What Graduate Students Should Translate
Select an experience below to see what it may include, how to describe it and the value it can demonstrate to employers.
What it includes: Literature review, data collection, qualitative or quantitative analysis, laboratory methods, ethics/IRB, technical writing, and communicating findings.
How to Translate: Describe the methods you used, the problems you investigated, your role in the work and the results or findings you produced.
Employer-Facing Value: Research design, data analysis, technical expertise, problem-solving, project management, collaboration and communication.
What it includes: Facilitation, curriculum development, assessment, mentoring, presentations, and explaining complex concepts.
How to Translate: Describe what you taught or facilitated, your audience, how you communicated complex information and any improvements or outcomes you contributed to.
Employer-Facing Value: Training, communication, presentation, adaptability, mentoring and audience-centered communication.
What it includes: Long-term research, project planning, independent problem-solving, subject-matter expertise, and managing milestones.
How to Translate: Focus on the project you managed, decisions you made, methods you used, challenges you addressed and results you produced.
Employer-Facing Value: Project management, independent judgment, research and analysis, persistence, synthesis and managing ambiguity.
What it includes: Research, teaching, administrative, technical or other professional responsibilities completed as part of a graduate assistantship.
How to Translate: Treat your assistantship as professional experience by describing your role, responsibilities, scope, stakeholders, tools and accomplishments.
Employer-Facing Value: Varies by role and may include research, analysis, teaching, communication, project coordination, technical skills, collaboration or stakeholder engagement.
What it includes: Committee work, student organizations, conference planning, peer mentoring, outreach, and other leadership or service activities.
How to Translate: Describe your role, who you worked with, what you organized or influenced and the result of your contribution.
Employer-Facing Value: Leadership, professional communication, event or project coordination, stakeholder engagement, teamwork and collaboration.
Write Strong Experience Bullets
Build each bullet with: Action + Task | Skill or Method | Result or Impact
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Instead of saying… |
Give more details and show your graduate-level value… |
|---|---|
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Responsible for research on student persistence |
Analyzed survey and enrollment data for 450 graduate students using R and Excel, identifying three factors associated with first-year persistence. |
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Helped teach biology labs |
Facilitated weekly laboratory instruction for 48 undergraduates and redesigned safety demonstrations, contributing to a 15% increase in practical-exam performance. |
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Worked on a community health project |
Coordinated a five-member interdisciplinary team and three community partners to deliver health screenings to 200 residents. |
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Presented my dissertation research |
Translated dissertation findings for academic and nontechnical audiences through two conference presentations and a three-minute research talk. |
Show Evidence, Not Just Claims
When communicating your skills, use specific examples that demonstrate what you've done and the value you've contributed.
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Generic Claim |
Graduate-Level Experience |
|---|---|
|
I have strong research skills |
For my thesis, I designed an IRB-approved mixed-methods study, analyzed survey and interview data, and translated findings for both academic and practitioner audiences. |
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I am an effective communicator |
As a teaching assistant, I explained statistical concepts to 60 students and developed visual examples that improved participation during weekly lab sessions. |
|
I am a strong leader |
I coordinated a five-member graduate team and three community partners to deliver a professional-development event for 120 attendees. |
Resume or CV?
- Use a resume for most industry, nonprofit, government, consulting, and applied roles
- Use a CV when applying for faculty, postdoctoral, research-intensive, or other academic opportunities that require a complete scholarly record
Types of Professional Documents
A strong cover letter connects your experience to the needs of a specific position and organization. For graduate students, this often means translating research, teaching, assistantships, technical expertise and other academic experiences into language appropriate for your intended audience.
When writing your letter:
- Choose two or three qualifications most relevant to the opportunity.
- Use specific examples from your graduate training and experience as evidence.
- Translate academic or disciplinary terminology when writing for audiences outside your field.
- Add context to your résumé or CV rather than repeating it.
For guidance on structure, formatting and general cover-letter best practices, see the Gamecock’s Guide to Resumes & Cover Letters.
Want feedback on your letter? Book an appointment with a graduate career coach.
Your résumé should be a selective, not comprehensive, presentation of the experiences most relevant to your target opportunity. Graduate-level research, teaching, assistantships, projects and leadership can all be professional experience when they demonstrate relevant skills and accomplishments.
