Many fellowships will ask for a résumé, Curriculum Vitae (CV), or list of activities as a part of the application package, which is slightly different than a professional résumé used for job hunting.
While a professional résumé is usually succinct (1-2 pages in length) and caters to a specific job description, the fellowship résumé/CV/list of activities tends to be more descriptive (not as strict on length requirement) and more generalized.
For the fellowship application, the aim is to focus on how you meet the objectives of the fellowship. Demonstrate your ability to lead, be independent, serve as an ambassador, make meaningful contributions in your field as well as to the community, and other necessary qualities for carrying out the fellowship. Show your long-term dedication to your goals, interests, and giving back where possible.
Crafting the Résumé/CV/List of Activities
Note that the best formatting or content to include/emphasize may differ for each fellowship. Please consult with the fellowship website for specific requirements on the information being requested. Very general information is listed below.
To start creating fellowship résumé, you should first generate a list of relevant activities, including clubs/organizations, volunteering and honors/awards. Be as detailed as possible. Tip: keeping a running list of this information throughout the years, including dates of involvement, supervisor’s name and contact information, etc, will make it easier when for you to compile this information for your résumé.
Next, research the fellowship by looking at the criteria, objectives, proposed program of study, and other pertinent information to figure out what they are looking for in a candidate.
Afterwards, determine which achievements are relevant to mention for the fellowship. Form categories that organize your achievements in a way that is easy to read and understand while highlighting experiences that are suited to the fellowship for which you are applying. For example, if the fellowship criteria emphasizes leadership potential, you may want to group related experiences higher up on your résumé.
Common categories include:
- Academic achievements – list any discipline-related accomplishments such as publications/performances, research or creative works, talks/conferences, thesis
- Honors/awards
- Job-related experience/internships
- Community service
- Leadership
- Bonuses: foreign language proficiency, traveling abroad for research or study, athletic involvement
Then, work on the language used to describe your achievements and involvement. Be concise, yet provide enough detail for readers to understand the significance of the items listed on your résumé. Use action verbs to demonstrate the impact of your involvement and achievements. One way to test your résumé’s takeaway is to ask others to look the document over in a few minutes and summarize what points stood out to them.
Additional tips while putting together your résumé/CV/list of activities:
- Use a professional-looking, easy-to-read, 10-12 point font.
- Keep your résumé simple, clean, and easy-to-read. Bold, italics, bullets, and lines should be used in moderation to accentuate and organize content.
- Group similar information together and put sections you want to highlight, especially if they demonstrate contributions in your field, higher on the page.
- Order your experiences in each section in reverse chronological order, with your more current accomplishments at the top. You should include a description and your role for each experience listed.
- Maintain consistent formatting (eg. all dates should be written in the same format throughout).
- Choose language that neither exaggerates nor underplays your achievements/experiences.
- Proofread! Avoid spelling and grammatical errors and do not use slang.
Documents/Resources
UHM SFO Handout – Guidelines for Crafting the Résumé/CV/List of Activities