Photo by the Italian voiceWith medical jobs becoming increasingly competitive it is essential that you nail your medical CV. Make a difference, stand out and sell yourself, says Charlotte Hudson.
Even though it is becoming increasingly out of fashion to request a CV from a doctor during recruitment, some trusts still use a curriculum vitae (CV) to shortlist candidates or at interview stage, and indeed, for many GP posts.
Matt Green from BPP University College School of Health says: “The person who is shortlisting candidates for interview will have on average only two minutes to review your CV in the first instance to determine whether your application should be considered further. Therefore, when preparing your CV you should strive to be relevant, clear and concise.”1
Matt’s three top tips for a medical CV are:
- Split your CV into different section headings – by separating your experience and achievements into a logical order of headings, it makes the life of those cross referencing your information with the person specification, a great deal easier. Follow a layout of education and professional qualifications, clinical experience, non-clinical skills, extra-curricular and finally referees.
- Avoid solid blocks of text – it is far better to present your information in a given section as bullet points rather than paragraph after paragraph of solid text as this can be very off putting and daunting to the reader. The aim of a good CV is to make your experience and achievements jump off the page.
- Tailor your CV to the position – before submitting your CV, as part of a particular application or invitation to interview, cross reference your information with the person specification to ensure you cover any salient requirements – for example, if the job specification focuses on leadership and management experience, ensure this section appears towards the beginning of your CV.
Getting your medical CV right is really important – it is the one document where you can include detailed information about yourself and what you have to offer your prospective employer.
C2, part of The Careers Group, University of London, have also offered these top tips:
- DO use clear headings and structure and arrange them in a way that makes it easy for the reader to find the evidence they are looking for (eg, audit, teaching, management, research).
- DON’T just provide a list of jobs – convince the reader that you are safe and reliable, by providing details of what the role involves, your responsibilities, skills developed and the clinical experience that you gained.
- DO include achievements, but give some consideration to what you want to include. What inferences do you or don’t you want the reader to make about you? What value does the information add to your CV?
If you are an MPS member, we offer all hospital doctors in training a free copy of the Definitive Guide to Specialty Training Application Forms and CVs by Medical Communication Skills Ltd.
Further information
See the following websites for more information:
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1 Green M, Preparing the perfect medical CV, BMJ Careers, accessed 23 February 2012