Writing your CV and Cover Letter

3/22/22

Naledi Saul

Naledi Saul, Director, Office of Career & Professional Development

career.ucsf.edu

Step-By-Step:

How to Write Your CV

and Cover Letter for a

Postdoc Position

TL;DR?

Sample CV:

Slide 12

Sample Cover

Letter/Email

Slide 17

Meet Miguel. Miguel

needs to write his CV

1. Pick Your Headings

Use section headings that quickly explain your range of skills and

experience.

2. Write Useful Descriptive Text

Get the language from the position or opportunity description.

3. Final Formatting

Polish your format so your information is easy to read.

Be the career counselor: 3 steps to write your CV

Academic

Training

Professional

Experience

Interest

Curriculum Vitae

Cover Letter/Email

Every candidate has 3 things: certain

academic training, a particular set

professional skills, and their own personal

reason for pursing science/this opportunity.

No one quality/skill distinguishes you from

other candidates, but no other candidate

will have your unique combination of

academic training, professional skills, and

your interest. (Think of it like your own

special combination of superpowers, Your

PI doesn’t need three supermen, but one

Superman next to a Wonder Woman and a

Flash would make a great team!)

Application materials were designed to

mine for this data: CVs summarize your

academic training and professional skills.

Cover letters summarize your interest.

And now you know!

Why are CVs formatted the way they are?

To tell a story of y o ur development as a s c i en t i st

What’s a CV?

A CV (‘curriculum vitae’ in Latin, meaning

‘list of life’) is a single or multipage

document that documents your activity

and productivity.

CVs start with your academic background

(your education/ theoretical knowledge)….

continue with your professional experience

(how you’ve applied your knowledge as a

researcher, educator/mentor, leader,

etc)…

and end with a list of your outcomes

(your various forms of recognition and

productivity)

‘

Academic

Training

Professional

Experience

Outcomes/

Productivity

Curriculum Vitae

Why are CVs formatted the way they are?

To tell a story of y o ur development as a s c i en t i st

Academic

Training

Professional

Experience

Outcomes/

Productivity

Curriculum Vitae

Some students

write/revise their CV by starting at the top of the page of

their document and try to write their document in one

sitting.

We recommend

that you lay out the ‘backbone’ of your CV first, by

picking 3-8 section headings that reflect the scope of

your work.

Then, begin writing/cutting and pasting your information

into those sections. Then keep trying to fill out each

section by fleshing out the descriptive text of each of

your experiences. Write in 20-60 minute bursts. Then

take a break. Keep at it; you’ll get it done!

Which section headings

should you chose?

Go to the next slide!

Why are CVs formatted the way they are?

How to approach a CV

Who Are You & Which Headings Best “Bucket” Your Experience?

Researcher

Educator

Leader & Advocate

Academic

Training

Outcomes/

Productivity

§ Research Experience

§ Basic Science Research

Experience

§ Clinical Research Experience

§ Oncology Research Experience

§ Bioinformatics Experience

§ Industry Experience

§ Teaching Experience

§ Teaching and Curriculum

Development Experience

§ K-12 Science Education

§ Science Education & Advocacy

§ Informal Teaching/Training Experience

§ Mentorship Experience

§ Science Communication Experience

§ Professional Leadership

§ University Leadership & Service

§ Community Service

§ Committees

§ Public Health Service

§ Student Health Advocacy

§ DEI Leadership & Service

§ Education

§ Relevant Training

§ Project Management Training

§ Scientific Leadership or Management Training

§ Techniques

§ Honors and Awards

§ Grants

§ Fellowships and Travel Awards

§ Relevant Presentations

§ Selected Presentations

§ Publications

§ Patents

Professional

Experience

First: Choose Your Headings

§ Mentoring and Teaching Awards

§ Professional Organizations

§ Memberships

§ Invited Talks/Presentations

You’re a…

Because of your training & experience, you have….

1. Pick Your Headings

Use section headings that quickly explain your range of skills and

experience.

2. Write Useful Descriptive Text

Get the language from the position or opportunity description.

3. Final Formatting

Polish your format so your information is easy to read.

Be the career counselor: 3 steps to write your CV

Final points

Q. Which headings should I use?

A. To present like an ‘insider’, check which headings your current and/or

future colleagues are using!

1. Ask to see your PI or lab mates’ CVs. What headings are they using to ‘bucket’ their

experiences?

2. Look at the website of PI whose lab you want to work at – do any of the lab members

link to their CVs? Their CV format got them their postdoc in that lab!

1. Pick Your Headings

Use section headings that quickly explain your range of skills and

experience.

2. Write Useful Descriptive Text

Get the language from the position or opportunity description.

3. Final Formatting

Polish your format so your information is easy to read.

Be the career counselor: 3 steps to write your CV

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

QB3, University of California, San Francisco

Graduate Student Researcher

Supervisor:

Kami Khan

(0000-0000)

Dissertation Title:

"Revealing of XXXXXXXX. Studies of XXXXX Enzyme and Engineered XXXXXXX

Mutants"

o Revealing of XXXXXXX and its engineered XXXXXX mutants were analyzed using various spectroscopic and other methods.

