Narrative CVs

What is a Narrative CV?

It is a type of CV format that more and more research funders and academic job postings are asking for. They differ from a traditional CV format as instead of focusing solely on what you have achieved, they focus on how your experience, skills, and achievements have made an impact in your field. Specifically, a Narrative CV tends to be written in first person (i.e., “I did...”, “I have....”), information is written in long form/ sentence structure rather than short metric-based bullet points, and the Narrative CV template usually includes four 'modules' which are discussed in detail below.

Benefits/ Rationale for moving to Narrative CV

Narrative CVs are more inclusive and gives more space for people with non-traditional career paths to tell their story There is also a push to move away from relying solely on metrics, e.g., number of publications.

Structure of a Narrative CV

The CV will usually start with 'Personal information'. In this space, you are likely asked to provide information including your name, education, key qualifications, relevant employment positions.

Module 1. How have you contributed to the generation of new knowledge?

In this section, highlight your contributions, outputs, and skills acquired from previous research.

Information might include:

Open access activities e.g., public datasets, preprints, inclusion supplementary materials
Products e.g., commercial, industrial, educational
Patents, inventions, artefacts
Exhibitions, audio or visual media
Software
Journal articles (could include your thesis)
Policy briefs
Funding and awards
Technical skills
Development of methods and tools
Generation of new ideas and hypotheses

Tips: use DOIs to save space, look at CRediT to articulate your contribution to each output you list, don’t use journal impact factors. For team projects, explain your specific contributions.

Module 2. How have you contributed to the development of others?

Information might include:

Leadership, supervision/ mentorship, line management
Development or team building or development activities
Project management critical to the success of a team
Establishing collaborations or networks
Examples of ways you have helped other researchers, e.g., have you helped any new PhD students get set up with ethics, reference management, first publication etc.
Teaching or tutoring experience, but focus on the skills you brought and student outcomes, not on the courses you taught on

Tips: give info on what you did to contribute to the effective working of a team project, any examples of ways you have overcome interpersonal challenges, how your supervision has helped students/staff develop, examples of what your students/mentees went onto achieve because of your guidance.

Module 3. How have you contributed to the wider research and innovation community?

Information might include:

Conference presentations and invited talks
Organisation of workshops and events
Set up of journal clubs or seminar series
Set up of a research project/group/centre
Any positions of responsibility e.g., PGR representative
Service e.g., peer-reviewing, editor, referee roles
Member of a board/panel/committee
Work to support research integrity, EDI etc.

Tips: don’t just list all the boards you are part of. Explain exactly what you contributed to the role and what the outcome was of your contribution. E.g., if you were a PGR rep that set up a PGR WhatsApp group did this led to more social events for the PGR community and foster a sense of community? If you were a communications officer for a professional body and set up a mailing list, how many subscribers did you have?

Module 4. How have you contributed to broader society?

Information might include:

Partnerships with non-academic stakeholders e.g., local business, health care providers, schools, charities etc.
Knowledge exchange e.g., brining researchers together with policymakers, industry members etc at round table discussions, policy briefings
Patient and public interaction and engagement e.g., public workshop or lecture series
Inclusion of participants within the research e.g., cocreation
Media/ social media engagement, e.g., blogs, podcasts, public events
Quotes of positive stakeholder feedback

Additional Info

Information might include:

Career breaks
Secondments or placements
Volunteering
Impact of COVID-19
Part-time working

Step by Step Guide on Writing a Narrative CV

List bullet points within each section above. List more than you will actually include in the final version.
For each bullet point, add evidence of the significance of the activity.
Shortlist the points that are most relevant to the position/ grant you’re applying for. Helpful to look back at the grant call document or job description at this point.
Flesh out the bullet point into a sentence.
Move sentences around between sections if needed. You don’t have space for duplication to try and make sure that each piece of information clearly links back to the module it has been placed within.
Get someone to read it and give you feedback!
Usually need to provide an ORCID so make sure you have this set up with all your relevant information.

Tips

Writing style

Use an active voice, i.e., instead of saying “My PhD focused on X research” say “During my PhD, I investigated X”.
Use strong, decisive language, e.g., Lead, Launch, Mentor, Organise, Advocate.
Use the STAR approach; Situation, Task, Action, Result.

Your experience

Quality over quantity. Think about what is relevant to the job/grant you are applying for and don’t just throw down everything. Remember, you are limited in space.
Most examples/experience will be academia focused, but your CV can also draw on things outside of academia too!
Reviewers aren’t expecting you to be amazing in every section, and their expectations will differ depending on where you are in your career (e.g., a PhD student might have experience setting up a journal club, whereas a Professor might have experience setting up a research group.

Provide evidence. What details/quantifiable information can you provide to support your statement. E.g, if you gave a talk, how many people were there? If you mentored students, what roles did they go into? If you published a paper, what is the citation score?

Tell the story. Don’t just list things. If you are talking about a technical skill, what have you done with those skills and why is it important? If you are a member of a committee, what exactly do you do and why is it relevant for the position/grant you’re applying for.

Read the criteria. Are you allowed links? Are you allowed altmetric score? Does it ask for all four modules outlined below (some don’t give you space for additional information)? What is the page or word limit?