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How
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Author:
Madeline Roberts, PhD, MPH “Dear EpiMonitor, I am starting my job search. I am told that my CV which is in the format required for my institution is unattractive and hard to read. Do you have a recommended format for people in our field?” To begin, often résumé and CV are used synonymously, but there are nuanced differences between them. Largely they vary based on the position or industry to which you are applying as well as your own experience. A suggested rule-of-thumb is a one-page résumé for Bachelor’s degree applicants, a two-page résumé for Master’s degree applicants, and a comprehensive CV for an applicant with a doctoral degree, however, certain organizations may request a CV format for any level candidate. Additionally, if you participated in research at the bachelor or master level and have publications, you may wish to include a publication category on your résumé or choose a CV format to highlight your experience. Great examples and formats of both CVs and résumés can be found here. Résumé or CV? In short here are the similarities and differences:
More and more epidemiologists will be in this same predicament. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects job growth for epidemiologists will increase 27% between 2022 and 2032, which is higher than average growth across all occupations. Over the next decade, approximately 800 openings annually are estimated for epidemiologists, many of which may stem from the need to replace workers who exit the field of epidemiology or retire. We have previously written about the epidemiology job market outlook (here and here). Since our previous articles on the epidemiology job market, ChatGPT and generative AI have become an increasingly outsize factor virtually everywhere, including on the job-seeker front. For some time, employers have used AI and Applicant Tracking Systems to cull résumés, direct application processes, and identify candidates. A newer development is that applicants are now leveraging generative AI to write cover letters and résumés and using bots to apply for scores of jobs in a matter of minutes. (It is worth noting here that applying for jobs via bots can potentially backfire, as some employers now intentionally build skip questions into online applications to flag bot applicants.) Having said that, ChatGPT and AI applications for job seekers can be powerful tools to help tailor your CV to a particular job description, and to edit, condense, and strengthen your work experience descriptions on your CV. Job-seeker applications like Sonora, Big Interview, Massive, and LazyApply assist with a number of tasks such as identifying jobs of interest and even applying to them on your behalf, as well as critiquing and strengthening your CV or résumé. One LazyApply user reported an approximately half percent success rate—20 interviews were extended after the service had applied for around 5,000 positions. As you progress to the interview process, large language models like ChatGPT can help you think through potential interview questions, then flip the script to evaluate and refine your responses. The best rule of thumb we’ve heard is to treat ChatGPT and generative AI as a research assistant—a solid source of information that you still need to check. If you are using ChatGPT for anything, you still need to “own the information” and make sure you’ve read and fact-checked it. And in the job-seeking process, remember something AI cannot generate for you is genuine interest in a position or organization. While content and formatting may vary depending on the type of job you’re seeking (academic position, state health department, private industry), we’ve compiled some general pointers below. 1. Write an objective. Depending on what job you’re applying for, a concise, clearly stated objective can communicate both your expertise and your interest in a specific position. 2. The double-edged sword of ChatGPT and generative AI. Use generative AI to help tailor your CV to a particular job description, and to edit, condense, and strengthen your work experience descriptions on your CV. Be aware that some companies include skip questions to differentiate between candidates that are mass-applying via bots and candidates that are applying manually. Generative AI can also help you prepare for an interview by assuming the role of an interviewer and asking you questions, as well as evaluating and refining your responses. 3. Once you have finalized your content, consider exploring professional résumé CV templates in a template editor, such as Canva. After all, you want to stand out! Good luck in your job search! Be sure to stop by our job openings page, you may just find your next position. ■ |
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