If you thought you had escaped the clutches of resume creation by going into graduate school, then you were definitely mistaken.
Academic resumes are similar to the traditional resume with one notable difference – rather than describing your work experience or on-the-job-accomplishments, you will give a rundown of your academic or college-related qualifications to elevate you from Grad School Hopeful to Grad School Superstar.
There are two major reasons why you want to have your academic resume handy if you’re interested in applying to grad school in the near future:
Asking for Letters of Recommendation Is a Breeze
Academic resumes are great tools to assist you in seeking well-written letters of recommendation. Mostly all graduate programs require some form of letter of recommendation. And if you’re smart – you’ll choose the person whose first thought isn’t “Dude, who are you?” At best, your letter writer knows YOU, your intentions to go onto grad school, and can speak to your aptitude to do well – with specific examples and personal anecdotes, preferably.
Professors are practically bombarded with requests for letters of recommendation during Grad School Application Season so it makes sense to make their job easier. Submit an academic resume along with your request for a letter of recommendation. It gives them a more complete view of your overall background and potential to do well in grad school than what they may know about you personally. More detailed information equals richer letters of recommendation. Richer letters of recommendation speak for itself that the letter writer *really* knows the candidate.
What if you’ve been out of school for awhile? You have even more of a reason to get started writing your academic resume. Natural choices to ask for letters of recommendation include work or volunteer supervisors. These people will need your academic resume even moreso than the professor you took for Senior Seminar. Yes, they know YOU, but they may not know about the fact that you made Dean’s List or were inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society or any number of the wonderful extracurricular activities you’ve been participating in.
Admissions Committees Love ‘Em
Many graduate school admissions committees will request a copy of your academic resume as part of your overall application package. One of the major reasons the academic resume is here to stay is because of its usefulness. It provides an overall portrait of you as a candidate, including your qualifications and how they stack up to the rest of the applicant pool.
What To Include
Academic resumes need not be lengthy. As a matter of fact, a one-page-er is more than adequate. Some of the information you want to consider including:
- GPA
- Major/Minor
- Honors
- Research Experience
- Internships/Practical Work Experience
- Volunteer Experience
- Extracurricular Activities
Once you have the basics, then it’s high time to get down to the business of formatting. Stay tuned for Part II of When Academic Resumes Come A-Calling for information on where to find academic resume templates. The answer may be easier than you ever imagined.
