Emailing professors at potential PhD programs, bad idea to attach my CV?

[11Q13]

I'm staring the round of introductory emails to professors I'd like to work with. I feel like sending my CV along with a brief email introducing myself would be better than sending a longer email which probably wouldn't cover as much ground as looking over my CV. I'm also planning to ask, based on my CV, if I'd be a competitive applicant. So... bad etiquette to include a CV?

[eklavya]

not a bad etiquette to send your cv with your email. actually, it's a great idea - almost every one of us here on gradcafe have done it. i would however be careful about not making that cv too long. i had mine trimmed down to 1 page, but try to keep it under 2 pages. keep the email short, and to the point and let the cv/resume do the talking. good luck!

[ZeeMore21]

I'm staring the round of introductory emails to professors I'd like to work with. I feel like sending my CV along with a brief email introducing myself would be better than sending a longer email which probably wouldn't cover as much ground as looking over my CV. I'm also planning to ask, based on my CV, if I'd be a competitive applicant. So... bad etiquette to include a CV?

I'm guessing that perhaps it would just be better to wait until you get on campus and can make these potential advisers face to face? Just my opinion, though. I had initially thought that you were in the process of applying to programs, but I see that you already got into a program. I think when you actually sit down with these professors, you will have a deeper feeling as to who you would work better with.

[Bukharan]

I agree with bhikhaari. It is a good idea. I also thought it was rather standard. I attached CV to all my 'introductory' e-mails.

[jendoly]

No, definitely attach it! I wouldn't really ask if I was a competitive candidate though - shows more confidence to just approach it like you are, I think (:

[lyonessrampant]

Hmm. . I've heard the exact opposite about attaching your CV to the initial email. I think this may be something that is more field specific. I know that in the sciences not only is it common but expected that you would email POIs and that you'd attach more info about yourself like a CV. However, it is far less common to contact POIs in the humanities, and if you do email them first, I believe it is much more accepted that you see if they want to engage in an email conversation before you email them something like your CV.

[Sparky]

One thing people in the past have mentioned doing is putting their CV online somewhere and including a link to it in the e-mail. That way the prof doesn't have to worry about downloading a file attachment (especially useful, I would guess, if they're checking e-mail via phone) but can still access the info easily. Also, you'd have click-through statistics to see which profs took the bait.

But you've got the whole "...currently working on an MTS at Harvard" bit. That's all the CV a lot of theo profs are going to need at this point.

[11Q13]

One thing people in the past have mentioned doing is putting their CV online somewhere and including a link to it in the e-mail. That way the prof doesn't have to worry about downloading a file attachment (especially useful, I would guess, if they're checking e-mail via phone) but can still access the info easily. Also, you'd have click-through statistics to see which profs took the bait.

I like that idea a lot!

[11Q13]

so...can anyone tell me a place I can host the CV that will allow me to track the hit stats on it? Google docs lets me upload it and display it well enough, but I can't view any statistics. I could upload it to my blog, but I don't think there's a way to natively integrate it so there's no download involved. Halp.

[natsteel]

You could upload it to My Cloud. It will tell you how many times people download it with the link it gives you. You could upload it and make it downloadable on Scribd and it will tell you how many times it has been "read."

English seems to be a bit of an anomaly from the rest of the Humanities regarding not contacting POIs, in my experience. I was told never to send any email attachments unsolicited, especially in an initial email. Attaching a link to a CV though is a decent sort-of compromise.

[tenorcervantes]

One thing people in the past have mentioned doing is putting their CV online somewhere and including a link to it in the e-mail. That way the prof doesn't have to worry about downloading a file attachment (especially useful, I would guess, if they're checking e-mail via phone) but can still access the info easily. Also, you'd have click-through statistics to see which profs took the bait.

But you've got the whole "...currently working on an MTS at Harvard" bit. That's all the CV a lot of theo profs are going to need at this point.

This is definitely a great idea. I think I'll try this out.