Writing Your CV and Letter of Intent

David GardPsychology Dept. - SFSU

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Overview What is a Curriculum Vitae (CV)?

How it differs from a resume Style issues Nuts and bolts of a CV

What is a letter of intent? What to include in a letter of intent General format of the letter A brief word on good writing

Answers to your specific questions Time to look at and work with your CVs and

letters2

First, are there crucial questions I should definitely address?

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Second, some general comments…

Suggestions about writing your CV and letters of intent are guidelines only

Different people have different ideas about what makes a good CV and a good letter

Interrupt & ask questions at any time

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What Is Included a Curriculum Vitae (CV)? A summary of education & training including:

Name & contact Info Education Awards, Publications & Presentations (if any) Clinical Experience Teaching Experience, Research

Experience (if any) Other Professional Experience &/or

Additional Relevant Experience Professional Affiliations References 5

What Is a Curriculum Vitae (CV)? It should be brief (approximately 2-4 pages,

depending on your experience) and should: Be concise and to the point Include all relevant experiences Highlight strengths Give a good clear sense of your experiences Be professional Not have any typos

Remember: at this point all clinical experiences are good clinical experiences (leave them in!)

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A CV Is Not a Resume Resumes are short, CVs longerCVs include more details about your

experiences than resumes doBecause they are more academic in

nature with CVs there is generally less of a concern with ‘gaps’ in time (e.g., if you were abroad for a year)

Style issues (e.g., font, paper) are much less important with CVs

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A Word About CVs and Style It is okay to use your favorite font, or a

header that looks nice, but use sparingly! Readers are interested in content, not the look

of the CV No clip art or pictures

However, make it easy to read Separate the dates from the details Also separate the place of employment, position

title, and duties from each other in a way that’s easy to read (using bold, italics, etc.)

Start each section with most recent position No need for pronouns (e.g., ‘I’ conducted…)

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Nuts, Bolts, Sections, of a CV (In Order That They Should Appear) Contact Info – top of first page. Name,

address, phone and emailEducation

List each university (most recent first) with dates and degree

SFSU’s should state M.S. expected May 2007Awards, publications, presentations (if any; don’t fret if you don’t have these)

Only include awards that are academic in nature

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Nuts, Bolts, Sections, of a CV (In Order) - continued

Clinical experience Include placement name, your position title,

and the dates of service In one sentence define the placement

(e.g., ‘The SFSU Psychology Clinic offers no-cost outpatient services for SFSU student and Bay Area communities’)

On a separate line articulate all ‘responsibilities’ or ‘duties’ – usually 1-3 sentences max (include population).

If position was paid, indicate this Some people encourage listing your

supervisors in a separate line 10

Nuts, Bolts, Sections, of a CV (In Order) - continued

Teaching Experience (if any) Include where the teaching was done, the

course title, the instructor’s name (if it was not you), and the dates of the course

In one sentence define the class (e.g., ‘This undergraduate course focused on the etiology and maintenance of mental illness including depressive, anxiety and Axis II disorders.)

On a separate line articulate all ‘responsibilities’ or ‘duties’

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Nuts, Bolts, Sections, of a CV (In Order) - continued

Research Experience (if any) Include where the research was done, the

principal investigator/mentor, your title, and the dates of service

In one sentence define the study or project (e.g., ‘This study looked at the correlates of emotion dysregulation and invalidating environments in a borderline personality disorder patient population.’)

On a separate line articulate all ‘responsibilities’ or ‘duties’

If position was paid, indicate this 12

Nuts, Bolts, Sections, of a CV (In Order) - continued

Professional Affiliations e.g., APA, CAMFT (include dates)

Other sections? ‘Community (or) Volunteer Experience’ – is an OK

section, but usually is better placed in clinical exp. ‘Hobbies’ or ‘Interests’ – this is a style thing. I

personally am not a fan of it… ‘Objective’ or ‘Mission’ – this is not typically on a CV,

& is more of a resume thing … best left out ‘Professional Training’ – this section comes after

Education. It is okay to include but keep to a minimum (no CPR training). 13

Nuts, Bolts, Sections, of a CV (In Order) - continued

Other sections? (continued) ‘Additional Professional Experience’ – a good

section to have (after research & before the prof. affill.), but only used when you have changed careers (e.g., previous management, law exp.)

‘Additional Relevant Experience’ – A good section if you speak a second language or if you want to point out related experience (e.g., with children: tutoring, summer camp counselor, baby sitting)

References List the name, title, address, phone #, and email

address to all of your letter writers 14

Questions?

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What is a Letter of Intent? A letter of intent is a very brief letter to a

training director expressing your interest in their practicum placement

The letter should contain: Something brief about you (especially any

unique characteristics about you) Your experiences - concisely summarized What the program will offer you (relevant to

your goals) What you might offer their program

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What is a Letter of Intent? All this in 2-3 paragraphs!Think carefully about each program that

you are applying toWhy this placement?

The population you’d work with?Particular psychopathologyAge, diversity, etc?

Didactics of interest? The therapeutic orientation? The quality of the supervision?

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The Letter of Intent Remember your reader!

Reads dozens of these This is probably an ‘extra’ part of their job Wants you to excite them about you

Good writing requires good editing Do not write a lengthy letter Editing does NOT include:

Changing the font size, margin or spacing (12pt TNR!)

If it is ‘a little long,’ something needs to be cut

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Important Things to Know About Good Letters of Intent

Balance is the key to good letters Excitement but professionalism Be specific: vagueness kills Highlight what is unique about you (if you

are unsure – ask your supervisor) Be ‘humbly boastful’ (don’t minimize or

overstate experiences) Excitement … not hyperbole. In the end

these placements are often with tough populations; your readers know this 19

How to Write a Letter of Intent: General format

Note: This is just a guideline – It’s good to be creative!

IntroductionState what placement/position you are

applying for & that you’ve included your CVBriefly state your clinical experiences

Their specific placementArticulate what interests you about their

program Mention how this fits with your goalsState what you’ll bring to their program 20

How to Write a Letter of Intent – The Process of Writing

Good writing is difficultAsk other people (professors, friends,

family) to read itAsk someone to read it who does not

know you well. Does it read clearly to them?

Read other successful letters (especially from 2nd years who are working at the placement you are applying) 21

Good writing is difficult (continued)

Reward yourself (internally & externally) for even a little progress

Put it away for a bit and come back to it later

Don’t be afraid to ‘start over’ In fact, the best letters are almost

always subsequent re-writes

How to Write a Letter of Intent – The Process of Writing

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Questions? Let’s take a look at your current

drafts of your CVs and letters

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