How to build an impressive CV
Developing your CV may not be your idea of an exciting
evening’s entertainment, but it is essential for any job application.
Kanchan Sharma tells you how to stay ahead of the pack
The first few years of medical school have flown by,
and before you know it, it is your final year at medical school. Exams are
looming, the pressure is mounting, and then, to compound matters, you have
to apply for foundation jobs. This is probably the first time that you have
ever needed to complete a medical CV or application form, and the last
thing you want is to have nothing interesting to write. A CV should be able
to grab a reader’s interest sufficiently for them to call you for
interview, or even offer you a job.
The key to building an impressive CV is to start as
early as possible. It is far easier to rack up CV points as you go along
rather than try and get them all in a rush, right at the last minute. So
even if you are in your first year, it is helpful to have an idea of when
and where you might pick points up.
CVs versus application forms
Most deaneries have now adopted an application form in
preference to CVs for entry on to foundation training programmes
(foundation programmes are two year programmes of general training that
bridge medical school and specialist or general practice training). The
difference between CVs and application forms is that application forms are
more discriminatory between candidates. On the one hand, a CV is highly
personal and is written to focus on a person’s strength but gives no
information about the attributes that they may lack. On the other hand, an
application form is standardised and easily comparable between candidates
while also providing information about a candidate on a broad range of
criteria. In other words, to produce a good application form you need to
show a broad range of skills rather than just excel in a single field.
Desirable criteria
The General Medical Council has released a document
entitled The New Doctor< (www.gmcuk.org/med_ed/newdoc.htm), which describes the
attributes a newly qualified doctor should ideally have. Many deaneries
have used this as a model to select the desirable attributes that the
application form is expected to evaluate.
The desirable attributes sought after by employers may
vary slightly from post to post but there are some which are the same for
any medical job application. If you already know which deanery you would
like to work in, it is a good idea to get a copy of an application form in
advance, so that you get to know the criteria that will potentially
increase your chances of getting a job and start doing the things that will
help you to fulfil them.
The criteria under assessment are:
- Qualifications
- Clinical skills
- Knowledge
- Organisation
and planning
- Interpersonal
skills.
You can show your skills in each category by providing
details of either academic or extracurricular activities that you take part
in.
Qualifications
Most people will apply for their foundation jobs at
some time during their fifth year. There is an increasing number of
postgraduate and intercalating students, so additional degrees are now
common. It is important to bear this in mind, especially if you are
applying to a London deanery, where almost all students have an
intercalated BSc. This is a “gap year,” usually spent at the
end of either the second, third, or fourth year of medical school,
comprising study on a certain area as well as research. Other valuable
criteria include prizes, won either at national, university, or college
level. These are usually got by getting good results in examinations or
winning essay competitions. For information about prizes for students look
at the royal colleges’ websites, the Royal Society of Medicine
website, and adverts in the studentBMJ.
You will get many points for publishing articles, but
it is not easy. The best opportunities to get work published arise from
research done in an intercalated BSc or, less often, in a special study
module. Tutors are receptive to students who wish to work hard and publish
papers, so it might be a good idea to ask your tutor whether there are any
opportunities available, and you might be surprised by their response.
Publications can take many forms, so if you have not done a BSc,
don’t worry. The purpose of producing publications is to show that
you are actively contributing to the field of medicine, so the most common
thing to do is to publish research papers or abstracts.
However, there are journals which have sections
dedicated to news, reviews, letters, and articles submitted by readers on
various subjects. Having a letter or article published may not be as good
as publishing an original research paper, but it is certainly better than
not having any publications at all.
Clinical skills
This is a difficult category for you to show
credentials. Many applications ask for “educational
experiences.” This can be used to describe elective placements, not
only done in the final year but also in the summer holidays. The
International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations and Medsin
have lists of projects that run all year round and are suited to all years
of study, ranging from building hospital clinics in developing countries to
working in laboratories at various locations around the world. Activities
such as these would not only improve a CV but would also provide a unique
and enriching experience. If this sounds just too exotic, you can always
register for courses on home soil, such as immediate life support and
advanced life support, which provide evidence of educational experiences.
