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How to include your PhD experience on a CV

There is life after a PhD , and you will need to transition from being a research student to either a post-doctoral academic role or to a job in industry. See how to include your PhD experience on your CV.

The journey to achieving a PhD can be an intense, challenging, and exciting journey. Achieving such a high qualification after intensive and in-depth research should be extremely rewarding and something that you are proud of throughout your life. Being recognised as a Doctor and an expert in your specific field is very impressive to employers.

The ability to call yourself a Doctor at the end of it and be considered an expert in your field is a great achievement, one that you should be proud of.

If you make an application for your similar area of research, it is worth noting to go into depth as regards the topic, data analysis and results.

However, if the job for which you are applying is not entirely linked to the PhD research, it is best to list your PhD experience in your CV’s academic background section. It is worth showcasing your skills and capabilities attained by your PhD study in other areas of your CV.

While listing a PhD experience enhances your job application, it is vital to carefully analyse the job description. Recruiters examine CVs to find the relevant information and will be able to envisage your compatibility with the specific job role and responsibilities.

Benefits of Including a PhD in a job application:

There are numerous benefits of possessing a PhD  when it comes to the world of work.

• You gain problem-solving and presentation skills
• You attempt various techniques and trials which build up your resilience
• Your knowledge and expertise may entitle you to an increased salary or job role
• You may be able to cope better with criticism
• You can share new findings, theories and/or innovations
• You have experience working independently and, in a team
• Achieving a PhD will demonstrate resilience, determination, hard work, passion, effective time management and a plethora of sought-after skills

General Tips

If you are seeking a career in industry or prefer to remain in academia here are some general tips that will help all PhD graduates write a job-winning CV:

• Concisely outline your PhD research and list the discipline
• List the stage you are currently at with your PhD, such as thesis submitted, VIVA pending or completed
• Ensure you detail all academic qualifications, including any A-Level, BTEC or professional qualifications you have attained
• List publications, poster presentations or conference details you have been published in or have attended. This applies more to an academic CV than an industry CV
• List any techniques or technologies you have used within your PhD that are relevant to the role you are applying for
• Ensure you list your academic qualifications in reverse chronological order. Your PhD should be at the top of the list

Academic CV

If you are seeking a postdoc opportunity in academia, the structure of your CV will be somewhat different from that of a conventional CV. However, there are some similarities, such as:

• Name and contact details – always make sure that your name, and a contact number, email or LinkedIn profile link is at the top of your CV
• Education – when listing your PhD be sure you list the title, aim, methodologies and results concisely
• Work experience – including part-time work and any relevant volunteering you may have done
• Skills – for example, lab techniques, or other specialist skills you may have attained during your PhD study or other work
• Interests and achievements – this section should be for your extra-curricular activities
• References – you can either list two references or you can opt to write ‘references available on request’

A CV for a PhD graduate should be somewhere between 2-4 pages long, depending on how many publications you have been published in and the number of conference presentations you have completed.

Achieving a PhD will allow you to be equipped with a plethora of skills and capabilities.  Depending on your experience and the job you are applying for, you may wish to structure your CV in a way that classifies related job roles or skills together. For example, experience in:

• Administration

CV for industry

If you are seeking a job opportunity outside of academia, you will need to create a more conventional CV which should be short and to the point. Keep your CV to a maximum of two pages, always using reverse chronological order for work experience and education. The following should be included:

• Name and contact details
• Education – give your PhD at least a brief paragraph explaining what your PhD the specialism, any special techniques used, and, any transferrable skills that may be beneficial for the role you are applying for.
• Work experience – when listing your work experience, you can opt to use the reverse chronological order method or you can group your experience into themes, such as technical/scientific experience, leadership experience and industry experience
• Skills – this can include all the significant skills you have attained through your working life, not only in your academic career.
• Achievements – both extracurricular and academic achievements
• Interests – this should focus on your extracurricular activities
• References – you can either list two references or opt to write ‘references on request’.

