018

If you have many publications, awards, memberships, or other honors to show, you may consider creating a separate section to call the reader’s attention to the achievements on your PhD resume. Here you can list the award or publication name, the publisher or granting institution, and the date completed. You may also create one or two bullet points to expand on each entry. If you don’t have many of these types of achievements to show, or if space is limited on your resume, you may consider including these accolades throughout the other sections of your resume. However, be sure that they are clearly highlighted so that the reader doesn’t miss your key attributes.

Another additional section you may need to include is academic references (called referees in the case of a PhD resume.) Don’t forget to double-check whether or not referees are actually required/requested on your resume. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting valuable space on a section that is less important to the section committee.

Resume layout and design

The right look and feel for your PhD resume is crucial to keeping the reader’s attention and proving that you are a serious applicant. Therefore, it’s important to make sure your layout and design are professional and tailored to the program you are applying for. 

An expertly-designed resume template can make it easy to create a great design with minimal headache. Look for a layout that clearly highlights your name and contact information and gives you enough space to include any additional sections like awards or referees. Stick with standard 1-inch margins and make sure to use the same font styles and sizes throughout your resume.

Key takeaways for a PhD resume

• A resume is an essential application document when applying for PhD programs but it will likely look different from resumes created for employment opportunities.
• Pay attention to the requirements of the PhD program and tailor your resume to match. The skills and summary section are great places to do this.
• Don’t forget to include PhD-specific information like your areas of interest, publications, awards, or referees.
• Keep your design professional and formal. Check out our adaptable resume sample to get started on creating a great layout.

Beautiful ready-to-use resume templates

• PhD Graduate CV examples

With a PhD behind you, you’re in prime position to secure a great job and begin your career from an advanced starting point.

But PhD graduate roles are competitive in nature, so you need to stand out in the application process.

Your CV needs showcase the plethora of skills you’ve gained alongside your academic achievements and soft skills.

Our PhD graduate CV examples and writing guide will help you to do this, and get hired.

Guide contents

• Structuring and formatting your CV
• Writing your CV profile
• Detailing work experience
• Your education
• Skills required for your PhD Graduate CV

CV templates 

PhD Graduate CV example 1

PhD Graduate CV example 2

Build your CV now 

Before you start writing your own CV, take a look at the example PhD Graduate CV above to give yourself a basic understanding of the style and format that recruiters and hiring managers prefer to see.

Also, take note of the type of content that is included to impress recruiters, and how the most relevant information is made prominent.

PhD Graduate CV structure and format

If you focus on the written content of your CV but ignore how it actually looks, your efforts could end up wasted.

No matter how suitable you are for the role, no recruiter wants to spend time squinting and trying to navigate a badly designed and disorganised CV.

Instead, make sure to organise your content into a simple structure and spend some time formatting it for ease of reading – it’ll get you in recruiter’s good books from the get-go!

Formatting Tips

• Length: Think that submitting a five page CV will impress recruiters? You’re wrong! Even if you’ve got tons of experience to brag about, recruiters don’t have time to read through overly detailed CVs. Keep it short, concise and relevant – a CV length of 2 sides of A4 pages or less is perfect.
• Readability : Columns, lists, bullet points, bold text and subtle colour can all help to aid the readability of your CV. Your overarching goal should be to make the content as easy to read and navigate as possible, whilst also aiming to make your key skills and achievements stand out.
• Design: Your CV needs to look professional, sleek and easy to read. A subtle colour palette, clear font and simple design are generally best for this, as fancy designs are often harder to navigate.
• Avoid photos: Logos, profile photos or other images aren’t necessary and rarely add any value – save the space for written content, instead!

Structuring your CV

When writing your own CV , break up your CV content into the following key sections:

• Name and contact details – Place them at the top of your CV, so that employers can easily get in touch.
• CV profile – A punchy sales pitch of your key experience, skills and achievements to reel readers in.
• Core skills section – A bullet-pointed snapshot of your abilities.
• Work experience – A well-structured list of your relevant work experience.
• Education – An overview of any relevant qualifications or professional training you have.
• Hobbies and interests – A short description of any relevant hobbies or interests (optional).

Now I’ll guide you through exactly what you should include in each CV section.

CV Contact Details

Tuck your contact details into the corner of your CV, so that they don’t take up too much space. Stick to the basic details, such as:

• Mobile number
• Email address – It should sound professional, such as your full name.
• Location -Just write your rough location, rather than your full address.
• LinkedIn profile or portfolio URL – If you include these, ensure they’re sleek, professional and up-to-date.

PhD Graduate CV Profile

Grab the reader’s attention by kick-starting your CV with a powerful profile (or personal statement , if you’re a junior applicant).

This is a short introduction paragraph which summarises your skills, knowledge and experience.

It should paint you as the perfect match for the job description and entice recruiters to read through the rest of your CV.

