Assistant Professor CV Guide + Tips + Example

Kellie Hanna, CPRW
By Kellie Hanna, CPRW, Career Advice ExpertRated 4.4/5 Stars
Last Updated: September 23, 2023
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So, you want a job as an assistant professor. A well-written CV is the place to start! Our guide to crafting an effective assistant professor CV will help you make the most of your subject matter expertise and your interpersonal skills, so you can get the job you want.

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Assistant professor CV example (text version)

Sarah Sailor
Los Angeles, CA
(555) 555-5555
example@example.com

Summary Statement

Seasoned assistant professor with four years of experience teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in English language and literature. Extensive knowledge of linguistics, English and American literature and grammar conventions. Participates in continued learning through conferences and professional research. Actively works to connect students to their material to transform lives.

Core Qualifications

  • Student records management
  • Lesson planning
  • Discussion facilitation
  • Presentations
  • Online learning tools
  • MS Office
  • Time management
  • Attention to detail

Education

  • University of California – Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
    Ph.D. Comparative Literature
  • California State University – Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
    Master of Arts English Literature
  • University of California – Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
    Bachelor of Arts English
  • Minor- Creative Writing

Work Experience

June 2019 – Current
California State University, Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA
Assistant Professor

  • Teach four courses in English literature, language and linguistics, to 60 students at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
  • Prepare syllabi, curricula, reading materials, tests and quizzes.
  • Regularly meet with students during office hours to address concerns and offer feedback.
  • Keep thorough records of over 100 student scores and attendance.
    Grade exams and papers, giving detailed feedback.

September 2016 – May 2019
University Of California, Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA
Lecturer

  • Deliver lectures to over 50 students and facilitate classroom discussions on analysis, rhetoric, critical theory, structure and style.
  • Arranged syllabus and designed and distributed lecture handouts to round out material and increase student understanding.
  • Graded assignments according to strict institutional policies and upheld guidelines for academic integrity.
    Mentored undergraduate and graduate students in effective next steps for education and career preparedness.
    Held weekly office hours to work with struggling students one-on-one and increase GPAs.

June 2012 – August 2016
University Of California, Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA
Teaching Assistant

  • Led discussion groups for 40 students taking lecture courses.
  • Created discussion questions and facilitated interactions, both in class and on the web portal.
  • Dispersed, collected and graded all assignments, including papers, quizzes and tests.
  • Met regularly with other teaching assistants and lecturers to discuss progress and address concerns.
  • Inputted 300 student records into the database.

Research Experience

  • Research Lead: California State University, Los Angeles, 2019-2020
  • Developed unique research into English writing in the 21st century.
  • Designed research projects and alternative approaches and discussed results with thesis advisors.
  • Research Assistant: University of California, Los Angeles, 2014-2015
  • Improved thesis and investigation through consistent hard work and dedication to the writing project.
  • Collaborated with three liberal arts multidisciplinary team members to accomplish primary and secondary research goals.

Publications

Sailor, S. “A Historical Review of English Literature’s Impact in Urban Culture.” The English Historical Review, vol. 86, no. 90, 2019, pp.118-25

Conference Presentations

  • Social Media and Literature, Subject and Exposition Conference – (2021)
  • “Inclusive Language and Literature”, Literature Summit – (2019)
  • Are Memes Considered Literature? Conference – (2018)

Conference Attendance

  • 2022 National Humanities Conference, Los Angeles, CA – (2022)
  • Festival of Books, Los Angeles, CA – (2022)
  • 2022 Annual Conference of the ALA, Washington, DC. – (2022)
  • The Greater Los Angeles Writers Conference – (2021)

Professional Affiliations and Memberships

  • The American Literature Association – (2021)
  • Council of Literary Magazines and Presses – (2019)
  • Associations of Writer and Writing Programs -(2018)
  • California Literary and Prologue Society – (2018)

Profession Relevant Skills

  • Strong critical and analytical skills in reading, writing and comprehension.
  • Passion for connecting students to learning modalities that incite their interest in the Humanities.
  • Skilled at explaining and illustrating material in a manner that students of varying levels can understand.
  • Exceptional speaking skills without losing train of thought or direction.
  • Pleasant personality to connect with students and colleagues.
  • Great interest in increased knowledge and passion for fostering academic development and success for every student.

