If you’ve ever applied for a job, chances are you’ve spent time pouring over your CV. Making sure you’ve made an impressive, eye-catching document that will help you stand out to employers can be a labor of love, or a source of frustration. So, how does it feel when you think you finally have the perfect CV and a licensing board rejects it? Not great.
Licensure boards use your CV differently than potential employers do. They're more focused on accounting for your time spent during your career, where employers are more likely to want to see what makes you stand out from the crowd. Because of this difference, the focus of your CV should be different as well. It’s always best to read the application instructions carefully before submitting anything. Some are more picky than others. But in general, if you follow these guidelines, most states will accept your CV the first time:
Keep things in chronological order- States want to know your full history, sometimes since High School! It’ll be easier for them to tell if there are any gaps if your CV is in order
Include all start and end dates, to the day- Can’t remember exactly when you started your Bachelor’s degree program? It’s best to figure it out or list your best estimate instead of just listing a year. Some states want start and end dates listed down to the day.
Include locations- Include the complete address of each of your employers and universities. If it was a remote position, adding (remote) after the address can help clear up confusion with states that are concerned about your physical location.
Include a brief job description- A couple sentences about your main job duties should be enough to satisfy most boards. Focus less on "I completed these 17 great projects," and more on "This is the type of practice I participated in."
Explain any gaps- Any gaps in employment or education history more than a couple months long will have to be explained to the board.
Publications and professional activities are great, but they’re not the focus- Most boards are most concerned about your education and employment history. Going into great detail about all the professional activities you’ve accomplished is not required to get your application accepted. Your time is likely better spent elsewhere.
Starting the licensing process with a complete and updated CV will also make filling out your applications easier, since nearly all states will ask for your full educational and employment history. Just don’t make the mistake of writing “see attached CV” when it comes to history sections of applications. Even if you’re including a CV, leaving sections of the application blank does not make state boards happy.
Are you applying to multiple boards? Does keeping track of all the different requirements feel overwhelming? We’re happy to help! Check out our licensing services, here!