Tips for creating an impactful CV profile:

• Keep it brief: Recruiters are busy, so to ensure your profile is actually read, it’s best to keep it short and snappy. 3-5 punchy lines makes for the perfect profile.
• Tailor it: If recruiters don’t see your suitability within a few seconds, they may close your CV straight away. Your CV profile should closely match the essential requirements listed in the job ad, so make sure to review them before you write it.
• Don’t add an objective: If you want to discuss your career objectives, save them for your cover letter , rather than wasting valuable CV profile space.
• Avoid cliches: Clichés like “ blue-sky thinker with a go-getter attitude” might sound impressive to you, but they don’t actually tell the recruiter much about you. Concentrate on highlighting hard facts and skills, as recruiters are more likely to take these on board.

What to include in your PhD Graduate CV profile?

• Summary of experience: Demonstrate your suitability for your target jobs by giving a high level summary of your previous work experience, including the industries you have worked in, types of employer, and the type of roles you have previous experience of.
• Relevant skills: Highlight your skills which are most relevant to PhD Graduate jobs, to ensure that recruiters see your most in-demand skills as soon as they open your CV.
• Essential qualifications: If you have any qualifications which are highly relevant to PhD Graduate jobs, then highlight them in your profile so that employers do not miss them.

Quick tip: Your CV is your first impression on recruiters, so it’s vital to avoid spelling and grammar mistakes if you want to appear professional. Use our quick-and-easy CV Builder to add pre-written content that has been crafted by recruitment experts.

Core skills section

Next, you should create a bullet pointed list of your core skills , formatted into 2-3 columns.

Here, you should focus on including the most important skills or knowledge listed in the job advertisement.

This will instantly prove that you’re an ideal candidate, even if a recruiter only has time to briefly scan your CV.

Work experience/Career history

Next up is your work experience section, which is normally the longest part of your CV.

Start with your current (or most recent) job and work your way backwards through your experience.

Can’t fit all your roles? Allow more space for your recent career history and shorten down descriptions for your older roles.

Structuring your roles

Whilst writing your CV, it’s essential to look at it from the eyes of a recruiter.

If they’re met with giant blocks of text which are impossible to navigate, they might get frustrated and skip onto the next CV.

Instead, make use of the 3-step structure shown below, to give them a pleasant reading experience.

Start with a 1-2 sentence summary of your role as a whole, detailing what the goal of your position was, who you reported to or managed, and the type of organisation you worked for.

Key responsibilities

Next up, you should write a short list of your day-to-day duties within the job.

Recruiters are most interested in your sector-specific skills and knowledge, so highlight these wherever possible.

Key achievements

Lastly, add impact by highlight 1-3 key achievements  that you made within the role.

Struggling to think of an achievement? If it had a positive impact on your company, it counts.

For example, you might increased company profits, improved processes, or something simpler, such as going above and beyond to solve a customer’s problem.

At the bottom of your CV is your full education section. You can list your formal academic qualifications, such as:

• GCSE’s

As well as any specific PhD Graduate qualifications that are essential to the jobs you are applying for. Note down the name of the qualification, the organisation at which you studied, and the date of completion.

Interests and hobbies

The hobbies and interests CV section isn’t mandatory, so don’t worry if you’re out of room by this point.

However, if you have an interesting hobby , or an interest that could make you seem more suitable for the role, then certainly think about adding.

Be careful what you include though… Only consider hobbies that exhibit skills that are required for roles as a PhD Graduate, or transferable workplace skills. There is never any need to tell employers that you like to watch TV and eat out.

Essential skills for your PhD Graduate CV

Tailoring your CV to the roles you are applying for is key to success, so make sure to read through the job descriptions and tailor your skills accordingly.

However, commonly desired  PhD Graduate  skills include:

• Analysis – Showcase your skill with analysis of data, using mathematical and modelling concepts.
• Leadership – Your CV needs to specify how you have developed interpersonal and leadership skills, and the potential you have for the future.
• Project management – Employers are looking for evidence of your successful and organised project management skills.
• Research – Your CV is an opportunity to display your tenacity for research and the ability to apply research in practical ways.
• Self-management – Demonstrate your work ethic, ability to problem solve and take initiative, and how you also allow room for collaboration and team work.

Writing your PhD Graduate CV

Creating a strong PhD Graduate CV requires a blend of punchy content, considered structure and format, and heavy tailoring.

By creating a punchy profile and core skills list, you’ll be able to hook recruiter’s attention and ensure your CV gets read.

Remember that research and relevance is the key to a good CV, so research your target roles before you start writing and pack your CV with relevant skills.

Best of luck with your next application!

• Schools & departments

Write an academic CV

This section outlines key points to remember when preparing a CV and covering letter and highlights how to present your education and experience for academic jobs in teaching and research.

When you write your CV and cover letter you will face lots of choices about what material to include and how to present it. You need to use your judgement to make decisions which will demonstrate your experience most effectively. 

Academic CVs

An academic CV can be longer than the two pages which is standard in other sectors but it should still contain the most important information at the start. 