Aggregation of folding intermediates was extensively investigated. Very stable XXXXXXX mutants were obtained. Initiated a

new area of research in a lab, which is primarily a peptide synthesis/structure lab.

o Peptide Antibiotics

o Purified individual components from complex, microheterogenous mixtures of fungal peptides using normal phase and

reverse phase HPLC and crystallized the purified peptide. The high- resolution structure of XXXXXXX, a channel forming

peptide, was solved in collaboration with Prof. M. Curie, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington D.C., which provided

insights into the gating mechanism of protein/peptide channels.

What content is key with descriptive text?

Breadth, depth and impact

1. Projects

2. Range of responsibilities

3. Outcomes/Achievements

Achieved, solved, discovered, initiated, built, published

This is some sample text.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

QB3, University of California, San Francisco

Graduate Student Researcher

Supervisor:

Kami Khan

(0000-0000)

Dissertation Title:

"Revealing of XXXXXXXX. Studies of XXXXX Enzyme and Engineered XXXXXXX

Mutants"

o Revealing of XXXXXXX and its engineered XXXXXX mutants were analyzed using various spectroscopic and other methods.

Aggregation of folding intermediates was extensively investigated. Very stable XXXXXXX mutants were obtained. Initiated a

new area of research in a lab, which is primarily a peptide synthesis/structure lab.

o Peptide Antibiotics

o Purified individual components from complex, microheterogenous mixtures of fungal peptides using normal phase and

reverse phase HPLC and crystallized the purified peptide. The high- resolution structure of XXXXXXX, a channel forming

peptide, was solved in collaboration with Prof. M. Curie, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington D.C., which provided

insights into the gating mechanism of protein/peptide channels.

What content is key with descriptive text?

Breadth, depth and impact

1. Projects

2. Range of responsibilities

3. Outcomes/Achievements

(Analyzed, synthesized, compared, designed, trained/mentored, etc.)

(Achieved, solved, discovered, initiated, built, published, etc.)

This is some sample text,

color coded.

1. Pick Your Headings

Use section headings that quickly explain your range of skills and

experience.

2. Write Useful Descriptive Text

Get the language from the position or opportunity description.

3. Final Formatting

Polish your format so your information is easy to read.

Final points

Q. Want to find more examples of scientific action verbs to write your descriptive

text?

Be the career counselor: 3 steps to write your CV

https://www.biospace.com/article/the-top-action-verbs-for-life-science-resumes/

1. Pick Your Headings

Use section headings that quickly explain your range of skills and

experience.

2. Write Useful Descriptive Text

Get the language from the position or opportunity description.

3. Final Formatting

Polish your format so your information is easy to read.

Be the career counselor: 3 steps to write your CV

Is it easy to read? Ask a friend.

1. Length: 1-3 pages

2. Margins: Top/Bottom .5 and Right/left .75 inch

3. Fonts: Times New Roman, Calibri, Cambria, Garamond, Helvetica,

Arial Narrow, Optima, Palatino, etc.

4. Font Size: 10-12 font. With smaller fonts (e.g. Times) don’t go

below 11

5. Headings: Bold and capitalize. Heading font size 0-1 size larger

than text.

6. Highlight: Indent, bold, capitalize, bullet to highlight.

7. Numbering: Put your name and page number on 2

& 3

pages in

corner

8. Exclude: Do not include birth date, birth city, personal status,

photos

ü Pick Your Headings

Use section headings that quickly explain your range of skills and

experience.

ü Write Useful Descriptive Text

Get the language from the position or opportunity description.

ü Final Formatting

Polish your format so your information is easy to read.

Be the career counselor: 3 steps to write your CV

...and now, let’s talk about the cover letter/email

1. Pick Your Headings

Use section headings that quickly explain your range of skills and

experience.

2. Write Useful Descriptive Text

Get the language from the position or opportunity description.

3. Final Formatting

Polish your format so your information is easy to read.

Be the career counselor: 3 steps to write your CV

Final points

Q. How long should this take to write a CV?

A. A CV, from beginning to end, usually takes between 4-10 hours, in 20-60

minute sittings. Is it taking you longer? You might be stuck. Stop, and ask a

colleague, career counselor, mentor or friend for a review and some advice.

An extra opinion can help you get back on track.

The question isn’t:

v “Do PIs read cover letters?”

The question is:

v “

When

do PIs read cover

letters, and

what

are they

looking for when they do?”

Are Cover Letters Worth the Trouble of Writing Them?

v In our experience, almost every PI sets aside the cover

letter to skim the CV first. (just like you might skim a paper

before reading it closely.)

v While some PIs said they read the cover letter as a writing

sample, several PIs we spoke with say that they read

cover letters in 3 instances:

1. If they had several interesting candidates the used the

cover letter as a ‘tie breaker’ to limit the number of

interviews.

2. If they were really interested in the candidate and they

wanted to find out more about them.

3. There was something unusual in the candidate’s path

(for example, it wasn’t obvious why the candidate was

pivoting from their PhD work to the potential postdoc

PIs lab, and they wanted to know more about the

argument.

Pro-tip : don’t attach your cover letter as a separate

document. Just make it the text of your email, and attach a

CV.

