How to Write an Effective Curriculum Vitae for a Physician Job Search
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The first step for any person who would like to have a particular job is for him or her to submit a formal CV, or resume, for review by the hiring entity. The CV will be then be prescreened by the hiring authority, and candidates who are deemed qualified will be contacted for interviews. For physician job seekers, a CV submission can be a critically important step in their job search process, so we’ll outline the essentials for an effective physician CV.
Step one is choosing the correct format in which to create your CV. Your CV should always be delivered as a Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF document. These are universal programs that can easily be opened on any type of computer. Most recruiters do not have the tools to read other types of image files, Apple files, or other types of electronic documents, and their work firewalls prevent them from downloading new programs to enable viewing. Also, do not use a scanned image of a previously printed CV. This can be an indication of a non-tech savvy candidate, and in today’s age of electronics, that is a label you want to avoid.
After selecting either Word or Adobe as the medium for your CV, the next step is adding your contact information. Make it easy for the recruiter to reach you by providing as many contact methods as possible. Believe it or not, many in-house recruiters are just as busy as you; most have recruiting responsibilities for hundreds of jobs and also planning interviews and events around physician, administer, and candidate schedules. They will appreciate if you make yourself accessible after submitting your CV. You should also provide instructions, such as preferred phone numbers or time of day to use certain contact information. If you provide an email address, make sure it is one that you check for new messages religiously.
Certifications and licenses should all be listed on physician’s CVs. If you are a practicing physician, employers will want to know in which states you have active licenses and in which states you have inactive licenses. Place a date range in years next to each inactive license. List your Board Certification status, and if you are not certified, state where you are in that process. List a specific date when you will be taking your exam. Any other relevant certifications should also be listed. Aside from getting your foot in the door, once a CV has been submitted for a job, it becomes a part of your human resources record. This means that your CV may be used as a part of the hiring entities’ due diligence for a background check, so it is very important to use accurate information.
Educational history should be brief and concise when applying for a clinical physician job. Make sure to list each institution you have attended, along with a date range and an indication of completion. If you switched institutions during training or deviated from the typical schedule for graduation, give a very concise reason next to that entry. Avoid using non-answer phrases such as “personal reasons.” It’s fine to list a few highlights like “chief resident,” but try not to go overboard. For academic physician jobs, it may be best to create a long version CV, outlining studies, publications, and other academic achievements. It is usually best to omit or at least deemphasize clinical physican jobs on your CV.
Job history is the probably the most analyzed section of a practicing physician’s CV. It is critically important to list each employer, along with a date range for employment. Give a concise explanation for any gaps in your work history. Employers usually prefer to hire physicians who have a more stable job history, so if you have worked at multiple facilities for one corporation, list the corporation with a date range for employment, and provide an appendix to show individual work sites. Again, accurate information is critically important, so don’t leave out any jobs, even if the job was short term or ended badly. If you have to list a bad job on your CV, you may want to add a very brief explanation about what happened.
Having a good CV can really help a job search, even for physicians. Take the steps above, add a nice personal statement (we’ll blog about that later) to your CV, and you will open more doors in your job search.