As your most recent qualification is your PhD, it is vital to ensure it takes pride of place. However, it is important to keep it clear and concise. Present a summary of your research in a paragraph or in bullet points and include any significant subject knowledge, or innovative techniques you may have used in your study. Remember to also outline impressive achievements and outcomes clearly.

Related article:

Preparing to Change Jobs? Make sure your CV is ready too!

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15th May 2023 at 5:09 pm

If I have an incomplete PhD, 1 and a half year. Is it a good idea to include it in your cv? if the answer is yes, where should it be included?

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How to Write A Great PhD Resume (With a Template)

We share tips on how write an excellent PhD resume, as well as a free PhD CV example.

• Student Tips

Page Content

✨ 5-second summary.

• Understand your audience and highlight relevant academic and professional history accordingly.
• Use a professional layout, concise language, bullet points for achievements, clear headings, and consistent presentation.
• Customize your resume for each application, balance academic achievements with transferable skills, ensure clarity and conciseness, quantify achievements, and avoid using graphical skill assessments to prevent misinterpretation of your capabilities.

Unlike a traditional resume, a PhD resume must showcase an individual's scholarly credentials, research acumen, and potential for academic contribution. With the right approach, your resume can open doors to prestigious fellowships, research assistant positions, and esteemed academic roles.

That said, many people dread having to put together a document like this because it can be overwhelming. Read on to learn how to write an excellent PhD resume without losing your mind!

Ready to start applying for PhD programs?

Browse phd programs worldwide, understand who you're writing the phd resume for.

Before you begin writing your PhD resume, it's essential to understand who will be reading it. Your audience may be one of the following:

• Admissions committees comprised of faculty members from the department you're applying to
• Research supervisors or principal investigators (PIs) if you're applying for a research position, such as a research assistantship or a postdoctoral role
• Funding bodies and scholarship panels if you're applying for scholarships, grants, or other forms of funding
• Human resources (HR) in academic institutions for roles that are more administrative or if the application process is managed through the university's HR department
• Conference organizers and journal editors if you're submitting an abstract for a conference presentation or a manuscript for publication
• Industry professionals like hiring managers, team leaders or department heads

Your PhD resume needs to resonate with the relevant audience. This means that you should highlight different aspects of your academic and professional history depending on who you're writing for.

For example:

• If you're applying for a PhD program, you should highlight your academic and research achievements, as well as any fundraising experience.
• If you're looking for an industry job, make sure to show how your knowledge and experience has helped solve real-world problems in the industry of the company you're applying for.

How to format and structure your PhD resume

Creating a PhD resume that effectively showcases your academic accomplishments, research experience, and relevant skills is crucial for advancing your career, whether in academia or industry.

Below are formatting and structuring tips to ensure your PhD resume stands out.

Formatting tips

Keep it professional

Use a clean, professional layout with a standard font like Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri, sized between 10 and 12 points. Maintain uniform margins around the document.

Limit your resume to 1-2 pages if you're applying for industry roles.

An academic CV for faculty or research positions can be longer to include comprehensive details of your academic achievements.

Use bullet points

Break up text and highlight specific achievements using bullet points, making the resume easier to skim.

Include clear headings

Use bold or slightly larger font sizes for section headings such as Education, Research Experience, Publications, Teaching Experience and others to organize your resume logically.

Avoid including irrelevant information like your hobbies or interests, unless they're directly related to the industry or research areas of the company or institution you're applying for.

Stay consistent

Ensure consistency in how you present information. For example, if you start listing dates on the right side of the page, continue this format throughout.

What to include in your PhD resume

Header: Your name and contact information, including your email address, phone number, and LinkedIn profile or personal website/portfolio if applicable.

Summary: Briefly summarize your qualifications and why you're applying to that company/program.

Education: List your degrees in reverse chronological order . Include the institution, location, degree, and date of completion or expected completion.

