Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    Hands-On Career Preparation
    An AI-Driven Work Force
    Alternative Pathways
Sign In
Advice

The CV Doctor Is Back: Lucy Scholar’s CV - Before

December 16, 2009

Related Content

  • The CV Doctor Is Back
  • Lucy Scholar’s CV—After

We chose this reader for the CV Doctor because she is in a position similar to many humanities Ph.D.'s. In an e-mail message to us she wrote, “Amid all the publicity about the irrelevance of the humanities in the current economic climate, as an art historian I am one of those lucky souls searching for both academic and nonacademic jobs.” Lucy is in the final year of her program, and focuses on early modern Asian art. She is applying for tenure-track faculty posts at small teaching universities, and for postdoctoral fellowships at large research universities. Outside of academe, she is looking for museum, media, education, and other arts-related jobs that would make specific use of her Chinese language skills and humanities background.

Although we have a few suggestions, Lucy’s CV is quite strong. Her résumé, however, needs some modifications. For her nonacademic job search, we would recommend that she tweak her résumé for each type of position she’s applying for, and take the time to provide a more substantial description of the work she’s done.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Related Content

  • The CV Doctor Is Back
  • Lucy Scholar’s CV—After

We chose this reader for the CV Doctor because she is in a position similar to many humanities Ph.D.'s. In an e-mail message to us she wrote, “Amid all the publicity about the irrelevance of the humanities in the current economic climate, as an art historian I am one of those lucky souls searching for both academic and nonacademic jobs.” Lucy is in the final year of her program, and focuses on early modern Asian art. She is applying for tenure-track faculty posts at small teaching universities, and for postdoctoral fellowships at large research universities. Outside of academe, she is looking for museum, media, education, and other arts-related jobs that would make specific use of her Chinese language skills and humanities background.

Although we have a few suggestions, Lucy’s CV is quite strong. Her résumé, however, needs some modifications. For her nonacademic job search, we would recommend that she tweak her résumé for each type of position she’s applying for, and take the time to provide a more substantial description of the work she’s done.


Lucy Scholar
lscholar@provider.com
www.lucyscholar.com (1)
123 Main Street City, ST 12345 United States +1 234 555 6789
1A Central Close City, AB1 2DC United Kingdom +44 (0) 2345 678 910

Education

City, ST
Expected May 2010

X University
Ph.D., History of Art and Architecture
Dissertation: Title
General Examination fields: Chinese painting, Neolithic to present; High Qing (1661-1799)
Chinese visual culture; Edo period (1683-1868) Japanese visual culture

City, ST
March 2005

X University (2)
A.M., History of Art and Architecture
Qualifying paper: Title

City, ST
2003

Y College
A.B., Asian and Middle Eastern studies (China concentration); minor in art history
Magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Presidential Scholar with High Honors
Senior Honors Thesis: What TLV Mirrors Reflect: Cosmology, Culture and Divination in Han China
Awarded Wing-Tsit Chan Prize for best thesis in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Fellowships and Awards (3)

Graduate Dissertation Completion Fellowship, X University 2009-2010
Andrew W. Mellon Research Fellowship, Y Research Institute 2009
Name Traveling Fellowship, X University 2008
X University Asia Center Grant 2008
Nominee, Award for Exceptional Advising and Counseling 2008
Nominee, Joseph Smith Memorial Teaching Prize 2008
Blakemore Freeman Fellowship for Advanced Asian Language Study (Mandarin) 2005-2007
X University Graduate Society Summer Pre-Dissertation Research Travel Grant 2005
Fairbank Center Director’s Graduate Student Travel Grant 2005
Mary and James Smith Foundation Fellowship, X University 2004-2005
Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Summer Grant (Mandarin) 2004
Rufus Choate Scholar (First Honor Group), Y College 2003
Citations for Academic Excellence, Y College 2002, 2000

Teaching Experience

Instructor, Z University China studies program Beijing, PRC
Art of China 4391/FNAR 358, “Arts of China: Monuments of Visual Culture” Autumn 2008

Designed and taught original seminar covering monuments of Chinese visual culture from ancient times through the present day. Average student evaluation 4.36/5. (4)

Head Teaching Fellow, X University City, ST
Literature and Arts B-23, “The Japanese Woodblock Print” Spring 2008

Coordinated all course logistics for Professor Name. Supervised teaching fellows and maintained course Web site for 100+ student core course. Taught two discussion sections and held weekly office hours. Average student evaluation 4.2/5.

