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Practical CV à Resume Conversion Guide Office of Career Strategy
Ellie Schmelzer, Ph.D.
Table of Contents
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Definitions
Broad and Detailed CV and Resume Differences
How to convert one into the other
Example conversions
Common mistakes
Summary and Lessons Learned
Ellie Schmelzer, Ph.D. Elm City Consulting
2 Definitions
•  What IS a CV? Curriculum Vitae (Latin,
literally: “the course of one’s life” – a
detailed description of all academic
activities and accomplishments one has
accumulated through their life (since
college)
•  What is a Resume? – A strategic/
targeted organization of only the most
relevant experiences that align with a
particular job posting Ellie Schmelzer, Ph.D. Elm City Consulting
3 What is the Difference between a CV and a Resume (broadly speaking)?
•  Length (Long vs short)
•  Writing style (modest vs somewhat self promoting)
•  What is included (CVs list advisor’s names, thesis titles,
nationality, have sections on conferences, research
interests, include references; Resumes may include
GPA/test scores, etc )
•  Emphasis (CVs – topics of interest, lists, process;
Resumes – measurable results)
•  Language (CV – very technical; Resume – targeting a
wider audience)
•  Organization (chronological vs chronological/functional)
•  Format (stretched, years/titles on left vs dense, full page
utilized)
Ellie Schmelzer, Ph.D. Elm City Consulting
4 Detailed Chart of Differences between CVs and Resumes
CV
Resume
Length
3-10 pages
1-2 pages (for most private sector -1 page, government - longer)
Included
N/A
GPA (mostly for management consulting industry and a few others)
N/A
GRE (mostly for management consulting industry and a few others)
Nationality
N/A
Advisor's Name
N/A
Dissertation Title
Brief dissertation description
Research interests
N/A
Office/Lab address
Home Address
A separate section on Awards and Grants
Awards are absorbed in appropriate work/academic experience
Advisees/Mentees
N/A
List of all publications
1-3 selected publications
Conferences and workshops
N/A
References
N/A
N/A
Possible section "Other" that may include interests
Breadth
Depth/Results
Position/role
Institution/University/Company/Firm
N/A
Comparable metrics ("awarded to the top 10%")
N/A
Monetary accomplishments ("…resulting in $30B in profit")
Language
Very technical
Appropriate for a wide range of audiences
Style
Modest - focusing on overall project
Self promoting - emphasizing on personal accomplishments
Emphasis
Organization Chronological or starting with teaching vs. research
Chronological OR Functional
Format
Years are on the left
Years and locations are on the right
Plenty of white space
Very dense content
Ellie Schmelzer, Ph.D. Elm City Consulting
5 How to convert a CV into a Resume
•  Step 1 – get rid of everything that a resume should not include
•  Step 2 – add information that a Resume calls for, not present in
CVs
•  Step 3 – reformat into a single page •  Step 4 – re-write everything that survived the cut in a resultoriented, measureable style, emphasizing on personal
accomplishments, focusing on transferable skills, and imagining
a broad audience (examples follow)
•  Step 5 – print and polish
•  Step 6 – create a new version of the resume for every job
application
Ellie Schmelzer, Ph.D. Elm City Consulting
6 Example Conversions
CV Research Positions
2012-present
Postdoctoral Associate
Yale University Department of Chemistry, New Haven, CT
• take part in the planning, managing, follow-up and operations of the Yale
Astro-Chemical Survey; PI for ‘Blue Elements’ as part of the Public ESO
Spectroscopic Survey of Transient Objects (PESSTO)
ANALYTICS AND LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
Resume Yale University, Department of Chemistry
New Haven, CT
Postdoctoral Associate
2012-present
•  Lead an international team of 10 scientists studying chemical composition of stellar
explosions through reduction and analysis of large datasets
•  Principal Investigator/Leading Author on 4 winning research proposals (100% success rate)
Ellie Schmelzer, Ph.D. Elm City Consulting
7 Example Overviews
CV Resume Jane Doe
JANE DOE
[email protected]
(123) 456-7890
Full Name
Jane Smith Doe
Nationality
American, European Union (Hungarian)
Address
Yale University Department of Chemistry
260 Whitney Ave, JWG 225
New Haven, CT 06511
EDUCATION
Email
Web page
Yale University
Postdoctoral Associate in Chemistry – Research and Experimentation
Yale School of Management
[email protected]
http://hep.yale.edu/jane-doe
University of California Santa Barbara (#6 chemistry program in US)
Ph.D., Chemistry – Designed, built and commissioned a chemical observatory
B. S. (Chemistry), summa cum laude
UC Santa Barbara, College of Creative Studies, Santa Barbara, CA
2002-2003
Smith College/Amherst College, North Hampton/Amherst, MA
B.S., Chemistry, Summa Cum Laude – Academic Honor Award (top 5-10%)
Yale University, Department of Chemistry
Associate Research Scientist/Postdoctoral Associate
• Lead an international team of 10 scientists studying chemical composition of stellar explosions
through reduction and analysis of large datasets
• Principal Investigator/Leading Author on 4 winning research proposals (100% success rate)
Raytheon Company, Raytheon Vision Systems
Senior Systems Engineer II
• Led a team of 13 engineers developing the First Generation Raytheon Night Vision detectors:
$30M in total program earnings realized and a reachable market size of $2B
• Tracked product requirements/deliverables and program milestones
California Space Grant Consortium Fellowship
White Mountain Research Station Grant
UC Santa Barbara, Department of Chemistry: Research Honors
Fermi Lab Undergraduate Student Research Program
Smith College Full International Student Scholarship
Material Research Lab (UCSB) Undergraduate Student Research Program
Service to the College Award-Vice President of the Associated Students
President’s Honor Roll-Academic Achievement Award
Yale University
Manager, Yale Graduate Student Consulting Club (YGCC)
• Design/write educational tools for case interview preparation
New Haven, CT
2014
Medical Devices, Inc.
