Assessing the Impact of Your Accomplishments While Crafting an Academic CV by Dr. Ishwar Bhiradi

Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal was established in the year 1953. MAHE Manipal is recognised by University Grants Commission (UGC). MAHE courses include MBBS, MBA, B.Tech, B.Sc., MD, MA, and others. MET /CAT / NEET /XAT /CMAT /IPMAT /JIPMAT /and MAT are some of the entrance exams accepted for admission to Manipal Academy of Higher Education.

In the current realm of higher education (HE), everyone begins his or her career from the highest node. Doctorate is the new norm that makes educational qualification trivial. In such a situation, the potency of one’s achievements lies not only in the tangible accomplishments themselves, but in the artful compilation of those milestones into words. A curriculum vitae (CV) is a document that lists all of one's accomplishments. When presented in a specific order, the narration of all these accomplishments reveals a person's professional persona.

A famous Hollywood actor, Will Rogers, says, “you never get a second chance to make the first impression”. In my opinion, to stand out in 100s of applicants relying on a mere document, Mr. Rogers words truly resonate the importance of compelling CV crafting. There are numerous webpages, videos available online on writing an Academic CV that helps in manual or automatic preparation of CVs, but are they apt for today’s era of HEs? What is the due date of your present CV? Is your CV still noticeable when scanned by a software?

Academic CV can be your pride:

By Structure and nature, CV is frequently confused with resume. Cambridge Dictionary defines CV as short written descriptions of education, qualifications, and previous jobs. It also distinguishes CV is for mainly academic jobs and resume for other jobs as per US practice. As per the Centre for Career Development -Princeton University, a CV is a detailed description of all academic activities, whereas a resume is a concise review of most relevant skills and achievements. Unlike a Resume, an academic CV should include various sections to cover teaching experience, research expertise, publications, grants, briefs of ongoing, completed funded projects, professional memberships and many more. Interestingly, in this AI-driven era, anyone can create a fake resume, yet when it comes to academic resumes, recruiters can easily spot forged CVs because most of the accomplishments are documented using unique researcher IDs by multiple databases.

Google Scholar, Scopus, and ORCID are some of the commonly used database that provides unique identification numbers for each researcher. HEPs must exercise extreme caution while putting the timeline of educational details and research accolades, as research databases typically track affiliations and designations. In my personal opinion, there is no second chance once a discontinuity or phony details are identified by the HE recruiters. From Architect to Critic: The AI, which played a pivotal role in crafting compelling CVs, now leaves a person high and dry in the job market.

Make everything Visible and accountable :

When applying for a specific job role, HEPs should focus on highlighting related accolades, as the cliché goes, "use the right tool for the right job." Academic CVs can be used for academic positions, scientific positions, funding, awards and recognitions, and so on. Each category has its own set of requirements. As we all know, most HEP CVs include a list of journal papers, conference papers, patents, fundings, fellowships, and leadership roles, which makes CVs longer.

Unlike industry positions, academic CVs are not typically subjected to automated software screening. This leaves us with manual scrutiny, which may include unintentional bias based on location, gender, expertise, or possible peer competition. Longer CVs that cover all the facts may attract undue attention, leading to screening. Below are some of the points which can keep HEPs CVs standout.

• Put your Researcher ID prominently on the CV. It is just as crucial as your contact information. It also reduces listing older publications, patents and related details.

• Academic credentials might be listed chronologically in descending order, as newer gets more recognition.

• Funding and fellowship data should adhere to a specific metric system for the country in which you are applying. One-line agency insights will offer extra credit.

• Awards are subjective in nature, can be defended by emphasising the quick quantitative details.

• Leadership roles and administrative activities can be concisely summarised, as the titles often inherently convey the nature of the responsibilities and tasks involved.

Historically, eminent philosophers, true to their inception, have often been academics. From Chanakya to Aristotle, Friedrich Nietzsche, they all shared a background in academia. HEPs must be philosophers by trade, needing to convey ideas in appropriate ways. Linguistic expressions are vital in intricately drafting own academic achievements. Although AI can write your articles, it cannot express ideas in your desired manner. Often, exaggeration weakens the believability. Thoughtful selection of accolades, artful way of articulation, conscious revisions keep you distinct in the crowd.

Disclaimer: This article has been published as a marketing initiative between MAHE, Manipal and Careers360.