CV and Resume Building for Health Professionals and Students

CVs, resumes, and cover letters are three tools you need to take your career to the next level. These documents will make you stand out from the competition in any application process.

In this blog, I'm going to discuss the high-yield tips you need to craft these essential job search documents. I'll cover everything from choosing the right format to tailoring your content to each specific job you apply for. So, whether you're just starting out in your career or you're looking to make a change, this video is for you. So watch on, and let's get started!

There is no one size fits all when it comes to CVs, resumes, and cover letters. Choose a style that speaks to your strengths and clearly communicates relevant information to the person or persons reading them. Health careers are versatile but on average professionals in this industry need to highlight their educational credentials, clinical practice, research activity, leadership, and community engagement.

First bit of advice, keep a comprehensive CV, resume, and cover letter template which you should update regularly. However, never submit these templates. Rather, always adapt your submissions to the opportunity. It goes without saying but the skills and experience needed for a medical school internship, matching into residency, getting admission to a graduate program, or securing an associate position on a journal editorial board are very different. 

How do you do this? First, identify the skills and experience needed for the position. Use current and past job descriptions, institutional resources, and non-traditional communications by leaders in the organization. For example, you can check communications at conferences, social media posts, interviews, or even op-eds. Please, avoid plagiarizing these sources. Use keywords, but use them sparsely. Whenever possible, show, don’t tell. So, instead of saying that you are driven, give a specific experience that highlights this trait. Make sure you give quantifiable outcomes for your key experiences. 

Use consistent and clear formatting. It should be obvious to the reader where they can find each piece of information. Use headings and subheadings and format these consistently. Avoid extravagant fonts and designs that might distract the reader. And please, avoid acronyms and jargon. Also, avoid adding self evident titles like curriculum vitae, resume, personal statement, or cover letter to your files.

Now, let’s take a look at specific advice for each document type.

CV

In general, a CV should be two pages long unless stated otherwise. The font size should be around 12 points, the text would be single spaced, and each page should have less than 400 words. Also, health professions CVs tend to be chronological and will have sections for personal details, a profile summary, education, employment and work experience (whether paid or unpaid), and academic research output. The exact order of these sections will vary based on the opportunity at hand but the chronological order of the items should be from the most recent to the oldest. 

As much as possible, include links to professional social media profiles like LinkedIn, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate. However, avoid your age, date of birth, nationality, or gender. The profile summary should be two to three sentences long. Think of this as your elevator pitch to the reader. Why should they consider your application? What will they find if they read your CV? Again, make sure this profile summary highlights the skills and experience required for the opportunity. 

Enrich the education section by highlighting for each degree which courses or projects are relevant to your application. This section should be more detailed when applying for a postgraduate degree.

Similarly, tailor your employment experience so it showcases the experiences that are relevant to your current application. Let the reader know what was your contribution and how your contribution impacted quantifiable outcomes. Maybe you are a medical student and haven’t had the opportunity to work. Then, this is your opportunity to highlight your volunteer experience and transferable skills you have acquired. Use action verbs to highlight your contributions and highlight transferable skills. 

Also, make sure you highlight your emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills.

If you wish to add a referee to your CV, make sure you have their explicit permission to add their personal details to your CV. If you cannot get permission from your referees, add “references available on request” to your CV.

Resume

A resume is a one-page document that summarizes personal information, education, and work experience. Resumes are common in the US and Canada.

Cover letter

A cover letter is a one page document with three to five paragraphs that introduces you as a candidate and helps your CV or resume to get a closer look. The cover letter will state why you want the opportunity, why you are interested in this organization, and what you will bring to this organization. 

Let’s talk about formatting. Have your address in the top right corner and the institution’s address below yours and to the left. Include the date and address the reader accordingly. Whenever possible, name the person you are addressing explicitly. Next, add a subject line and state the specific opportunity you are applying for with its exact reference. Be confident, avoid negative statements, and use the active voice. Conclude your letter with “yours sincerely” if you named the recipient in the letter or “your faithfully” if you did not name the recipient. 

Now that you are done editing these documents, proofread them and have close contacts proofread them too. Before you submit make sure you used a sans serif font and your documents are the right length. Double check that the content is updated and adapted to the opportunity you seek. Equally double-check spelling and grammar using software like Grammarly and Microsoft Word Editor. Before you submit, rename your documents to your name. Keep the file name to less than 24 characters spaces included and make sure your documents weigh less than 1MB! Note, you will seldom need to send your documents as PDFs. So, unless stated otherwise save them as word documents.