Consider including:
- Graduate and undergraduate education
- Relevant research, teaching, clinical or professional experience
- Technical and specialized skills
- Selected projects, leadership or service
- Selected publications, presentations or other scholarship when relevant to the position
Then:
Use the Gamecock’s Guide to Resumes & Cover Letters for résumé structure, formatting, bullet writing, action verbs and additional examples.
Need help deciding what to emphasize? Bring your résumé and a target job description to a graduate career coaching appointment.
A curriculum vitae (CV) showcases the evolution of your academic and professional achievements. Unlike a resume, it can expand over your career and is typically used for faculty, postdoctoral, research, fellowship, grant, and other academic submissions.
General Tips for Crafting a CV
- Build a clear, accurate record of your academic preparation, scholarship, teaching, service, and professional contributions.
- When deciding what to include, think holistically but selectively: include experiences that demonstrate your academic preparation, scholarly interests, teaching or mentoring, research methods, leadership, service, technical skills, or discipline-specific expertise.
If an employer requests a resume, submit a resume unless the instructions specifically ask for a CV. If you are unsure, review the application language carefully and ask a faculty mentor, advisor, or career coach whether a CV or resume is expected for that field or opportunity.
Creating Your Graduate Student CV
Length: There is no universal page limit. Graduate student CVs are typically 2–5 pages, but length should reflect relevant accomplishments and the expectations of your discipline.
Readability: Be mindful of margin, font, text sizes and line spacing as they can all impact the readability of your document. Use clear section headings, reverse chronological order within sections, and consistent date, punctuation, indentation, and citation formats. Keep the presentation restrained. Avoid photos, graphics, rating bars, decorative borders, and multicolumn layouts that may interfere with readability.
Accuracy: Represent your role and publication status precisely. Never label submitted or in-progress work as published.
Contact Information: Name, city and state, phone number, professional email, and your LinkedIn or professional website. When relevant, you can add your ORCID or Google Scholar profile.
Education: Degrees in reverse chronological order with institution, location, field, and graduation date. For an in-progress degree, use “Expected Month Year.” Include dissertation/thesis title and advisor when useful.
Research Interests or Expertise: A concise set of scholarly areas, methods, populations, theories, technologies, or applied domains. Tailor the order to the opportunity.
Research Experience: Research assistantships, laboratory work, fieldwork, independent studies, collaborative projects, and dissertation or thesis research can all belong in this section. Describe the research question or project area, methods used, responsibilities, collaborators, tools or data sources, and your specific contributions.
Teaching and Mentoring: Instructor and teaching-assistant roles, courses, institutions, dates, level of responsibility, instructional methods, curriculum development, and advising or mentoring.
Scholarship: Separate peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, conference presentations, posters, invited talks, exhibitions, performances, or other discipline-specific outputs.
- Grants, fellowships, scholarships, honors, and awards
- Academic, clinical, professional, consulting, or industry experience
- Service, committee work, leadership, outreach, and community engagement
- Professional memberships and affiliations
- Certifications, licensure, specialized training, languages, technical skills, or laboratory methods
- Media contributions, patents, exhibitions, performances, datasets, software, or public scholarship
- References—include only when requested or customary for the application
Publications: Include published work such as peer-reviewed articles, books, book chapters or reviews using the citation style standard in your discipline.
Presentations: Include conference papers, panels, oral presentations, workshops and invited talks. Include event, organization, location or format, and date.
Posters: List separately or with presentations based on the conventions of your discipline and the amount of work you have to include.
Works in Progress: Clearly identify the status of unpublished work using accurate terms such as “under review,” “revise and resubmit,” “submitted” or “in preparation.
A CV may be comprehensive, but that doesn’t mean every opportunity should receive an identical document. Consider the priorities of the position, fellowship, grant or program and organize your CV to make the most relevant qualifications easy to find.
- Prioritize research, teaching, clinical experience, public scholarship, leadership or technical expertise based on the opportunity.
- Follow all requested application requirements, including file type, page limits and naming conventions.
- Represent your experience and scholarly work accurately without overstating your role or accomplishments.
- Follow the conventions of your discipline. Review examples from faculty, advanced graduate students, professional associations or other trusted resources in your field.