Resume

Resume vs. CV vs. Cover Letter

Resume Curriculum vitae Cover letter
• Competency & Skills • Credentials & Facts • Motivation & Fit
• What you have accomplished • What you have done • Why are you interested & qualified
• Tailor to job type: Focused on experience, skills & outcomes • Focus on academic background • Aligns job requisites with your experience
• Concise most relevant information on 1st page • Lengthy in chronological order • Tells why you will be an asset
Resume writing video screenshot

The information on this page is excerpted from the video above, which was produced by Michael R. Ujhelyi, Pharm.D., FCCP, and John M. Allen, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM, a clinical assistant professor. You can view their 40-minute presentation on resume writing.


Resume writing

Markets your brand: How you can benefit the organization and perform the majority of job responsibilities

  • Preferred application document in US and Canada: CV preferred for academic/research oriented position
  • Resumes align job requirements/responsibilities to your skills and accomplishments

Recommendation

  • Always have a CV; it captures your lifelong career record irrespective of job
  • Resumes capture accomplishments; but focus is on recent & relevant to your next job
  • Best practice is having both unless life long career in academics
  • Industry prefers resume with exception of research scientist (management positions prefer resumes)
    • Focus is having the right experience and expertise
    • Less import is publishing, grant writing, service & teaching record

Resume elements

Key Skills & Experience

What are you good at and why

  • Brief narrative on your passion and what you are good at
  • List of skills: Focus on most relevant to the position
  • List of work experience
  • Brief narrative on your passion and what you are good at
  • List of skills: Focus on most relevant to the position
  • List of work experience

Accomplishments

Prove that you can do the required responsibilities

  • Listing skills and experience is not enough!
  • Be quantitative: For example:
    • OTC counseling practiced guideline based medicine: reducing patient choice errors by 62%
    • High volume prescription processing: 300-400 per day with <0.1% miss fill rate
    • Advance patient counseling: increased number of request for pharmacist consult rate from 2.5 to 18%

Education/Awards

Formal training and recognition

  • Keep it relevant to career progression and job
  • Include certification programs