Graduate Student CV Examples & Templates
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Graduate Student CV Example (Text Version)
Ann Turner
Philadelphia, PA 19111
(555) 555-5555
example@example.com
Career Objective
Motivated psychology graduate student with a 3.9 GPA and a passion for advancing mental health through research and practice. Experienced in designing and conducting five research studies on cognitive psychology and behavioral interventions, with findings published in leading journals. Proficient in statistical analysis, data visualization and clinical practice, delivering tailored therapeutic strategies that reduced client symptoms by 40%. Collaborative and detail-oriented, seeking opportunities to contribute to impactful psychological research and evidence-based practice.
Core Qualifications
- Psychological assessment
- Data analysis (SPSS, R, Python)
- Research design and execution
- Behavioral intervention strategies
- Effective communication and teaching
- Scientific writing and publication
- Advanced statistical analysis
- Communication
Education
Expected in June 2025
Temple University Philadelphia, PA
Master of Arts Counseling Psychology
- GPA: 3.9/4.0
- Concentration: Mental Health Counseling
- Relevant Coursework: Advanced Cognitive Psychology, Neuropsychology, Quantitative Methods in Psychology, Clinical Psychopathology, Behavioral Therapy Techniques
June 2022
Temple University Philadelphia, PA
Bachelor of Arts Psychology
- GPA: 3.8/4.0
- Honors and Awards: Magna cum laude, Dean’s List (all semesters), Psi Chi National Honor Society
Work Experience
September 2022 – Current
Temple University – Philadelphia, PA
Graduate Research Assistant
- Conduct experiments on the impact of mindfulness on decision-making, increasing participant retention by 25% through effective communication.
- Design surveys using Qualtrics, reducing data collection time by 30%.
- Assist in securing a $50,000 research grant by contributing to data analysis and drafting compelling grant proposals.
September 2021 – May 2022
Penn Medicine – Philadelphia, PA
Intern—Clinical Psychology
- Conducted psychological assessments for over 20 clients weekly, achieving 95% accuracy in diagnosis.
- Designed and implemented therapeutic interventions, reducing symptoms of anxiety by 40% in participating clients.
- Prepared detailed reports and progress notes, increasing clinician productivity by 20%
September 2019 – June 2021
Temple University – Philadelphia, PA
Teaching Assistant—Psychology Department
- Led discussion groups for over 50 undergraduate students, enhancing exam performance by 15%.
- Assisted in grading assignments and providing feedback, improving student satisfaction scores by 25%.
- Conducted review sessions and workshops on APA citation methods.
Research Experience
- “Cognitive Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Working Memory” – Designed and executed a study with 200 participants; findings published in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
- “Neuropsychological Profiles in Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease” – Contributed to grant-funded research; analyzed data sets using SPSS, resulting in a publication.
- “Impact of Technology on Adolescent Attention Spans” – Conducted literature reviews, contributing to the development of hypotheses that were validated in 85% of experiments.
- “Childhood Trauma and Its Correlation with Adult Resilience” – Performed longitudinal research with over 300 subjects, presented at a national conference.
- “Behavioral Interventions in Reducing Social Anxiety” – Worked on a study on cognitive-behavioral therapy’s effectiveness for anxiety disorders, resulting in a 12% improvement in patient outcomes across trials.
Publications
- Turner, A., & Smith, A. (2024). Effects of mindfulness on decision-making. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 38(4), 457–473. https://doi.org/xxxxx
- Turner, J. (2023). Behavioral interventions for social anxiety. Clinical Psychology Review, 56, 123–134. https://doi.org/xxxxx
- Turner, A., & Lee, B. (2021). Early-onset Alzheimer’s neuropsychological profiles. Neuropsychology, 42(3), 321–330. https://doi.org/xxxxx
- Turner, A. (2020). Childhood trauma and adult resilience. Journal of Personality, 65(2), 87–101. https://doi.org/xxxxx
- Turner, A., et al. (2019). Adolescent attention spans in a digital world. Developmental Psychology, 29(5), 567–580. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Internship Experience
Clinical Psychology Intern
Behavioral Health Center, Philadelphia, PA
January 2024 – June 2024
- Facilitated weekly group therapy sessions under supervision, resulting in a 10% increase in patient engagement compared to previous quarters.
Research Intern
CORA Services, Philadelphia, PA
January 2021-May 2021
- Analyzed datasets using SPSS and Excel, producing insights that increased the research team’s data interpretation speed by 20%.