If the application is for a research only position then you should emphasise your research experience, publications, contributions at conferences, research funding you have won and any relevant technical skills. 

If it is for a research and teaching position (lectureship) then you should also give details of any teaching and tutoring experience. 

Example CV for academic role (CAHSS) (UoE login required)

Example CV for academic role (CSE) (UoE login required)

The headings below describe the typical content of an academic CV.  

Education  

your PhD, first degree and Masters, if you have one  

probably no need to list school qualifications, but if you do, put those that counted for entry to higher education only 

for your PhD you should summarise your research to date, include the names of your supervisor(s) and details of any funding obtained. If you have a viva date or target submission date note that

title, grade achieved, and dissertation title is usually enough for Masters and first degrees

give more detail about courses you have taken if they demonstrate a wider subject knowledge that could be of use if applying for a teaching post

Experience (Research)  

if you are including this section you can choose to give full details of your PhD research here, and only dates, title and supervisors under the education section

include any research experience in addition to your PhD, such as research assistant or technician roles 

give details of the subject area if relevant, and your methodology and technical skills  

mention any funding obtained, and your supervisor or research leader

Experience (Teaching) 

provide details of any tutoring, demonstrating or lecturing

mention courses taught and level, e.g. Sociology 1 or Cell Biology 2

show involvement with developing courses, marking and assessment  

for a teaching application, you could include your teaching methods and philosophy, and any feedback received   

invited or guest lectures could be included  

Additional experience  

The focus should be on your research and / or teaching experience but you can also include briefly other work that can: 

demonstrate the skills being sought for the job

show you can successfully manage work and study 

fill any chronological gaps in your history

Experience (administration)  

demonstrate that you will be a supportive colleague, willing to make a contribution to the administrative work of the department

list any administrative experience you have such as helping to organise a seminar programme or conference or committee membership

Publications and presentations 

Published, peer-reviewed publications or monographs will often hold the most weight but early on in your career you will mention other things to illustrate your research activity and impact.  

peer-reviewed publications

contributions to books

book reviews

can include those accepted for publication but not yet published

if this section is a bit slim you could include submitted articles to show your intention to publish

inclusion in conference proceedings

presentations or posters at conferences -mention if these have been invited presentations

Interests / other activities  

This section is not essential in an academic CV but could be used to include: 

positions of responsibility that demonstrate some of the skills the employer is looking for that have not been covered elsewhere 

hobbies and interests that say a bit about you, but only very brief details

References  

when applying for advertised jobs, you will usually be expected to provide full contact details (name, relationship to you, address, e-mail and telephone) for 2 - 3 referees at least one of whom will be your PhD supervisor

think carefully about who you ask to act as a referee. It can be useful to have someone who is well-known in your academic field but only if they know you well and can comment positively on your abilities

make sure you brief your referees well on what you are applying for and give them an up-to-date copy of your CV to ensure they are aware of all the contributions you have made to your department / research area

Watch our Quick Guide to academic CVs which covers the basics of what to include in an academic CV: 

Narrative CVs

In recent years, some research-funding applications have required submission of a CV in the narrative format. Read more in the Narrative CVs for research and innovation blog from our Research Office, which includes a link to the Resume for Researchers template developed by the Royal Society. Also, the Institute for Academic Development offers helpful information on narrative CVs and what steps to take to create your own.

Narrative CVs for research and innovation 

Narrative CVs - Institute of Academic Development

The covering or supporting letter

This is your opportunity to show your motivation for the position and demonstrate that you meet the person specification for the job. For academic jobs a covering letter may be longer than one page and should if at all possible be addressed to a named person rather than ‘Dear sir or madam’. You should use your covering letter to address:  

why you are interested in this institution and department or research group - they want to know that you are genuinely interested in working for them and are knowledgeable about the teaching (if relevant) and research interests of staff within the department 

why you are interested in this position and how it fits in with your career plans 

what you have to offer in terms of research and / or teaching experience, qualifications and skills - use good examples to back this up

your ideas for the future in terms of research direction, and your potential to attract funding and publish - particularly important for research-only jobs or teaching jobs at research-intensive universities

You don’t need to repeat your CV, but you should draw attention to key points to encourage the employer to read it. 

Using generative AI to create your CV or cover letter

Technologies such as ChatGPT can provide a reasonable basic structure for you to build upon, but what they give you is unlikely to be tailored convincingly and will be bland and generic, and unlikely to impress employers. Use them as a support and starting point if you like - but edit their product to make the end result your own.  

Remember these points:

• adapt the content generated, to make it more closely related to you -otherwise it will lack impact
• be cautious about submitting any personal data, as whatever you put in could be in the public domain 
• you may be risking plagiarism, as these systems incorporate, in their output, content produced by other people without acknowledging or referencing them 

The Bayes Centre at the University has produced general guidance on the use of AI .

AI guidance for staff and students - Bayes Centre, University of Edinburgh 

This article was published on 2024-05-14