CVs, Resumes, and Cover Letters

Once you’ve identified job postings that you want to apply for, you'll need to prepare your application materials. Our resources below will take you through how to develop your cover letter and CV or resume, including how to tailor them to the positions you are applying for.

Application materials

While the cover letter and CV or resume are the main standard components of application materials, the expectations for these documents will vary with different positions. In addition, most research positions ask for CVs, while most other positions ask for a resume. Learn the difference between these documents in our resources below!

For sample application materials for postdoc positions, refer to Module 2, Session 2 of The Strategic Postdoc.

For sample application materials for faculty positions, see our Application Materials for Faculty Positions page. Also be sure to check out our short video series Applying for Faculty Positions, which goes step by step through how to create application materials that emphasize your strengths.

More CV, resume, and cover letter resources

Start by reading and analyzing a job description
Tailor your CV/resume
Sample resumes

These samples provide ideas for how to present your own skills and experiences. We make no claims that they are perfect, but offer them as examples and recommend looking at multiple samples to get an idea of different formats. The best way to use these samples is to treat them a references for how you can:

  1. Format and organize the sections of a resume
  2. Highlight your experiences according to the needs of the position (this applies to samples that include a job description)

Note: For support with translating the strategies shown in these samples to your own application materials, schedule an appointment or visit CPD office hours!

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Sample cover letters

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