Writing Your CV and Letter of Intent David Gard Psychology Dept. - SFSU 1

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 letters 2

First, are there crucial questions I should definitely address? 3

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 4

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!) 6

A CV Is Not a Resume  Resumes are short, CVs longer  CVs include more details about your experiences than resumes do  Because 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 7

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…) 8

Nuts, Bolts, Sections, of a CV (In Order That They Should Appear)  Contact Info – top of first page. Name, address, phone and  Education  List each university (most recent first) with dates and degree  SFSU’s should state M.S. expected May 2007  Awards, publications, presentations (if any; don’t fret if you don’t have these)  Only include awards that are academic in nature 9

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’ 11

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 address to all of your letter writers 14

Questions? 15

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 16

What is a Letter of Intent?  All this in 2-3 paragraphs!  Think carefully about each program that you are applying to  Why this placement?  The population you’d work with?  Particular psychopathology  Age, diversity, etc?  Didactics of interest?  The therapeutic orientation?  The quality of the supervision? 17

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 18

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!  Introduction  State what placement/position you are applying for & that you’ve included your CV  Briefly state your clinical experiences  Their specific placement  Articulate what interests you about their program  Mention how this fits with your goals  State what you’ll bring to their program 20

How to Write a Letter of Intent – The Process of Writing  Good writing is difficult  Ask other people (professors, friends, family) to read it  Ask someone to read it who does not know you well. Does it read clearly to them?  Read other successful letters (especially from 2 nd 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 22

Questions?  Let’s take a look at your current drafts of your CVs and letters 23