School Psychology Intern
The School District of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
September 2019 – December 2019
- Created individualized behavior intervention plans for students, improving classroom compliance by 25%.
Relevant Skills
- Skilled in designing and implementing psychological research studies, utilizing statistical software such as SPSS and R to analyze data and generate actionable insights.
- Experienced in administering and interpreting psychological assessments, developing treatment plans and providing psychoeducation in clinical and academic settings.
- Adept at working within interdisciplinary teams to support patient care and research projects, ensuring timely completion of objectives and fostering cohesive teamwork.
- Demonstrates strong analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities in addressing challenges related to behavior management, experimental design, and therapeutic interventions.
Important CV Sections
Contact details
Your contact information is probably the most important part of your student CV since it’s how you’ll be found if you’re considered for the next steps.
Add your full name, city, state (or country), zip code, phone number and email address. You could also add links to your LinkedIn or other professional profiles.
Be sure that all your information is up to date, especially if you have used the same CV or resume for a long time and have moved or changed any other information since.
See how to write a CV for additional examples and tips.
Professional summary
A professional summary is a short and concise way to introduce yourself and provide general information about your professional background and relevant skills.
As a graduate student, this should include your school and major, your research focus and valuable skills relevant to the job or position you’re applying for.
Also, be sure to mention some tasks you’re good at or have ample experience with, especially if those tasks are required for the position.
Here’s an example:
Enthusiastic Linguistics graduate student with extensive research experience in sociolinguistics and language acquisition. Skilled in field research, quantitative data analysis on SPSS, and paper writing and editing. Eager to collaborate with fellow researchers on large projects that can impact linguistic education.
Skills
Listing your skills in a scannable manner is very important for a CV, as it provides specifics of what can be asked and expected of you in a new position.
You should include a mix of soft skills and hard skills relevant to the job or position you’re applying for.
As a graduate student, you can include research-related skills, such as data analysis, experience with specific software, experience with certain laboratory equipment, certifications on teaching methods, testing and more.
As for soft skills, relevant skills could include public speaking, project management, multitasking or working under pressure.
If you’re a graduate student looking for your first job outside of research and academia, make sure to add transferable skills that would work on a variety of sectors or projects.
These include both soft and hard skills, such as multitasking as well as data analysis.
Work history
A strong work history section is essential for showcasing your skills and qualifications, even if you do not have traditional work experience yet.
You should specify your tasks in each position and any measurable accomplishments. This can be developing new processes for increased efficiency, managing a team or a specific number of people, managing projects and with what results.
You can include internships, work as a teaching or research assistant and detail the tasks related to those experiences. For example:
- Graded tests and essays for a class of over 50 students.
- Surveyed over 200 people for a study about urban planning and gentrification.
- Constructed a syllabus for an undergraduate Linguistics course.
Education
Whether you’re looking for a job or applying for another graduate program, a detailed education section is one of the most important parts of your CV.
Add the academic institutions you have attended, including graduation date, degree and major and minor concentrations.
Be sure to add extracurricular activities, leadership roles, research experience and detailed tasks and responsibilities, especially those relevant to the position you’re applying for.
See our academic CV guide for more examples.
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Action Verbs for Your CV
It’s important to use action verbs that truly accentuate what you did at each of your past positions and what you can offer your potential employers.
Here are some examples of action verbs for a graduate student CV:
- Assist
- Conduct
- Design
- Develop
- Edit
- Evaluate
- Grade
- Lead
- Organize
- Research
- Supervise
- Survey
- Teach
- Test
- Tutor
Want more inspiration? We have hundreds of CV examples to help you visualize the ideal layout for your graduate student CV.
Best Skills for Your CV
As a graduate student, you’ve likely acquired a large variety of skills, from research to teaching and time management. Here are some valuable skills as a graduate student:
- Syllabus design
- Data analysis
- Data collection, entry and analysis
- Teamwork
- Conflict resolution
- Time management
- Multitasking
- Public speaking
- Writing and editing
- Python
- Excel
- SPSS
- Foreign languages
- Translation
Include all the skills you consider relevant, not just directly related to your field or potential new role, but transferable skills that could help out in any scenario.
Certifications for Your CV
There are many certifications that you can acquire during and after your graduate studies, both directly related to your field as well as more general certifications that can still be an asset.
