Prepare a Well-Thought-Out CV
Throughout the professional development of a scientist it is important to be able to prepare a well-thought-out resume or curriculum vitae (CV). Here we emphasize that there is no one-size-fits-all CV. Instead, a scientist needs to be proactive to find out which type of CV is suitable for the position for which they are applying, and then take the time to modify the CV to accommodate the job requirements. A sloppy CV is often the first written document that an employer will see from a job applicant, and it is important to take steps to give a good impression. A corollary to this point is the 30-second description of one’s work that a scientist needs to have on the tip of his or her tongue in the not-so-rare case that someone asks “What do you do?” For this question, it is important to be able to assess the expertise of the person asking the question and then to provide a concise answer that that person specifically will understand. The purpose of this chapter is to provide free available resources in these areas.
“I believe in punctuality, though it makes me very lonely,” E. V. Lucas.
Resources for articulating what you do
Develop a one-sentence description of your work
30-second description of your work
Develop a simple explanation of what you do (for non-experts)
Read Landing Your First Job: A Guide for Physics Students, by John S. Rigden, 2002, Springer, 110 pages, Softcover. ISBN: 0-7354-0080-6. http://www.springer.com/sgw/cda/frontpage/0,11855,4-102-22-8894770-0,00.html?changeHeader=true
Read The Challenging Field of Engineering Writing and Speech,“ by John R. Pierce, IEEE Professional Communications Society Newsletter, vol. 48, No. 6, pp. 27-28. http://www.ieeepcs.org/pdfs/nov_dec04.pdf
Read “A Woman Physicist’s Guide to Speaking,” Physics Today, February 2005, p. 54. http://www.physicstoday.org/vol-58/iss-2/p54.html
Read “Arrogance – A Dangerous Weapon of the Physics Trade?” by J. Murray Gibson, Physics Today. Vol. 56, p. 54. http://www.physicstoday.org/pt/vol-56/iss-2/p54.html
