As a licensed and board certified physician, your credentials speak loudly for themselves. When it comes to finding a new locum tenens or permanent position, it's also important to maintain a visually appealing, reader-friendly curriculum vitae (CV). Most physician jobs require a significant amount of interaction with other people, so your CV can be a great tool to make a positive first impression. As a CV reflects its writer's organization and communication skills, it's important that yours be clear and succinct.
In preparation for your physician job search, there are a few things you should consider before you hand your CV over to potential employers or organizations interested in contracting for your services:
Keep your CV up to date. Don't just pull out your old CV. Update it with your latest accomplishments. Doing so lets hiring managers know that you really are interested. Every time you apply for a physician position you should emphasize the details that tell why you're a good fit for the position in the cover letter and in your interview.Organize your accomplishments in chronological sections. Each section should follow chronological order. Refrain from arranging your sections in a way that makes it difficult for the reviewer to make a mental timeline of your medical career. It is best if you account for everything since you began your higher education. If not, be prepared to explain the reason for the time gaps every time your CV is reviewed.A CV should be two pages or less. Keep your verbiage concise. If you feel that this step diminishes your accomplishments, consider making a separate addendum expanding on the points addressed in your CV. It can be helpful to provide this for more interested hiring managers who request further information.Stay consistent with your formatting. If you bold job titles in one section, do so in the others. Make sure each heading looks similar (e.g. if you follow one heading with a colon, do the same for the rest). Consistency helps you appear careful and attentive.Use the white space. Give your CV reader's eyes a break by separating your sections with some white space. This will help them scan quickly, as each section will become easily identifiable. While you're at it, make sure the headings stand out with font sizes or bold face.Don't use an exotic font. Unusual symbols and fonts don't help your readers-they distract them. If you don't want to use a traditional font, use one that is easy to read and not particularly eye-catching.Customize your cover letter. A CV cover letter should be where you explain why you are interested in the position and why you're the perfect candidate. Use this space to highlight what gives you a strong background in the job's specific field. All of the qualification listed in your cover letter must also appear in your curriculum vitae.Once you've done all that you can to make your curriculum vitae excellent, ask someone else to look at it. If you're the only one who has seen it, there is a good chance you've missed a spelling or formatting mistake that is obvious to others. By following the seven tips above, you're sure to end up with an organized and easy-to-read CV that will help you in your next physician job search, whether it is for a locum tenens or permanent physician job.
This article has been viewed 7 time(s).Article Submitted On: December 06, 2010
