Write an Academic Resume That Reads Like a Scholarly Record
An academic resume example with the section order search committees expect, teaching and research language, keyword list and a full writing guide.
Example Academic summary
Academic sociologist with a doctorate in environmental governance and four years of independent teaching at a liberal arts college. Author of five peer-reviewed articles and one book chapter, with foundation and internal funding for coastal fieldwork. Teaches research methods and theory, supervises senior theses, and reviews for two field journals. Seeking a tenure-track position in a department with an environmental focus.
Skills to list on a Academic resume
- Research design
- Qualitative methods
- Quantitative analysis
- Mixed methods
- Academic writing
- Peer-reviewed publishing
- Grant writing
- Conference presentation
- Course design
- Undergraduate teaching
- Thesis and dissertation supervision
- Literature review
- NVivo
- R
- Institutional review board protocols
- Journal peer review
What actually gets this resume read
- Decide first whether the posting wants a two-page resume or a full curriculum vitae, because the two documents follow entirely different rules.
- Order the sections by what the committee is hiring for: research first for a research post, teaching first for a teaching-intensive department.
- Cite publications in the style of your discipline and mark your role clearly, since sole authorship and first authorship carry different weight.
- Give funding by source and purpose rather than by amount, and include internal awards, since committees read them as evidence of momentum.
- Name the courses you taught, the level, the enrollment and whether you were instructor of record or a section leader.
- Add service work as a short section: journal reviewing, committee seats, conference organizing and mentoring all count toward the file.