CV Writing Checklist
University of Minnesota - College Pharmacy
Readability
□ Page numbers with name as header or footer (e.g. John Smith-Page 2)
□ Items appear in reverse chronological order – IPPEs/APPEs can appear in chronological order, if preferred
□ Used bullets and good white space
□ Does not over-use highlights (e.g. underline, italics, bold, CAPS)
□ No acronyms (e.g. spell out MPSA) Basic Components
□ Readily ‘scannable’ – information can be found quickly
of your CV:
□ No page breaks mid-entry.
□ Headers begin each page - can be a repeated header with “continued”
Clear: Well-organized and logical
Concise: To the point, differentiate
instead of describe
Complete: Includes all relevant
Education information
□ Name of institution, dates of attendance, degrees sought Accurate: Factual and error-free
□ Most current listed first Consistent: Uniform use of formatting
□ Degrees and/or majors listed and font
Scannable: Easy-to-read, use of
white space, simple font and
Professional (Work) Experience formatting, PDF
□ Entries are consistent: Organization, title, location (city/state), dates
□ Descriptions are brief and begin with an action word (e.g. developed, coordinated, presented, assisted) If you need a list
of action words, go to:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/543/02/ or
http://www.d.umn.edu/careers/handbook/action_verbs.html
□ Emphasizes accomplishments and unique experiences, not job duties (i.e. does NOT include:
“Performed technician duties. Filled prescriptions”)
Organizational Involvement
□ Name organization --- no abbreviations
□ Includes office or leadership roles, committee memberships if applicable
Includes bullet point statements to describe accomplishments and concrete outcomes
Highlighting Special Skills/Training/Certifications
□ Includes courses specific to health professionals (e.g. CPR/AED training, immunization training, HIPAA training, MN
Pharmacy Intern etc.)
□ Mentions electives, if desired. This can also be included with “education” section.
□ Includes pertinent on the job training programs
□ Includes any military service
□ Mentions foreign language skills
□ Mentions computer/technology skills
Cover Letters
University of Minnesota - College Pharmacy
CV Writing Checklist Continued:
Other areas:
Presentations (e.g. community presentations, APPE presentations, Pharm.D. presentation)
□ Includes title, audience, location given, date
Teaching if applicable/desired
□ Lists courses/workshops/classes taught
□ Describes type of students (e.g. undergraduate, graduate, pharmacy, medical, nursing)
□ Includes # of students taught
□ Includes your role (e.g. teaching assistant, instructor)
Research (e.g. Melendy project, Pharm.D. Capstone Paper), if applicable/desired
□ Includes grants and patents if applicable
Publications (e.g. abstracts, newsletters, articles), if applicable/desired
□ Indicates “accepted” or “in press”
Documenting Rotation Experiences (added as accumulated)
□ Includes type (e.g. acute care, community, pediatric, ambulatory care)
□ Includes location (e.g. University of Minnesota Medical Center)
□ Includes preceptor and their credentials
□ Includes dates
CV Differentiates Instead of Describes
□ Emphasizes leadership positions
□ Highlights new initiatives developed
□ Highlights accomplishments/concrete outcomes
General
□ Entries are succinct, not short
□ Profiles the candidate’s interests
□ Highlights unique experiences
□ Creates confidence in the candidate’s abilities
□ Saved as a PDF file