Research experience: Detail your research projects, lab experience, and any significant findings. Mention the institution, your role, and a brief description of your contributions and outcomes.

Publications and presentations: Include a list of your published work and presentations at conferences.

Teaching experience: If applicable, list teaching positions, courses taught, and any innovations you introduced or teaching accolades you received.

• Highlight technical skills (e.g., laboratory techniques, programming languages, statistical software) and soft skills (e.g., leadership, project management) relevant to the position you're applying for.
• Don't include obvious things like time management, critical skills, teamwork and Microsoft Word - everyone already expects you to have those.

Awards and honors: List scholarships, grants, and other recognitions that underscore your academic excellence and research potential.

References: While not always necessary to include in the resume, be prepared to provide references if requested.

PhD resume example / PhD CV example

Below is a free PhD CV example you can use in your own application.

Common PhD resume mistakes

Here are the 4 most common PhD resume mistake s to avoid:

1. Not tailoring for the specific role or program

Mistake: Using a one-size-fits-all resume for every application.

Solution: Customize your resume for each position or program to highlight the experiences and skills most relevant to the specific role or academic opportunity. Research the institution or company and the role to understand what they value most in candidates.

2. Only focusing on academic achievements at the expense of transferable skills

Mistake: Concentrating solely on academic accomplishments, such as publications and conferences, without emphasizing skills that are transferable to non-academic settings.

Solution: While academic achievements are important, also showcase soft skills (like leadership, teamwork, and communication) and technical skills (like data analysis, programming languages, or laboratory techniques) that demonstrate your versatility and readiness for diverse roles.

3. Neglecting the importance of clarity and conciseness

Mistake: Submitting overly long resumes filled with jargon and unnecessary detail that obscure key information.

Solution: Keep your resume clear and concise. Use layman's terms to explain research projects and achievements so that non-specialists can understand your work's significance. Aim for a two-page maximum for industry roles, but academic CVs can be longer to comprehensively cover your academic career.

4. Failing to quantify achievements

Mistake: Listing duties and responsibilities without providing concrete outcomes or quantifying achievements.

Solution: Wherever possible, quantify your achievements with metrics, such as the number of people trained, the amount of funding secured, or the impact factor of journals where your work was published. This provides tangible evidence of your contributions and capabilities.

Don't use graphs to showcase your skill level

Lots of modern resume templates include stars, percentage graphs, progression lines like the ones here:

While wanting to make your PhD resume more visually appealing, these could ruin your chance to be accepted at a company or institution you're applying for.

There are two main reasons why these kinds of graphs could work against you:

• The same "skill percentage" means different things to different people. What you consider 50% of JavaScript knowledge could very well be 75% or even 80% to the person looking at your application.
• You don't always need to know 100% of a software/skill to do well in a role. If you add these graphs, you're indirectly communicating a lack of confidence in your ability.

SOLUTION : What you should do instead is simply list the skill on your resume, and you can always elaborate on your exact skill level later in the application or interview process.

A PhD resume differs from a standard resume in that it needs to highlight one's academic achievements, research capabilities, and capacity for scholarly contributions.

With a strategic approach, your resume can pave the way to distinguished fellowships, research assistant roles, and respected positions in academia.

• Writing the Perfect Personal Statement for your PhD Application
• How Many Grad Schools Should I Apply To?

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CV for PhD application example

You’ve wrapped up your degree and are keen to embark on your PhD journey.

But before you can get stuck in, you’ll need to secure your place by putting forward a compelling PhD application and CV.

If you’ve never written an academic-style CV before, the process can be daunting. That’s why I’ve created this step-by-step guide to writing a CV for a PhD application.

I’ve also included a PhD CV example, to give you a better idea of what you need to include. Here’s what I’ll cover in the guide:

Guide contents

PhD application CV example

• Structuring and formatting your CV
• Writing your CV profile
• Detailing your education
• Detailing your relevant experience

CV templates 

As you can see from the CV example above, a PhD CV is structured differently to a traditional CV. Instead of focusing on work experience, academic experience and accomplishments are prioritised.

