Preparing an effective CV for Residency applications

1. Preparing an effective CV for Residency applications Catherine Stace, Career Advisor Catherine.stace@mcgill.ca McGill Career Planning Service (CaPS)

2. Introduction • CV writing: an art not a science • A tool to highlight your skills, experience and accomplishments • You had a great CV to get into medical school – needs to be changed/updated for residency • Paper-based CV useful for references and for some individual residency programs • Put yourself in the shoes of your reader • Update regularly – maintain a “master CV” including everything, then edit for specific positions

3. Formatting/Style • Keep it concise, consistent, organized, mistake-free • Put most important sections first and allow them the most space (make your format work for you!) • Use reverse chronological order • A professional document, not an art-project! • Invest in good quality paper • Be wary of ready-made templates – very labour-intensive to edit/update • Try to keep CV between 2-3 pages

4. Title/Demographics Education Medical Electives (Certifications) (Appointments) Awards/Scholarships Research Research Activities Presentations Publications (Teaching) Additional Contributions Committees Extracurricular Activities Volunteering Work Experience Professional Memberships Interests/Hobbies Languages Residency CV in a Nutshell

5. Questions? • Don’t forget that the Faculty of Medicine Career Planning Office can review your CV upon request • Send your drafts by email to: careeradvisor.med@mcgill.ca • (Allow up to 1 week during peak times – Oct/Nov) • You can also make an appointment @ CaPS in Suite 2200 Brown Student Services Building for CV/personal statement review and mock residency interviews