by Kevin Foley » Wed Jan 10, 2007 5:51 pm
Some interesting posts in this thread! However, I'm struck by the fact that certain topics consistently result in the longest discussion threads, and this is certainly one of them. And it worries me.
Writing a proper industry CV is a right of passage that every postdoc goes through, and based on my experience, few get it right. Some never get it right. But industry hiring managers are used to that! We get a ton of CVs for junior staff scientist positions and they all look like academic CVs, so we know we just have to wade through them. What’s important is that you create a document that clearly outlines your background, even if it ends up looking more like an academic CV than an industry one (which, as mentioned, emphasizes experience, expertise and accomplishments over esoteric scientific stories and numbers of publications).
But the most important thing to remember is that 90% of getting a job has nothing to do with your CV. So please don't spend 90% of your time creating a stunning CV (and other related activities like applying for jobs online). Focus on what really matters: person to person networking.
A mediocre CV (stylistically, not with respect to your actual expertise and accomplishments) and a lot of networking is guaranteed to get you a job.
A stunning CV and no networking is equivalent to playing lotto.
So put your effort where it matters.
Cheers,
Kevin