However, the fundamental CV writing  rules stay the same. Therefore, the candidate has put forward their information in a way which is clear, concise and formatted for easy reading.

Build your CV now 

PhD application CV structure & format

PhD programmes receive thousands of applications, meaning the university admissions teams are generally very time-strapped.

As such, you need to  structure and format  your CV to make it as easy as possible for them to review.

First impressions count and a cluttered or disorganised application won’t do you any favours.

Instead, you should aim for a clean, well-organised and professional appearance throughout.

Formatting Tips

• Length: While academic CVs are generally longer than standard CVs, it’s still best to aim for a short, relevant and concise document. For PhD applications, a length of one or two A4 pages is ideal. This is more than enough space to highlight your suitability without  overwhelming the reader with irrelevant information or excessive detail.
• Readability: The information on your CV should be laid out logically, with clear section headings for easy navigation. Break up large chunks of text into small, snappy paragraphs and include bullet points where appropriate.
• Design:  Opt for a clear, legible font and stick to it throughout – consistency is important. Ensure your headings are formatted for attention by using bold text or a slightly larger font size.
• Things to avoid:  Steer clear of elaborate designs, fancy fonts, images or logos – they’re simply not needed and might distract from the all-important written content.
• Things to consider: CVs ‘rules’ differ from country to country, so if you’re applying to an international university, take some time to research what’s expected of you.

Structuring your CV

Organise your content into the following sections for ease-of-reading:

• Contact details – These should always be at the very top of your CV.
• Personal statement  – A brief introductory summary of your qualifications, skills and experience in relation to the PhD.
• Core skills – A short and snappy list of your most relevant skills, tailored to the PhD.
• Education –  A detailed breakdown of your relevant qualifications, especially your undergraduate and postgraduate degree(s).
• Career summary/research   experience – An overview of any relevant work or research experience, angled towards your chosen field of study.
• Additional information –   A space to detail any other relevant information which may boost your application.

Quick tip:  While the simple CV format above is usually ideal, academic institutions often have their own preferred structure. Double-check their guidelines before you start writing – their preferences should be prioritised – and use a CV template if you want to speed things up without sacrificing quality.

CV Contact Details

Commence your CV by sharing your basic contact details

• Phone number
• Email address
• Location  – Rather than listing your full address, your town or city, such as ‘Manchester’ or ‘Exeter’, is enough.
• If you have one, add a link to your LinkedIn profile or a portfolio of work.

CV for PhD Personal Statement

Your profile / personal statement  is essentially your first impression on the reader and is a great way to hook their attention.

It should provide a snappy summary of who you are and why your qualifications, skills and ambitions make you a perfect candidate for the PhD.

Tips to consider when creating your personal statement:

• Tailor to the PhD:  Every PhD programme should have a description available, which you can use to tailor your personal statement ( and your CV as a whole). Focus on proving you have the appropriate educational background, skillset and knowledge to carry out the project.
• Prove your enthusiasm: It’s important to put forward your drive and motivation for your field and explain why the specific PhD is so well-matched to your wider interests and ambitions.
• Avoid clichés:  Clichés and generic phrases like “I’m a motivated team player”  and  “gives 110%”  won’t impress the admissions team.
• Keep it short:  A paragraph length of around 8-15 lines is perfect. This is only an introduction – the detail can come later on in your CV.

What to include in your CV for PhD personal statement?

• Your academic background  – Give a brief overview of your undergraduate degree and/or masters and how they’ve brought you towards this PhD.
• Impressive results  – PhD students are normally academically extraordinary, so make sure to point out any impressive results or feedback – whether that’s your degree as a whole or a particularly relevant assignment/project grade.
• Relevant skills  – Use the PhD project description to find out what the university is looking for in candidates. Then, try to incorporate the core skills into your profile.
• Relevant experience – Not everyone will have any relevant research or work experience to their name at this stage, but if you do, make sure to briefly highlight it here.
• Interests, goals & motivations  – Give a brief insight into your motivation for taking on a PhD, why you’re so committed to your specific research topics(s) and what you think you can add. It’s also helpful to summarise how the course will fit into your wider career ambitions/goals.

