Preparing for the Future: Building a Strong Curriculum Vitae

This chapter provides advice to graduate students, postdocs, and other scientists on how to build a strong curriculum vitae that will enhance their career prospects. During their studies, graduate students should be thinking about what they intend to do in the future and what skills they need to develop to achieve their career goals. The most important things are to perform good research and write and defend a thesis. However, other activities can help graduate students develop a strong reputation and CV. Whenever possible, graduate students should devote time to identifying these activities and how they can pursue them without adversely affecting their progress toward their degrees. Publishing scientific papers, presenting at conferences, and receiving awards are some of the most important things that can improve your scientific reputation and career opportunities. However, various other things are also important depending on the job you aim to do in the future. For instance, if you want to be a professor, you may want to develop some experience in grant writing, service, and teaching. This chapter provides tips on strengthening your CV by participating in different research, teaching, and service activities. It also provides guidance on how to write a good CV.