The Academic CV UCL Careers Researchers

Contents What academic recruiters are looking for Example academic CVs Common elements and key principles

Key achievements & types of experience you would expect to see on a PhD graduate CV First author paper(s) (book) published / in press, high impact: 31 Strong in relevant methods, in depth knowledge & understanding of topic / project 18 Conference presentations (national & International): 16 A well recognised host research group & / or high profile referee: 8 Prizes / awards / some grant experience: 7 Evidence of independent thought & work: 7 Non research activities (e.g. event organising, public engagement): 6 PhD completed on – time / promptly: 4 Previous academic excellence (first degree, masters): 4 Teaching: 4 Evidence of Transferable skills: 4 This slide (and the next) is a summary of the results of a survey of senior academics across UCL conducted by UCL Careers The numbers represent the total number of academic respondents who mentioned the stated requirements. The most looked for achievements and experience are highlighted in red These results give you a good idea of what evidence your academic CV should clearly provide

Key achievements & types of experience you would expect to see on a CV for a Lectureship application Substantive publication record /good journals 21 Teaching & mentoring experience 13 Research vision & plans 7 Fellowship & / or funding success 7 Administrative / Departmental experience 4 Independent work / ideas 3 Leadership 3 Conference presentations 2 Impact on field; UK & International 1 Clearly, by the time you are ready to apply for a lectureship, research outputs and impact are still top of the recruiters list, but you will see that other experience is now commonly looked for: teaching experience, research vision and the ability to successfully source funding.

Recruitment for Academic Positions: UK Perspectives AGCAS Survey - Getting the First Lecturing Job Access via www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/researchers > EXTERNAL LINKS Survey of academic recruiters and what they expected applicants to have achieved by the time they apply for a lectureship position There were 172 respondents to the survey from 22 universities across mainland UK Results analysed by research discipline

EXAMPLE ‘PERSON SPECIFICATION’ FROM A JOB ADVERT FOR AN ACADEMIC POSITION Before writing your CV, analyse the key requirements (some examples highlighted) and ensure that your CV provides specific evidence that you meet these criteria.

EXAMPLE CV The following CV has a number of positive features Clear headings & subheadings Consistent formatting Within sections – more recent work comes first Short, concise and factual sentences, bullet points Key achievements / outputs clarified ‘Research Experience’ section with information on methodological approach

Other Academic CV examples www.vitae.ac.uk/researcher-careers/researcher-cv-examples From Vitae, the Researcher development organisation Note: Registration to this site is free for current UCL students and research staff

Suggested CV Structure The next 3 slides summarise guidelines from the following website: www.academiccareer.manchester.ac.uk/applications/cvs/content PERSONAL DETAILS – name, contact details beneath. Other personal details optional EDUCATION – Summarised & Reverse chronological order. Include name of doctoral supervisor & funding body (PhDs) RESEARCH EXPERIENCE – Aims, methodology, key outcomes / achievement. Level of responsibility. Collaborations. RELEVANT TECHNICAL SKILLS (OPTIONAL) Or RESEARCH / ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS (SUMMARY) followed by; RESEARCH INTERESTS – Previous & current research: Methodologies & approaches. Future research (unless you have to submit a separate research statement) NOTE: The above (and next 2 slides) are suggested sections / headings to be found in a typical academic CV, in the order that you usually find them The more experience, outputs and activity over the course of your academic career, the more sections / information your CV will contain, which is why CVs for experienced academics can be many pages long (unlike non academic CVs which are traditionally only 2 pages in the UK) Bear in mind the order of (and the amount of space used for ) sections will depend the on the needs of the position (see the previous person specification example) for example if the role description and person specification places a lot of emphasis on teaching duties, and teaching experience, then this would naturally come earlier in the CV and be more detailed.

AWARDS & FUNDING – e.g. travel grants, scholarship awards, research grants - explain level of contribution (e.g. co-applicant), who funded, how much. PUBLICATIONS – Can use subheadings e.g. Journal articles, authored books, conference proceedings, review articles, peer-reviewed CONFERENCES – Indicate level of engagement e.g. invited speaker, poster. TEACHING & SUPERVISION – e.g. student project supervision, tutor groups, public engagement & outreach, formal lectures. Later in career – course design, teaching methods, peer review & student feedback ADMIN EXP – e.g. committee memberships, seminars organiser, events experience (later – invigilation, exam marking, admissions) RELEVANT TRAINING OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE – emphasise ‘Transferable skills’ relevant to research e.g. generating ideas, critical thinking, analysis, problem solving MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL BODIES OTHER INTERESTS? Most do not include a section on extracurricular activities, personal interests or hobbies

REFEREES DISCIPLINE / EXPERIENCE DEPENDENT SECTIONS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT / OUTREACH PATENTS / INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INDUSTRY / NON ACADEMIC COLLABORATIONS PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES e.g. Editorial work REFEREES Names and contact details for at least three academic referees Ideally one of them your project supervisor / principle investigator Think of academic reputation & relevance for post It is important to note that specific research disciplines may have certain expectations for academic success, for example translational research can involve significant collaboration with non academic organisations, and may result in specific outputs such as Patent applications, and the CV would document this accordingly.

What’s Next… 30 minute ‘Researcher’ appointments, Career planning / management, applications feedback, job hunting advice 5 days / week Booking details at: www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/researchers - ‘APPOINTMENTS’ Mock interview practice with a Careers Consultant When interview date confirmed www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/advice/pi

Location www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/researchers 4th Floor ‘Student Central’ Malet Street, WC1E 7HY 020 3549 5900 careers@ucl.ac.uk www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/researchers