Teaching Fellow, X University City, ST
History of Art and Architecture 18k, “Introduction to Japanese Art” Autumn 2007

Coordinated all course logistics for Professor Name. Maintained course website and taught two discussion sections. Average student evaluation 4.3/5.

Instructor, Z University China studies program Beijing, PRC
Art of China 4391/FNAR 358, “Arts of China: Survey of the Golden Age” Autumn 2006

Designed and taught original seminar on eighteenth-century Chinese art and architecture with focus on Beijing.

Teaching Assistant, Y College City, ST
Art History 60, “Arts of China” Winter 2002
Delivered four lectures for Professor Name on Museum collection of Chinese art.

Professional Presentations (5)

2009

“Paintings in Late Imperial China,” paper delivered at the Association for Asian Studies Conference, Brown University

“Painting at the Eighteenth-Century Chinese Court,” paper delivered at East & West Conference, University of St. Andrews, Scotland

“Qing Illusionistic Painting,” text-reading seminar presented at Y Research Institute, Cambridge, UK

2008

“Illusionistic Paintings at the Court of the Emperor Qianlong,” paper delivered at An International Symposium on Westerners and the Qing Court, Q University, Beijing

2007

“Secrets and Stories of the Forbidden City,” guest lecture for Royal Bank of Scotland All-Asia Retreat, Beijing

“The Palace of the Qianlong Emperor,” guest lecture for Dutch Pension Fund, Beijing

2006

“The Forbidden City: Life and Art in the Imperial Palace,” guest lecture for KPMG International, Beijing

2005

“Imperial Aesthetics at the Court of Emperor Qianlong” paper presented at East and West in Chinese Visual Culture, X University

“Chinese Art at the Smith Museum,” gallery talk delivered for Smith House Intellectual and Cultural Fellows, X University

“Portrait Photographs of the Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908),” paper presented at East Asia Society Graduate Student Conference, X University

2004 “Qianlong’s Landscape Engravings,” paper delivered at Association for Asian Studies New England Regional Conference, Y College

Related Professional Experience (6)

Co-Editor and Social Media Director, Asian Art Journal Summer 2009-present

Co-edited digital journal on 18th-21st-century Asian art presenting postgraduate peer-reviewed articles, exhibition reviews, and market commentary. Designed and directed social-media strategy.

Faculty in Residence, the Beijing Center, Beijing, China Autumn 2008

Originated position for Z University China Studies program as student adviser and liaison between student life staff, faculty and administrative staff.

Research Director, Laura B. Whitman Fine Arts Advisory, New York 2007-2008

Directed and conducted connoisseurial research specializing in East Asian art and the global art market.

Co-President, Y Club of China, Beijing 2006-2007

Coordinated regular events to connect current and former students living in China. Liaised between Alumni Affairs and club members. Supervised transition from print to digital database and correspondence.

Translation Editor, Department of Foreign Affairs, Palace Museum, Beijing Spring 2006

Edited and corrected English translations of Chinese materials for Museum publications and exhibitions.

Graduate Coordinator, New England East Asian Art History Seminar, X University 2004-2005

Originated position as logistical and electronic media coordinator for monthly seminar series. Designed, organized and presented at the international symposium East and West in Chinese Visual Culture.

Graduate Assistant, Smith Museum, X University 2004-2005

Assisted with production of exhibition and international symposium for “Marks of Enlightenment in Japanese Calligraphy.”

Research Assistant, Chinese Works of Art, Christie’s, Inc., New York Spring/Summer 2002

Drafted catalog entries for all Fall 2002 sale catalogs. Supervised floor attendants and resolved client inquiries during exhibitions and sales.