New Haven, CT
Pro Bono Consultant
2014
• Evaluated the technical and financial viability in the launch of a new product
• Developed launch strategy, fund-raising presentation and pitched the new product to life science VCs
Research Positions
Postdoctoral Associate
Yale University Department of Chemistry, New Haven, CT
• take part in the planning, managing, follow-up and operations of the Yale AstroChemical Survey; PI for ‘Blue Elements’ as part of the Public ESO Spectroscopic
Survey of Transient Objects (PESSTO)
Page 1 of 4
Columbia University Case Competition for Tesla Motors
Finalist Team
• Proposed a business plan for the implementation of Hyperloop in the eastern seaboard
New York, NY
2014
OTHER
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Computer/Coding: through workshops – Python, Matlab, Fortran
Memberships: MENSA, YGCC, Yale Entrepreneurs & Investors, MIT Enterprise Forum
Interests: ski, tennis, wine making, portrait photography
J.Doe
Ellie Schmelzer, Ph.D. Elm City Consulting
Santa Barbara, CA
2007-2012
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
time-domain astrochemistry
extraterrestrial chemistry
chemistry of meteorites
2012-present
New Haven, CT
2012-2015
University of California Santa Barbara, Chemistry Department
Santa Barbara, CA
Graduate Student Researcher
2005-2011
• Led a cross-institutional team of 9 people, including 2 senior engineers from Raytheon and FLIR, and
7 undergraduates) for the inception, technical development and launch of a system of telescopes to
study the chemical composition of stellar explosions
• Reduced and analyzed astronomical spectra, manipulated large volumes of data
Research interests
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2006
ANALYTICS AND LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
Awards and grants
2008-2010
2006-2007
2006
2001
2002-2005
2002
2002
2002
Santa Barbara, CA
2011
Relevant coursework: Multivariable Calculus, Logic, Differential Equations & Fourier Series, Linear Algebra &
Differential Equations, Methods of Theoretical Chemistry, Quantum Mechanics
Ph. D. (Chemistry)
UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
Thesis title: Chemical Composition of Zeolites
Advisor: Prof. John Doe
2003-2006
New Haven, CT
2012-2015
2014
Relevant coursework covered Financial Institutions/Markets, Probability Modeling, Competitive Strategy,
Behavioral Economics
Education
2011
1234 Yale Ave, PMB 123
Home Town, CT 06123
8 Common (less than desirable) inclusions and mistakes in Resumes
•  Using a non-professionally sounding email address
•  Including an objective and a summary paragraph, unless drastically
changing career or requested by job posting
•  Using the words “Phone” or “Email address” – both unnecessary
•  Listing Marital status
•  Including a picture of one self
•  Using current Business contact information
•  Listing hobbies (unless particularly appropriate to include for a given industry)
•  Including social media links (LinkedIn may potentially be the only exception)
•  Most common typo – using the word Lead (incorrect) when expressing a
past experience, instead of Led (correct)
•  Speaking in “first person”
•  Do not convey opinions (do not use adjectives), only facts
Ellie Schmelzer, Ph.D. Elm City Consulting
9 Summary and Lessons Learned
•  Be open-minded – be willing to accept that outside of
academia Resumes are a reflection of a completely different
approach, purpose and style
•  Allocate sufficient time for working on the conversion
•  Always start with action words (when writing a Resume)
•  Break down experiences into tasks (thinking about the skills
needed to execute these tasks)
•  THE BOTTOM LINE: A CV describes what one was interested
and involved in, vs. a Resume – which points what one actually
did in the past, including the outcome, and it provides a
prediction of what one may be capable of doing in the future Elm City Consulting
Ellie Schmelzer, Ph.D. 10