Curriculum Vitae

msilverz
9.Jun.2008 8.53pm
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I’ll be going on the academic job market (in Philosophy) in the fall, and I’m in the process of putting together my CV. I was hoping that the experts here could take a few minutes to critique my design.

(I’m just an amateur, so please be gentle!)

AttachmentSize
Curriculum Vitae - 2008.pdf86.38 KB
CV - Comparison.pdf75.49 KB


msilverz
9.Jun.2008 8.59pm
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Just a bit more information. I’m trying to design something different from the usual, boring outline-layout CV. Hence my two-column layout. (Of course I’m only aiming for something slightly different: philosophers are hardly a wild and wacky bunch). I’ve added a more standard-looking CV (that I typeset for a friend of mine) above for comparison.


aszszelp
10.Jun.2008 1.43am
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I think you did a very nice typesetting job. But isn’t that document way to long by all CV standards around?

Szabolcs


msilverz
10.Jun.2008 4.30am
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Thanks!

Regarding the length, academic CVs (at least in the Humanities) are generally several pages long, since they usually list all of one’s publications and presentations. (This is one way in which they differ from résumés.) Here, for instance, is the 11-page CV of one of the members of my dissertation committee.


dropkick
10.Jun.2008 4.09pm
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Looks sharp. I’ve set my fair share of CVs for academics. Yours has a very bookish feel without seeming overly stylized. You’ve done very well.

I might place less emphasis on the words “Curriculum Vitae” on page one, but that’s really a minor matter.

Good job.


msilverz
10.Jun.2008 9.02pm
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Bookish but not overly stylized? That’s pretty much perfect. Thanks for the kind words!


Ben Kolbus
23.Jul.2008 12.31pm
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does anyone else feel bothered by the combination of healthy letter spacing and the ’ae’ ligature in the subtitle?
both are great, but together they look a little odd


msilverz
30.Jul.2008 7.47am
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It doesn’t look odd to me, but—as I said—I’m just an amateur!


yuzgen
31.Jul.2008 4.16pm
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Good job, but... As dropkick wrote, it looks like a book, a novel which tells a story continuously. Your CV needs to present the hierarchy better. You need more contrast. The reader must see the headlines and different parts fast. Try to use bold weight as well. Use your better two column layout blended with better hierarchy of your friend’s Cv.


guifa
31.Jul.2008 7.16pm
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Given that it’s for being on the academic market, I think it’s fine — and that the Æ adds a lot, it doesn’t distract me at all (but then again, I use it too).

aszszelp, remember this is a CV, not a résumé, by definition it’s supposed to include everything. Plus, I’m assuming he’s going for a tenure-track position so they’re going to want to know everything before they invite him for an interview.

The only thing that bothers me is that since a lot of times degrees are placed in small caps, I initially thought you had your universities out of order, since your bachelors was done in Massachusets, and I saw in order: DPhil, BPhil, MA. I saw Bachelor of Arts right under it but still, just thought I’d point that out. The only real solution of course would be writing out the names which if you’re going for the US market would be akward, but if it’s int’l I’d go ahead and write it out fully.

Given that most CVs are done in Word and full of typographic horrors thanks to autocorrect (even though you’d think folks applying for teaching positions would know better), this one will stand out for sure. (this is probably all preaching to the choir but just in case not)

«El futuro es una línea tan fina que apenas nos damos cuenta de pintarla nosotros mismos». (La Luz Oscura, por Javier Guerrero)


msilverz
2.Aug.2008 12.44pm
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Thanks for the comments, Matthew. When you say I should write out the names, I assume you mean the geographical abbreviations (e.g., MA and UK). Is that correct? There is plenty of room for “Michigan” and “Massachusetts,” but “United Kingdom” would cause the Oxford entry to spill over onto the next line. I suppose I could use “England” instead.

Most of the jobs I’ll be applying for are in North American.