Core skills section

Next, create a punchy list of core skills, organised into 2 or 3 columns of bullet points.

Use the project description to identify the required skills and knowledge, then use your findings to inform your list.

This will help the busy admissions team to see that the PhD is right for you at a glance.

Education & Qualifications

A PhD CV is  all about academic achievements and qualifications, so this section should make up the bulk of your CV.

Working in reverse chronological order, provide a detailed breakdown of your undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications.

If you have any GCSEs, A-Levels or other academic qualifications that are particularly relevant to the PhD subject, they might be worth listing, too.

Structuring your education

By working to a considered structure, you can ensure your education is easy to navigate and that your key achievements stand out.

For each of your relevant qualifications, break up information into the following sections.

Start by detailing the type of qualification, the title, the achieved grade, the academic institution at which you studied and the year you graduated.

MSc – Environmental Engineering (Distinction)

Middlesex University (2018)

Course content

Next, discuss your thesis or dissertation title (if applicable), the modules you studied and any relevant projects you were involved in.

What you choose to write here should be tailored to the PhD you’re applying for – focus the detail on the most relevant aspects of the qualification.

Thesis: “Identification of the Bacterial Profusion and Variety in Nuclear Waste Disposal”.

Modules: System Analysis in Urban Water Management; Process Engineering in Urban Water Management; Air Quality Control; Waste Management; Ecological Systems Design, and Remote Sensing and Earth Observation.

Project: “Research Study for Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment”

Key achievements (optional)

Finish up with a snappy list of key results,  accomplishments or learning outcomes you achieved.

This might be an impressive grade for a highly relevant assignment, an award you won or a quote of exemplary feedback from a tutor.

Career & Research Experience

Next up is your career & research summary, which should be tailored to the PhD in question.

You could include  relevant research experience here, as well as any related employment (even if temporary or voluntary).

Make sure to be selective with the type of employment you list, though. For example, a part-time waiting on job isn’t worth including, but a laboratory or tutoring job might be. Ultimately, it should be related to your field or have helped you develop relevant skills or knowledge.

When discussing your research roles, make sure to detail the techniques you used, the skills developed and any interesting findings.

Structuring your experience section

Ensure your career & research section is clear, scannable and easy to read by working to the following structure:

Outline the dates of employment/contract, the role title and the organisation or institution you worked for.

Aug 2018 – Sep 2019 Research Intern Hydro Continental, London

Give a brief overview of the position or research project as a whole, discussing the team you worked with (or lead), who you reported to and what the goal of the project was.

“Undertook a short-term assignment pertaining to the Economics of climate change in order to research and drive improvements in energy consumption and emissions; reported to the Executive Engineer.” 

Key responsibilities 

Then use bullet points to pinpoint your duties and responsibilities within the role, making sure to mention any relevant techniques or skills used that could benefit your candidacy. E.g.

• Employed the Marginal Abatement Cost (MAC) curve tool to present carbon emissions abatement options.
• Built partnerships and participated in open discussions with other country modellers and research associates.
• Amassed and processed varied data from multiple sources.

Writing your CV for PhD

Applying for a PhD is a daunting yet exciting time, but a flawless CV can help you achieve your goals.

Remember to tailor your CV to the specific PhD you’re applying for and aim to make a compelling case for your suitability and aligned goals.

Before you send off your CV, try to get a second opinion from a current or previous tutor, trusted family member or friend.

It’s also worth checking the finished document with our quick-and-easy CV Builder , to eliminate the risk of overlooking mistakes.

Best of luck with your PhD application!