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How to write a good medical CV

• September 02, 2019

Although your medical experience is very important when it comes to applying for NHS jobs, it is also important that your experience is presented in a clear, concise yet informative manner. In this post, we share how to properly organise your CV and some very important CV don’ts.

How long should my CV be?

The length of a CV is always a combative issue. Typically, business CV’s are recommended to not be longer than 1-2 pages in length. However, with a medicine CV, this is not possible. On average, a Consultant’s CV for a medical specialty will be approximately 10 pages long, whilst for a surgical specialty it may go on for as long as is needed due to the number of procedures they will need to list.

For a Middle Grade or Junior Medical CV, there are not a specific number of pages that are ‘right’, however, we always advise doctors to think – the more detail the better. That being said, the purpose of your CV is to get you short-listed for an interview, so it should always be presented in a well-ordered and concise fashion.

What font should I use?

It is important to always use a professional and small font, but large enough to read with ease. Examples of such fonts include Arial Size 10, Calibri Size 11 or Times New Roman Size 11. You should bold and space your headings so the separation between the different sections is evident.

How should I order my CV?

Generally speaking, we suggest the following:

• Personal details
  • Keep this section as simple as possible. List your name, letters/qualifications (for a good first impression), your GMC Registration number, address, telephone number and your email address.
• Personal profile
  • Look at the job specification and ensure your personal profile matches the job description requirements.
• Qualifications
  • List your qualifications in reverse-chronological order.
• Relevant prizes and awards
• Current appointment
• Clinical experience
  • List all of your duties, responsibilities, how big the hospital was, management within that role and any procedures performed (supervised and unsupervised).
• Audits
• Management experience
• Teaching experience
• Research experience
• Publications
• Presentations
• Personal interests
• References
  • You should not list more than three, unless otherwise requested. Provide their name, job title, correspondence address, telephone number, fax number and email address

You should always tailor your CV for the post you are applying to, especially as a junior doctor. For example, if you are applying for a post in Surgery, list all of your surgical experience at the beginning of your clinical experience section rather than starting with your Paediatric experience.

Remember to provide as much detail as possible for each appointment. List all your duties, responsibilities and procedures performed.

CV Don’ts

• Do not include any irrelevant information. When typing up your CV, ask yourself the question “Will it help me get the role?” If the answer is no, take it out.
• Do not experiment with size - keep your font the same size throughout the entirety of your CV, except your headings which should be just one size larger than the normal text.
• Do not include any salary information or expectations – leave this for negotiation after you have successfully secured the post
• Do not use crazy colours, fonts or photographs

Please contact us at [email protected] for a copy of an example CV.

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References

Medical-interviews.co.uk. (2019). Medical CV Writing Tips – Get CV Tips on Writing a Successful CV for Medical Interview. [online] Available at: https://www.medical-interviews.co.uk/topic/medical-consultant-cv-tips [Accessed 2 Sep. 2019].