To: Br[email protected]om

CC: Kallt[email protected]om; ClarsonkKent@email.com

Subject Line: Dr. Kent recommended I reach out to you.

Dear Dr. Wayne,

I am contacting you on the recommendation of Dr. Clarkson Kent. I am a

year Ph.D. student in the Biomedical Science program at UCSC and

completed my thesis work in Dr. Kelli Khan’s laboratory. I am writing to

inquire about the possibility of obtaining a postdoctoral position in your

laboratory.

(#1) My thesis work focused on understanding the mechanisms of…... [one

sentence overview of your research]. (#2) Specifically, I was able to show using

biochemical fractionation... (#3) My approach involved…. (#4) The key

impact was…. And this work is currently in press in… (#5) Additionally, I

also had the opportunity mentor 5 students and take on a leadership role as

vice president of the Graduate Student Association.

Over the course of my graduate studies, I have become interested in using

imaging techniques to understand X and Y. I read your papers on A and B,

and was particularly interested in C because of D. I wish to pivot my work

to E, and would greatly appreciate the opportunity to talk to you further

about the possibility of completing a postdoc in your lab. I have attached my

CV to this email for your review, and thank you for your consideration..

Regards,

Miguel Morales

How are effective cover letters structured?

Academic

Training

Professional

Skills

Interest

5 points to cover when

summarizing your research:

If a contact recommended you meet someone– copy

them on the email & mention them in the subject line

#1 One sentence summary

of your research

#2 One sentence what your

research demonstrated –

and remember - adjust

specificity for how

knowledgeable your reader is)

#3 One sentence how you designed

your research project/obtained the

evidence – which techniques/

analyses you used to

answer your research question

#4 One sentence of significance

(papers, conference

talks, funding, new projects,

patents, impact on your/

other fields,etc.)

#5 One sentence about additional

outcomes/achievements

How are effective cover letters structured?

Academic

Training

Professional

Skills

Interest

To: Br[email protected]om

CC: Kallt[email protected]om; ClarsonkKent@email.com

Subject Line: Dr. Kent recommended I reach out to you.

Dear Dr. Wayne,

I am contacting you on the recommendation of Dr. Clarkson Kent. I am a

year Ph.D. student in the Biomedical Science program at UCSC and

completed my thesis work in Dr. Kelli Khan’s laboratory. I am writing to

inquire about the possibility of obtaining a postdoctoral position in your

laboratory.

(#1) My thesis work focused on understanding the mechanisms of…... [one

sentence overview of your research]. (#2) Specifically, I was able to show using

biochemical fractionation... (#3) My approach involved…. (#4) The key

impact was…. And this work is currently in press in… (#5) Additionally, I

also had the opportunity mentor 5 students and take on a leadership role as

vice president of the Graduate Student Association.

Over the course of my graduate studies, I have become interested in using

imaging techniques to understand X and Y. I read your papers on A and B,

and was particularly interested in C because of D. I wish to pivot my work

to E, and would greatly appreciate the opportunity to talk to you further

about the possibility of completing a postdoc in your lab. I have attached my

CV to this email for your review, and thank you for your consideration..

Regards,

Miguel Morales

If a contact recommended you meet someone– copy

them on the email & mention them in the subject line

To: Br[email protected]om

CC: Kallt[email protected]om; ClarsonkKent@email.com

Subject Line: Dr. Kent recommended I reach out to you.

Dear Dr. Wayne,

I am contacting you on the advice of Dr. Clarkson Kent, to

inquire about the possibility of obtaining a postdoctoral

position in your laboratory.

I am a 5

year Ph.D. student in the Biomedical Science

program at UCSC and completed my thesis work in Dr.

Kelli Khan’s laboratory. (#1) My thesis work focused

on understanding the mechanisms of…... [one sentence

overview of your research]. I intend to pivot my work to E, and

would greatly appreciate the opportunity to talk to you

further about the possibility of completing a postdoc in

your lab.

Regards,

Miguel Morales

…you can also write a shorter version.

Just attach the CV to the email!

Finally – you should know every career counselor will always tell you to have a colleague, mentor or

friend review your application materials before sending to potential PIs.

One way you can involve professional acquaintances/mentors/people who you hope to keep in touch

with, is to make a ’contained ask’. Send everyone in your professional community a quick email that

says...

You wrote your CV/cover letter; now what?

Dear Dr. X,

I hope you’re well. Since we last spoke (a year ago at the ABC conference), I’ve completed my

dissertation on X in Dr. Ys lab at University Z. I defend in March.

I’m now applying to postdocs and have been reaching out to individuals I respect in my professional

community to ask if they had some time over next two weeks to review my CV/correspondence to

potential PIs. To limit the time commitment of my ask, I’m requesting that people take no more than 20

minutes to review my materials and focus on no more than 3 comments/pieces of advice on my

documents.

Thank you for considering my request; please know I entirely understand if you don’t have the time right

now.

Warmly, Miguel Morales

Naledi Saul, Director, Office of Career & Professional Development

career.ucsf.edu

Thank you!

Want more help?

Come talk with us!

career.ucsf.edu/appointments