The Narrative CV from an ARRC researcher / applicant perspective
The ARRC team are studying the effect of Narrative CVs in recruitment. We also asked our researchers to submit a Narrative CV to apply for their positions. In this blog we review their experience of doing this / being a Narrative CV guinea pig.
None of our researchers had come across the Narrative CV prior applying for their current role. They went about the task in different ways which perhaps reflect their personal style in terms of writing and organisation. One read through guidance material from the University of Glasgow, ruminated for a couple of days and then wrote the CV in an hour or two. One made bullet points in the sections, and came back to them to fill in the details over the course of a week. One wrote their Narrative CV in conjunction with the cover letter and CV, treating the three documents as a packet and aiming to avoid repetition of information (note this is a strategy, and not required of the format).
“In the Narrative CV I explained the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of my career path, rather than just the ‘what’.”
“It was good to have a space where I could link things together.”
In terms of other strategies, two people solicited feedback from others (something that is common for job applications. One researcher additionally focused on the formatting of their CV, noticing a trend in their colleagues and friends for CVs that ‘stand out’ from a design viewpoint.
There was some commonality in the researchers’ feelings about the highlights and challenges of writing their Narrative CVs, including a feeling that the format made a space for aspects of their career that may not have been prominent in a traditional CV. One person described it as a ‘confidence boost’ as they realised they had contributed a lot in a particular section, and the format legitimised emphasising this.
“The Narrative CV gave me a safe space to promote myself, which I wouldn’t feel particularly comfortable doing usually.”
“I got some good feedback from colleagues, but most of them weren’t familiar with the format either, so couldn’t comment on that aspect.”
The challenges were the extra time it took to craft the CV (as expected) and the worry that certain sections may be sparsely populated, as fairly junior researchers. Having now been able to review a fair number of these CVs , we understand that even if early career researchers have fewer examples to give, being able to reflect on these, and to show outcomes, really supports the narrative aspect of the format.'
“I had trouble with the wider societal benefit section, as I’m still early in my career. Ultimately I focused on conferences and committees to which I had contributed. ”
The researchers were asked to reflect on the potential results of the Narrative CV study, and the areas that most interest them. One was particularly interested on how people of diverse cultural and language backgrounds handle the Narrative CV. Another primary interest was the inclusion of career gaps and other non-traditional career routes. The Narrative CV provides an opportunity to include these parts of one’s career; but is the onus then on the applicant to explain and/or justify them? Finally, one researcher was interested to see the CV ‘in action’, as a lot of our knowledge about the aims and effects is currently theoretical.
Things researchers thought were helpful:
- Being pointed to one or two, fairly concise guidance resources.
- Guidance on word / page limit.
- Reassurance that not all sections need to be the same length / depth.
Things that would potentially be useful:
- A body of examples of Narrative CVs to refer to.
- More guidance on how to handle issues such as career gaps.