15 Best CV Templates to Download for the UK in 2024
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Whether it is passion for your subject and unanswered questions or the need for this particular qualification professionally—it all starts with a well written PhD CV.
The competition is high, places scarce. With our PhD CV example and writing tips you will be one step closer to putting your own brick towards the compendium of human knowledge and understanding.
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Based on over 6 million CVs created in our builder, we found out that*:
*The data comes from a period of the last 12 months (August 2023-August 2024).
Mohammed Whittaker
97 Castledore Road
Twyford
RG10 9XT
07873254992
mohammed@whittaker.com
Research Interests
Completed an MA in Philosophy at the University College London with Distinction, writing on the philosophical and moral basis of modern human rights, with a focus on the right to privacy in the digital world. Interpreting theories of ownership of thoughts, the right to free thought of John Stuart Mill, and the Extended Mind Hypothesis to assert whether the Declaration of Human Rights and other conventions could be being violated by national internet privacy laws. Eager to research further into inadequacy of modern laws in the face of ‘bulk data collection’. Conducted large-scale interdisciplinary research into public perception of privacy to be published in the Journal of British Philosophy.
Education
Distinction MA in Philosophy (2020)
University College London
Department of Philosophy
Thesis Title: ‘Investigatory Powers Act Violations of Human Rights to Privacy’
Thesis Supervisor: Jim Hanson
1st Class BSc in Philosophy (2017)
University College London
Department of Philosophy
Thesis Title: ‘Inadequacy of Modern Law, or Inadequacy Classic Philosophical Themes?’
Thesis Supervisor: Karla Hopper
Publications
Work Experience
University College London, 2018-Present
Teaching Assistant
Conferences
Memberships
References
That’s a solid PhD CV example. Here’s how to compose your own CV and what your CV should look like:
How to start a CV? A PhD CV or academic CV differs from a commercial CV. For jobs, we usually discuss our achievements. In this application, it must explain your research interests and what you have done so far.
Don’t spend excessive space telling them what programme you’re applying to. They know.
Focus on your best quality past research, explain your current focus and what you plan to research in the future. Show them a deep passion and understanding, and let them see the whole picture. Avoid ambiguous, vague, and unnecessary statements.
Limit these 8 lines at the very maximum. There is usually a cover letter or PhD personal statement (whole document) to be written, and they will also most likely read your research if they’re really interested. Spark their interest, show your value. Don’t give away the whole game just yet.
Completed an MA in Philosophy at the University College London with Distinction, writing on the philosophical and moral basis of modern human rights, with a focus on the right to privacy in the digital world. Interpreting theories of ownership of thoughts, the right to free thought of John Stuart Mill, and the Extended Mind Hypothesis to assert whether the Declaration of Human Rights and other conventions could be being violated by national internet privacy laws. Eager to research further into inadequacy of modern laws in the face of ‘bulk data collection’. Conducted large-scale interdisciplinary research into public perception of privacy to be published in the Journal of British Philosophy.
A strong CV summary will convince the recruiter you’re the perfect candidate. Save time and choose a ready-made personal statement written by career experts and adjust it to your needs in the LiveCareer CV builder.
In the education section, list all your degrees using reverse-chronological order. Complete with graduation dates, institution and department names, as well as thesis titles and supervisors. If you have unusual achievement to talk about here, you could add some bullet points.
Don’t list secondary education unless specifically asked for some reason. Save the space for something important.
Education
Distinction MA in Philosophy (2020)
University College London
Department of Philosophy
Thesis Title: ‘Investigatory Powers Act Violations of Human Rights to Privacy’
Thesis Supervisor: Jim Hanson
1st Class BSc in Philosophy (2017)
University College London
Department of Philosophy
Thesis Title: ‘Inadequacy of Modern Law, or Inadequacy Classic Philosophical Themes?’
Thesis Supervisor: Karla Hopper
If you have any publications at this point, it is probably wise to prioritise them. Sections that could compete are Awards or anything this particular institution tells you to prioritise.
Wherever you place your Publications section, make sure you provide full details of your publications in the citation style preferred by the institution. If you have a variety of different types of publications, you could group them into sections such as journal articles, books, edited volumes, conference papers, government publications, etc.
If you have obtained some patents, it’s wise to group them together under your publications. List the title, patent number, inventors and the date the patent was awarded.
Publications
The PhD CV work experience section will differ from commercial ones. Using the reverse-chronological CV structure, you can choose one of the two styles:
Work Experience
Institution Name, Dates
Job Title
OR
Work Experience
Institution Name 1, Job Title, Dates
Institution Name 2, Job Title, Dates (and so on)
Awards and Funding
Research Experience:
Teaching Experience:
Admin Experience:
Whichever way you decide, it will be easier for the reader to digest your PhD CV thematically, so split up your experience between these three categories:
Any research assistant jobs, fellowships, postdoctoral appointments, etc, go here. This is also the place to expand on your ‘Research Interests’ section if you feel that will help your application.
List the subjects, level and class sizes of all classes, tutorials, seminars and lectures you have given. If there isn’t a lot, you can include mentoring or non-PhD teaching jobs.
List any conferences/seminars/lectures/courses you have organised, the different bodies and organisations you sat on to make yourself stand out as the most complete candidate.
University College London, 2018-Present
Teaching Assistant
Make a list of all your academic and professional memberships, with dates and roles if they’re significant. If you’re performing an important role within those organisations, you could drop a few bullet points to explain that.
Memberships
Have you organised or chaired any sessions? Describe your experience. Did you produce any documents for conferences? Cite them in the same way you cite your publications. Don’t list everything you’ve ever been to, only the ones you took an active part in.
Conferences
When listing references on your CV, check your institution’s info on how many PhD referees to provide, and whether they need to fulfill any criteria. List name, position, relation to you, institution address, and contact details.
It helps if they are somewhat known in your field of study, not to mention it would greatly pay off if you had a positive relationship with them.
References
Study the list of supporting documents thoroughly. There will probably be specialist essays, and you’ve got that on your own. PhD cover letters, if required, are usually much longer than the commercial ones, so check thoroughly.
But you can still apply our principles of the ‘How to Start a Cover Letter’ and ‘How to End a Cover Letter’ guides. Hooking them in and then slowly revealing the whole picture that just reassures them their first instinct was right is crucial.
You would be surprised at how many PhD CVs reach schools with errors and mistakes. These documents can be long and tedious, therefore hard to proofread. Follow our CV format guidelines:
Good luck!
You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.
Does that answer all your questions on how to write a PhD CV? Did you find our academic CV for PhD application helpful? If you’ve got any questions, please use the comments section below. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.
About the author
Since 2013, the LiveCareer UK team has shared the best advice to help you advance your career. Experts from our UK editorial team have written more than one hundred guides on how to write the perfect CV or cover letter.
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