15 Best CV Templates to Download for the UK in 2024
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Whether fuelled by a burning passion for your subject, a quest for answers, or the professional necessity for this specific qualification—it all starts with a well-written PhD CV.
The competition is high, and places are scarce. Therefore, invest the time and effort to ensure that your PhD application reflects your personal strengths, achievements, and ambitions.
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. In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to write a PhD application CV that captures attention.
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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
Recently completed an MA in Philosophy at the University College London with Distinction, delving into the philosophical and moral foundations of contemporary human rights. Specifically explored the right to privacy in the digital era, evaluating the implications of national internet privacy laws on human rights declarations. Keen on further research into the challenges posed by bulk data collection. Engaged in interdisciplinary research on public perceptions of privacy, soon to be published in the Journal of British Philosophy.
Education
Distinction MA in Philosophy (2024)
University College London
Department of Philosophy
1st Class BSc in Philosophy (2021)
University College London
Department of Philosophy
Publications
Work Experience
Teaching Assistant
University College London
September 2022–Present
Part of a team of 3 interdisciplinary researchers that secured £21,000 in funding from the International Rights Foundation to research public perceptions of classical human rights in the UK.
Conferences
Memberships
References
That’s a solid PhD CV example. Soon, you'll see how to compose your own CV, but first, let me explain what is a PhD CV and how it is different from other CVs.
A PhD CV is an extensive summary of academic and professional achievements, skills, and qualifications. It can be longer than a traditional resume and is often used by those pursuing academic or research roles, including doctoral program applicants, postdocs, and university faculty candidates.
A PhD CV differs from a traditional CV by highlighting academic achievements, research experience, publications, and area-specific skills relevant to doctoral studies or academic positions. When writing a PhD CV, you must describe your research projects, publications, teaching experience, and academic honours, tailored specifically to academic or research roles. The focus on academic and research accomplishments distinguishes a PhD CV from traditional CVs, which prioritize professional experience and relevant skills.
Now, here’s how to write a PhD CV that the hiring committee will love:
Putting your research interests at the top of your PhD CV will be your way of saying, “Hey, this is what I'm passionate about!”. In the initial section of your PhD application CV, highlight your research interests, showcase your most impactful past research, and describe your current focus.
While outlining your future research direction, demonstrate passion and a comprehensive understanding of your field. Avoid ambiguous, vague, and unnecessary statements. Instead, limit the research interests section to 8 lines maximum.
There's likely a cover letter or a personal statement accompanying your application, so no need to go into too much detail. Spark interest and demonstrate your value without revealing everything upfront. This brief overview should encourage the reader to explore further and appreciate the depth of your contributions.
Research Interests
Recently completed an MA in Philosophy at the University College London with Distinction, delving into the philosophical and moral foundations of contemporary human rights. Specifically explored the right to privacy in the digital era, evaluating the implications of national internet privacy laws on human rights declarations. Keen on further research into the challenges posed by bulk data collection. Engaged in interdisciplinary research on public perceptions of privacy, soon 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.
Just like with your research interests, putting your work experience front and center gives others a quick glimpse into what you've been up to and what you bring to the table.
Using reverse chronological order, showcase your academic journey, including degree titles, graduation dates, institution names, and department affiliations. Additionally, provide thesis titles and supervisors' names.
Feel free to include bullet points to emphasize standout accomplishments. Save space by omitting secondary education unless specifically requested, prioritizing highly relevant information.
Education
Distinction MA in Philosophy (2024)
University College London
Department of Philosophy
1st Class BSc in Philosophy (2021)
University College London
Department of Philosophy
In the next section of your PhD CV, consider listing the most prominent publications if you have any. You might also want to prioritize sections like Awards or whatever the institution suggests.
Wherever you place your Publications section, ensure 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, group them together under your publications. List the title, patent number, inventors, and the date the patent was awarded.
Publications
Ever considered how your professional journey intertwines with your academic aspirations? The work experience section of your PhD CV is where you reflect on your professional history, melding real-world insights and scholarly endeavours.
Using the reverse-chronological format as always, you can choose one of the two styles to present your professional experience best:
Work Experience
Job Title
Institution Name
Dates
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 key PhD CV components:
Any research assistant jobs, fellowships, postdoctoral appointments, etc., find their place just here. This is also the best spot to expand on your ‘Research Interests’ section if you feel this will help your application.
List the subjects, levels, and 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, and the different bodies and organisations you sat on to make yourself stand out as the most complete candidate.
Work Experience
Teaching Assistant
University College London
September 2022-Present
Part of a team of 3 interdisciplinary researchers that secured £21,000 in funding from the International Rights Foundation to research public perceptions of classical human rights in the UK.
Whether you're a member of professional organizations, academic societies, or other groups relevant to your field, demonstrating your memberships communicates that you're plugged into a network of like-minded individuals.
Make a list of all your professional memberships, with dates and roles if they’re significant. If you’re performing an important role within those organisations, drop a few bullet points to explain that.
Memberships
Have you organised or chaired any sessions? Describe such an 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 actively participated in.
Conferences
References are opinions of those who have seen your potential first-hand and can attest to your skills, character, and accomplishments. When listing references on your CV, check your institution’s info on how many PhD referees to provide and whether they need to fulfil 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
Let’s be straight to the point: thoroughly study the supporting documents list. You may encounter specialized essays, which you should handle on your own. PhD cover letters, if required, tend to be much longer than the commercial ones, so check carefully.
Still, you can 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 how many PhD CVs reach schools with errors and mistakes. These documents can be long and tedious and, therefore hard to proofread. Follow our CV format guidelines to avoid such inaccuracies:
And if you still have doubts and questions regarding your first PhD CV, read an extensive guide about PhD applications with a helpful checklist at the end. Best of 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 PhD CV examples 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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