A Curriculum Vitae (CV) is a lot like a resume except it is much longer and offers a lot more detail. It is a summary of a candidate's background in academia. It also summarizes the candidate's educational accomplishments, research, published work, presentations, awards, honors and professional affiliations. If you are looking for research, fellowship, academic, educational or scientific opportunities, write a Curriculum Vitae. It is wise to tailor your Curriculum Vitae to each position or opportunity you apply for.

Pick a design. Choose a design that fits the position or opportunity you are applying for. Choose a design from a template in the software program you will be using or go online to find designs made especially for the type of opportunity you are trying to secure. Make sure your design looks professional.

Choose your headings. There are some heading required in a CV. These include personal information such as name, address, email address and telephone number. Other mandatory data includes your education, work experience and qualifications. Educational CVs usually have a summary statement. This will basically be a synopsis of any high points in your career. Other heading you will want to consider are as follows: published work, licenses/certifications, fellowships/grants, awards/honors, professional affiliations and post-doctoral training. You must decide what is important based on your background and the position in which you are applying for.

Write summaries of each heading detailing the highlights of the specific heading. It is important to note that graduates with a master's degree and a doctor's degree must include the title of their thesis and/or dissertation along with the name of the chair of their committee. This information goes directly under your school information. Your published work will need to follow the proper guidelines: APA (American Psychological Association).

Proofread and edit your CV. It needs to look and be professional. You will not be taken serious if your CV is full of mistakes. Make sure that everything is accurate on your CV. There should not be any spelling or grammatical errors. Most software programs are equipped with spell/grammar check, but do not depend on the spell/grammar check to find all your mistakes. You must be the ultimate spell and grammar checker. All the dates and information should be accurate. Check and recheck. Go over your CV as many times as is necessary. It will be well worth it.