CV clinic a success for musculoskeletal PhD students and post-docs

A CV clinic was held on Tuesday  12^th May within the Centre for Musculoskeletal Research (CfMR)/ NIHR Manchester Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit to provide advice and guidance to PhD students and Post-Docs on how best to develop, present and maintain their academic CVs.

The clinic started with an introduction by Rachel Cowen, Centre for Academic and Researcher Development, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences. In this introductory presentation, Rachel asked attendees to consider their current and future career aims and then described the potential content and structure of their CV. This presentation provided attendees with real opportunities for personal reflection of areas for development, but importantly also emphasised the extensive range of skills and knowledge those working in research have.

Professor Anne Barton, CfMR Lead and Training Lead for the NIHR Manchester Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit then gave a further presentation on recommended CV structures and content, focusing on how best to develop an academic CV for a research career in Manchester.

After the introductory presentations, there was opportunity for peer to peer review of CVs and then 25 trainees had scheduled one-to-one meetings with an academic member of staff to receive feedback and advice on their academic CV.

A lot of verbal positive feedback was received from both trainees and the academic staff conducting the one to one meetings, with trainees appreciating the opportunity and protected time to discuss their CV with an academic member of staff. One PhD student emailed to report “I found the entire afternoon useful and enlightening” and “We (the PhD students) … all agreed CV writing was an essential skill that the clinic usefully taught”.

This event was a real success and it is planned to make this an annual event for all CfMR/BRU trainees.