Knowledge
WARWICK SWEENEY/WWW.CONSTRUCTIONPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Don't be shy-is this impressive enough?
Clinical governance is a hot topic and has become a way
of life in hospitals. Essentially, this means that hospitals and doctors
are expected to uphold and to keep on improving patient care. This is
achieved in many ways, particularly through audit and evidence based
medicine. Audit comprises the systematic analysis of current practice and
comparing this to a certain standard (for example, assessing whether all
patients meet the four hour waiting time target in emergency departments
and determining the reasons for failure to meet these targets and how they
can be improved). Evidence based medicine requires the use of the current
best evidence to make decisions about the care of individual patients.
Taking part in audit work during your attachments is a
desirable attribute to have. You can put it on your CV— you are also
learning about clinical governance, which you will need to do throughout
your professional life. Audit can also be a subject discussed during an
interview for a job.
Organisation and planning
Organisation skills are highly sought after attributes
because this forms a substantial part of what a house officer jobs entails.
Extracurricular activities are the best example of this category, such as
holding positions of responsibility in the student union or curriculum
development (for example, as a year representative or committee member) or
having a leadership role in a university club or society (president,
secretary, or team captain). It is also desirable to have demonstrable
computing skills by completing a computer course such as the European
Computer Driving Licence. This course is run at learndirect centres across
the country.
Interpersonal skills
Having extracurricular activities that show good
communication and teamwork skills is evidence of personal development.
Professional experience, particularly voluntary work, can speak volumes,
and is another good talking point in interviews. Don’t be put off
from volunteer work, it need not be laborious and boring and it can be a
rewarding and fun experience—just like rag week. Belonging to a club
or society shows that you’re a well rounded person rather than just
another medical bore. Personal achievements outside the sphere of
university life can also be advantageous in this category.
Conclusion
When prospective employers have to cast their eye over
hundreds of CVs, they will not be impressed by subjective statements, but
rather by objective evidence that shows genuine ability in a given field.
Finally, remember that life isn’t about all work and no play. Nobody,
not even consultants, like a medical bore, so look for activities outside
the medical world. If you take an active role in university life and enjoy
yourself, an impressive CV will build up automatically.
Kanchan Sharma, medical
student, Guy’s, King’s and St.
Thomas School of Medicine, London
Email: Kanchan.sharma@kcl.ac.uk
Anand Sharma, SHO in Community Padiatrics
studentBMJ 2005;13:309-352 September ISSN 0966-6494
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Responses published this month
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Articles
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Responses
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CAREERS
How to build an impressive CV
Kanchan Sharma, Anand Sharma (Sep 2005)
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Caroline Robinson
(September 22nd, 2005)
Read this response
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CAREERS
How to build an impressive CV
Kanchan Sharma, Anand Sharma (Sep 2005)
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Caroline Robinson
(September 22nd, 2005)
MBChB Y4, University of Birmingham clr255@bham.ac.uk
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Do people expect too much?
Medical students are known for being high achievers, and not only academically. However we are all being put under increasing pressure to make ourselves “standout” as there is increasing competition for the best posts due to expanding medical schools. The advice given in the article “How to build an impressive CV” is very useful. It gives suggestions such as performing an audit helps to convey knowledge and that holding a position of responsibility indicates leadership skills. However the article lacks guidance as to how we are supposed to achieve all this within the twenty-four hour day. Virtually all clinical students spend eight hours in hospital five days a week with approximately two hours of travelling a day as well. This leaves the remaining fourteen hours in the day for further work, activities and sleep. As a keen sportswoman it is tricky enough juggling sporting commitments with work, let alone taking up more activities to add to my CV. Some students are jeopardising their medical education as they strive to take up as many extra-curricular activities as possible in order to fulfil the checklist criteria. What the new application forms fail to recognise is that some activities are much more time consuming than others. Also taking part in activities may not simply be enough, you need to be able to show leadership skills too. I believe it is time that medical students were recognised not as “super human beings” capable of juggling a mind-boggling number of tasks but as normal people. Yes, I acknowledge it is important to be a well-rounded individual, however this desire should not be detrimental to one’s medical education or general well being. There are a limited number of hours in the day and it is important these are spent doing things you enjoy, not performing activities for the sake of a checklist.
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