The Guide
We suggest 3 keys steps to follow when developing your CV and introduce 2 exercises to help with this. Follow this guide to create an exceptionally written CV and to further build on your current achievements in a targeted and focussed manner. Click here for the video.
Structure and format of your CV
So, a bucket CV is an exhaustive record of all your achievements, experiences and skills. Building this personal resource where you have all of your experiences in one place allows you to keep track of your professional development over time and will make application processes for roles and training pathways in future much smoother. Make sure you include everything even if you think it is small.
Step 1: Make the bucket CV.
You will want to include your name, contact details (phone number and email address) at the top. Then we need to start thinking about some section headings. Each CV is unique and personal so choose the headings which suit you. Here are some examples I would suggest to make sure that you cover it all:
Education, Volunteering/Work Experience/Employment, Prizes/Awards, Teaching, Research, Publications, Clinical experience, Roles and Responsibilities, Leisure activities and Interests.
At this stage you may have nothing under a few of the headings such as prizes and awards, but don’t worry there is plenty of time and opportunities at clinical school and beyond to build on these things. For example, you get certificates for even attending a conference. For each section you will want to include a list of your experiences in date order with the most recent at the top. There will be a later post giving more detailed advice on the CV layout and writing.
Step 2: Condense the bucket CV to match opportunities as they arise.
An opportunity has arisen and you need to apply and send your CV. The recruiter will likely spend under 30 seconds scanning your CV so you only want to include key pieces of information that match the opportunity. You will need to whittle down the bucket CV into a concise two-page document. At the start you can add a short personal statement paragraph to add a personal element to the CV and show why you are suited to the given role. 2 or 3 references can be added to the end of your CV from eg. your Director of Studies/supervisors etc.
Developing your CV
Step 3: Decide which areas of your CV you want to develop.
Now you have made your bucket CV that you can start using it to apply for different roles. Great! Now you want to decide where to develop your CV. There’s no shortage of opportunities at clinical school and you will have to learn to say no as well as yes. You will be bombarded with CV-building opportunities via society-specific email bulletins etc. but how to choose?
To help with this, we suggest 2 exercises:
Exercise 1: Think about what kind of doctor you want to be in the future. Surgeon? Medic? Professor? Medical consultant?
For these things ask yourself what skills you want to be developing right now to achieve this. e.g. research, teaching, medical leadership? Plenty of opportunities to develop your CV are lurking about. Thinking about which skills you want to develop will help when it comes to accepting opportunities and avoiding overload.
Exercise 2: What category of medical student are you?
Good idea of my future specialty.
Have a few options for specialty.
No idea what I want to specialise in.
Category 1: you can start tailoring your CV to this specialty. Find somebody who is in a position you want and ask them how they got there. E.g. I found out about the Duke Elder prize exam for ophthalmology just by talking to doctors on the wards.
Category 2: Go to conferences and use your Student Selected Component (SSC) in 4th year and Student Selected Placement (SSP) in 5th year to explore different specialty options. By building your CV in these specialty areas you will keep your doors open and also discover whether they actually interest you. This should help you decide between your options.
Category 3: Don’t worry if you are in this camp. Many FY2 doctors still don’t know what they want to do. Having said that, it does help to start thinking about what actually does interest you. First step is deciding Medicine? Surgery? GP? Alternative careers? Or others find it easier to definitely rule things out and see what they are left with.
Click here for the video.