Languages

  • English
    Native or Bilingual
  • Spanish
    Professional Working

Hobbies and Interests

Shakespeare enthusiast; participate in yearly Shakespeare festival and oversee campus Shakespeare Club. Enjoy writing personal works, such as poetry and personal essays.

5 essentials of a top assistant professor CV

  1. Contact details

    Without contact information, hiring managers cannot ask you for an interview. Create a section at the top of your CV for it. Display your contact information as follows: Your full name, then your city, state and ZIP code, followed by your phone number and professional email address. If you have a LinkedIn profile and professional website, add those as well.

  2. Personal statement

    A personal statement, also called a professional summary, is your chance to shine.  It’s where you introduce yourself to the hiring manager and pitch your best technical and soft skills and relevant work experience. an assistant professor CV personal statement should include one or two of your most notable professional accomplishments to grab the hiring manager’s attention.

  3. Skills

    Hiring managers want to know if your skills match their needs. Show them you have what it takes by creating a separate section and using bullet points to display your top hard and soft skills — from syllabus creation to academic research— as demonstrated by our assistant professor CV sample. If you are applying for your first job, include transferable skills, which are soft skills, such as communication, that you can use in any job.

  4. Work history

    Your CV must have a detailed employment history section, even if you don’t have work experience as an assistant professor. List current and previous employers in reverse-chronological order and provide school names, locations and the dates you worked for each. Add three bullet points of measurable achievements for every job you list. If you don’t have work experience in the field or if this is your first job application, display extracurricular activities, volunteer experience, community service, professional and personal projects — anything that shows you have relevant work experience.

  5. Education

    In your CV for an assistant professor job, add all the educational institutions you’ve attended after high school. Use bullet points for each school and display the name of the school and the year you graduated unless it was more than 10 years ago. List your high school information and any post-high school classes taken if you did not attend college.

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Do’s and don’ts for building an assistant professor CV

  • Use measurable achievements to describe your assistant professor skills and experience.
  • Use action words to make an impact on your assistant professor CV.
  • Tailor your CV to your target assistant professor job.
  • Use keywords from the job description throughout your assistant professor CV.
  • Format your assistant professor CV so that it is easy to read by ATS software and human eyes.
  • Lie about your assistant professor’s work experience and skills.
  • Boast about your “incomparable” assistant professor abilities.
  • Include irrelevant personal information such as your ethnicity and age.
  • Add skills and experience that do not pertain to being an assistant professor.
  • Forget to proofread. An assistant professor CV with errors is unprofessional.

Top 4 tips for acing an assistant professor interview

  1. Learn about the school or institution before your interview.

    Learning about an institution’s history, goals, values and people before the interview is important. It shows real interest, dedication and commitment — traits that hiring managers look for in top job candidates. Plus, having a glimpse of the school before you arrive will give you an idea of what to expect on arrival so that you can feel confident.

  2. Practice!

    A little practice now will go a long way during your interview. To practice for your interview, start by reviewing the most common interview questions, such as: 

    Ask a friend to interview you so you can get comfortable with the questions and imprint the answers in your mind. Ask them for feedback on your performance and answers, and write down their suggestions that resonate with you. You’ll feel confident and ready when it’s time for the real thing.

  3. Be proactive and ask questions.

    Your interviewer will ask if you have any questions at the end of your session. You should always have at least three questions ready to ask; job candidates who don’t ask questions are not as likely to get hired because hiring managers assume they aren’t interested in the role or won’t put much thought into it. 

    Some questions you might ask for an assistant professor job are: 

    • What do you expect from someone in this position during the first 30 days?
    • What is your management style?
    • What do you like most about working here?
  4. Have references ready.

    Having professional references before your interview will prepare you in case the hiring manager decides to move forward. Create a list of two former colleagues and a former manager willing to speak to your abilities to perform the assistant professor job and who you know will give you a stellar review. Even better if they write a letter of recommendation for you.

    If you are applying for your first full-time job and don’t have former colleagues or a manager for reference, it’s acceptable to get references from a former instructor, volunteer coordinator, internship manager, classmate, or community leader who will provide a positive review about your ability to perform the job.

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