Chinese Art Intern, Museum of Art, Y College Summer 2001
Worked independently to correct and unify cataloging for collections of ancient and medieval Chinese bronze mirrors, Neolithic jades, and Han-dynasty shrine rubbings.

Languages

Mandarin Chinese (fluent professional reading, writing, and speaking)
Classical Chinese (proficient reading and translation)
French (proficient reading, functional speaking and writing)
Spanish (proficient reading, functional speaking and writing)

Professional Affiliations

College Art Association
Association of Asian Studies


Comments:

1. Lucy includes a link to her new blog, which focuses on her academic subfield and on contemporary questions in the art world of the country she studies. It also ties into her Twitter account, the most recent entry of which mentioned a paper she wrote that was accepted at a conference. Her blog is a great example of a professional Web site. Job seekers wishing to develop something similar would have to work hard to keep the blog content fresh, which can be a time-consuming task. Return to CV.

2. Her CV now lists X University twice under the Education section. She doesn’t need to do that and might simply list her degrees as follows:

X University Cambridge, MA
Ph.D., History of Art and Architecture Expected May 2010
Dissertation: Imperial Illusions: Picturing the Emperor Qianlong’s Ideals and Identities in Eighteenth-Century Chinese Court Painting
General Examination fields: Chinese painting, Neolithic to present; High Qing (1661-1799)
Chinese visual culture; Edo period (1683-1868) Japanese visual culture
A.M., History of Art and Architecture March 2005
Qualifying paper: Reality, Representation, and Reception: Tripartite Space in the ‘Pictures of the European

Return to CV.

3. Lucy has an extensive list of fellowships and awards. That’s wonderful, but it does take up quite a bit of real estate on the first page of her CV. It might be worth trimming here, or including the information on a second or third page. Also, she might talk about her grant-supported research in a Research Experience section. Return to CV.

4. Lucy includes her average teaching-evaluation ratings right on her CV. This is an interesting idea—it’s not something we often see. It’s hard to know what these numbers mean, however, without a bit more context. We’re not sure if the numbers are about her, or the course as a whole. Return to CV.

5. Lucy’s Professional Presentations section could benefit from two changes. First, she needs to put the dates on the right to be consistent with other sections of her CV. Second, because she includes guest lectures and paper presentations here, she might separate them into two different subheadings under this section. Return to CV.

6. The Related Professional Experience section is too much of a mixed bag to be useful to readers. We would suggest that Lucy divide the information into multiple sections, the most important of which would be one called Research Experience. She lists four positions that would easily fall under that section and it would give her a forum to talk a bit more about her own scholarship. Other sections might be Editing and Translation Experience and Administrative Experience. Return to CV.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

Marva Johnson is set to take the helm of Florida A&M University this summer.
Leadership & governance
‘Surprising': A DeSantis-Backed Lobbyist Is Tapped to Lead Florida A&M
Students and community members protest outside of Coffman Memorial Union at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
Campus Activism
One Year After the Encampments, Campuses Are Quieter and Quicker to Stop Protests
Hoover-NBERValue-0516 002 B
Diminishing Returns
Why the College Premium Is Shrinking for Low-Income Students
Harvard University
'Deeply Unsettling'
Harvard’s Battle With Trump Escalates as Research Money Is Suddenly Canceled

From The Review

Illustration showing a valedictorian speaker who's tassel is a vintage microphone
The Review | Opinion
A Graduation Speaker Gets Canceled
By Corey Robin
Illustration showing a stack of coins and a university building falling over
The Review | Opinion
Here’s What Congress’s Endowment-Tax Plan Might Cost Your College
By Phillip Levine
Photo-based illustration of a college building under an upside down baby crib
The Review | Opinion
Colleges Must Stop Infantilizing Everyone
By Gregory Conti

Upcoming Events

Ascendium_06-10-25_Plain.png
Views on College and Alternative Pathways
Coursera_06-17-25_Plain.png
AI and Microcredentials
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin