Work Experience on CV?

[Ph.D. IR]

I'm interested in political science/international relations Ph.D. programs, but I don't have any research or teaching experiences. I have had an extensive work experiences so should I include them in my CV? How many bullet points should I put for each work position?

Also, what about extracurricular activities?

Thank you.

Edited September 18, 2010 by pennywisdom

[newms]

I'm interested in political science/international relations Ph.D. programs, but I don't have any research or teaching experiences. I have had an extensive work experiences so should I include them in my CV? How many bullet points should I put for each work position?

Also, what about extracurricular activities?

Thank you.

You should definitely put your professional experience on your CV. I'm not sure how much in depth you should go for each work position- perhaps you should browse CVs of grad students or profs in your field for an idea. I don't think I've ever seen a space for 'Extra curricular activities' on an academic CV (at least in my field) but usually people have a section for 'Community Involvement', which is usually volunteer work in the field, so perhaps if your extra curricular activities relate to that then you could put them there.

[rising_star]

Most people don't put any bullet points on their CV...

[adaptations]

Most people don't put any bullet points on their CV...

This raises the question - should you submit a CV or a resume? Is there value in maintaining a more traditional resume, as opposed to an academic CV, particularly for applicants with limited publications?

[rising_star]

I would say no, just because a traditional resume will have a bunch of things on it that an admissions committee doesn't care about. But, you could list related work under a heading like "Work Experience". And by related, I mean that you're applying for a master's in social work and you used to work with children with disabilities, or something like that.

[eucalyptus]

Depending on what your work experience is, it's possible to find a way to include it on your CV. If your (at least quasi-related) work experience is more impressive than your list of presentations/publications, go for a sort of hybrid CV/resume that flatters your best points. For example, my CV has a section on teaching experience even though I've never TAed or taught at the university level; instead, it includes things like my tutoring/teaching job and my summer job in science outreach (with a couple bullet points under each one to explain what they are). If I'd been applying to do a project involving fieldwork, I probably would have included my tree-planting summer job as evidence that I could live in a tent for many weeks and tramp through the woods all day (not sure what heading I would have put it under, but you can always make something up that sounds good). As for extra-curriculars, you can list obviously related things (polisci society, or whatever) under a heading like "relevant activities" (with no details or anything, but just to show that you're actively involved in the field). There aren't really any hard and fast rules for a CV - you pretty much just want to include things that are relevant, unique, and/or flattering.

[Ph.D. IR]

Thank you everyone for your great feedback!