Vita Writing
A vita is similar to a resume in that it documents your academic and professional experiences. However, unlike a resume, a vita includes additional headings summarizing such experiences as research, clinical, presentations, workshops and publications. A vita is used for individuals considering graduate or professional school and/or working in an academic or research setting. Vitas are considered “lifelong” documents because they accumulate. In other words, information on a vita begins at the college level and accumulates throughout one’s life. This is why a vita eventually becomes several pages in length, unlike a resume that is one page in length and highlights current professional experiences within the past three years. This does not mean that a vita can be filled with “stuff.” Make certain that your vita includes quality and not quantity. As with a resume, a vita must be neat, well organized, contain no “typos” or misspellings and have relevant information.
See the example below to get started on your Vita.
MAJOR SECTIONS OF A VITA
(Note: As a current college student, it is unlikely that you have accumulated enough experience to fill up all of the sections below. Remember that a vita is a lifelong document! Eventually, you will be adding more sections, or you may have an additional section to add which is unique to your own experiences. Complete what is appropriate for you now and add on as you obtain additional experiences.
1) Heading
Name, Address, Phone, e-mail
2) Education
List in reverse chronological order starting with the most recent.
Include:
a) name of college/university
b) graduation/expected graduation
c) major/minor or plan of study
d) degree earned/expected
e) GPA
3) Significant Coursework
Pay attention to the word “significant”. List courses that are very significant to your educational or academic goals or courses that are unique and show special skills. This should be limited to four courses. Only list the course titles, not numbers.
4) Employment
List relevant job experiences in chronological order starting with the most recent.
Include:
a) name of employer
b) city of employer
c) dates you worked
d) job title
e) duties and responsibilities (use action verbs)(see attached list)
5) Professional Experience
This includes any activity that helped you develop skills. Internships, practicums or volunteering are good examples of professional experiences. Format these experiences the same as #4 above. Remember to use action verbs.
6) Research
List each research experience you have had. Explain the study population, hypotheses and your duties in detail using paragraph format. Remember to use appropriate terminology relevant to your field of study and the research you did.
7) Workshops/Lectures
List any workshops or lectures you attended or presented. Describe them in detail using paragraph format. Include the dates attended and locations.
8) Publications
If you have produced research publications and other articles, list them in reference format. Remember that these must be professional publications where you were a significant part of the published work.
9) Teaching
List any teaching experiences you have had. Use the same format as #4 and #5 above.
10) Honors and Awards
List these by their titles. Remember to put dates.
11) Professional Memberships
List all academic and professional societies in which you are a member.
12) Additional Skills
List any other skills you feel are relevant to your area.
13) Activities
List any activities that show your potential and skill.
JANE A. PURDUE
Campus Address Home Address
100 W. Pine St. PO Box 1000
West Lafayette, IN 47907 Purdueville, IN, 47900
765-555-1000 111-222-3456
EDUCATION
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
Bachelor of Arts, May 2005
Major: Psychology and Sociology
Minor: Philosophy
GPA: 3.5/4.0
SIGNIFICANT COURSEWORK
Advanced research methods, Philosophy of aging, Peer counseling methods
EMPLOYMENT
Sales Associate, Hallmark Hall of Cards, May 2003-April 2005
*Ran cash register
*Assembled store items on shelf
*Assisted customers with inquiries
Food Service Worker, Windsor Halls, August 2002-May 2003
*Prepared meals for students
*Organized evening menu
*Supervised clean up and closing
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Intern, Family Services, Inc., August 2002-present
*Observe clinical staffings of patients who see the psychiatrist
*Write treatment plans
*Assist with intake of new clients
Volunteer, Crisis Center, August 2003-present
*Assist callers with emotional concerns
*Assess callers’ situations and make referrals as needed
*Document information for the center
RESEARCH
Anxiety in new students. Fall Semester, 2001. Assisted Professor Purdue with research on anxiety in new students. The research consisted of distributing questionnaires during orientation at Purdue. The questionnaires were distributed again at the end of the first semester. I then input the data and ran a trend analysis. Results indicated that new students’ anxiety levels decreased during the semester. I wrote the results for the research project and discussed my interpretation of why anxiety was reduced throughout the semester.
WORKSHOPS/LECTURES
The Psychological Effects of Aging, Professor James White, Harvard University, Spring, 2004
How Philosophy can Enhance Our Lives, Father Andrew Price, IUPUI Campus, Fall, 2004
HONORS AND AWARDS
Dean’s list and semester honors, 2003, 2004, 2005
Outstanding Psychology student, 2004
Women in Psychology award, 2003, 2004
ADDITIONAL SKILLS
Microsoft office, fluent in Spanish
ACTIVITIES
Intramural basketball and soccer, 2001-present
Dance company member, 2003-present