Make sure to list all the certifications you’ve acquired throughout your studies. Here are some examples spanning various fields and industries:
- Microsoft Certified Data Analyst
- ATA-Certified translator
- C++ Certified Professional Programmer
- Certificate in Qualitative or Quantitative Research
- Certification in Research Ethics
- Project Management Professional Certification
- Certified Marketing Analyst
Pair your CV with a matching cover letter
FAQ
How do I write a CV as a graduate student?
Most CVs are written and organized similarly, including contact information, a professional summary, a list of skills and certifications, a comprehensive work history and a detailed education history.
However, depending on whether you want to write an academic or a professional CV, you might want to tailor some of the sections for these purposes.
For a graduate student academic CV — aimed at research, grants, further studies or teaching positions — you can emphasize education, list honors and awards and provide more detail regarding your research experience, such as publications and conferences, especially since your audience will likely be within your field.
As for a more professional CV to enter the job market, detail your work history, even if it’s not directly related to your field; most work experience shows you can be part of a team, adapt to new tasks and other skills necessary for more traditional jobs.
Should I list my honors and awards in my CV?
You should include honors and awards that are relevant to your field of study or the position you’re currently applying for.
Recent academic awards, research grants or recognition for special projects can provide greater context and insight into your work ethic and other skills.
How long should a graduate student CV be?
A graduate student’s CV can be two to four pages long, depending on the amount of experience and its relevance.
For someone with a long list of relevant and important publications, the length can easily go over two pages. If this is your case, don’t be afraid to add most, if not all, of your published work.
On the other hand, avoid unnecessary details and irrelevant experiences, use action verbs to reduce wordiness and establish priorities regarding education, work and publication history. While a CV is a more detailed account of your experience, it’s important to make it scannable and ensure that hiring managers find your most important accomplishments.
Best Practices
- Use specific and measurable achievements instead of vague, general tasks.
- Use action verbs to convey confidence and provide exact information.
- Tailor your CV to the position you’re applying for, whether academic or professional.
- Use keywords that match those in the job description.
- Ensure your format is scannable and ATS-friendly so that you don’t get overlooked by software or humans.
- Lie about your experience or skills.
- Brag about your achievements using vague words, be as specific and as quantitative as you can.
- Include skills or experience that have nothing to do with the position.
- Forget to proofread; grammar mistakes can be a red flag, especially for a graduate-level student.
Interview Tips
Get to know the company or institution
In order to match what the role calls for, you should research the company or institution as well as you can. This will allow you to prepare for possible questions and have answers that actually align with the company’s mission and values.
Research what the company has done, the sectors they’re most successful in (or the ones they’re lacking in, as it’s precisely why they might be hiring) and what their future goals look like.
Also, research their main product or field, especially if it’s new to you. Understanding it is essential for you to do the job, and will help in the job interview itself and avoid wasted time requiring further explanations.
Look into their personnel as well, both key executives and people in the role you’re applying for. This will give you a much clearer picture of what they’re looking for and the tasks that stand out. You might find that you have more relevant experience than you thought and arrive with much more confidence.
Practice
As with any presentation, you should practice to reduce nerves and have talking points ready. Research common behavioral interview questions and carefully prepare your answers.
Take into account your experience and practice in front of the mirror or any other strategy that works for you.
Here are a few examples of common interview questions to prepare for:
- What two or three things are most important to you in a job?
- Describe a time when you needed to cope with a stressful scenario.
- How would your coworkers describe you?
You might find it useful to preemptively make a list of different accomplishments or challenging jobs in which you had to think outside the box and come up with solutions.
Questions asking for specific instances tend to be challenging because applicants can have a hard time remembering when put on the spot.
Prepare to ask questions
There’s always a space for you to ask questions, too. This gives you an opportunity to clear up any doubts you may have about the role and show your genuine interest and disposition.
Have some good questions ready in advance, as you might not come up with anything in the interview, or some might have already been answered by the interviewer.
You can ask about the processes, the expectations, the team composition, the goals for the role and company as a whole and more.
Depending on the type of job, you might also want to ask some field-specific questions that both showcase your knowledge and display your intentions to dig deeper into the topics.
Have references ready
Talk to important people in your professional career ahead of time, whether professors, lead researchers, bosses or editors.
Ask them to be references for your new position and to expect a call or email in the upcoming weeks. This way, you can confidently provide references you can trust on interview day.
Resume examples for the next step in your student career
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Graduate Student
Carlos Silva is a content writer with a background in education and personal finance. He is committed to helping readers and job seekers navigate the job market effectively in pursuit of their goals.
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