Five must-haves for the physician curriculum vitae

Sometimes, you have to let your resume speak for you. But if your curriculum vitae, or CV, doesn't include these five items, you might want to make some revisions, says Jim Stone, president and co-owner of physician recruitment organization The Medicus Firm.

• Educational experience: this may seem like a no-brainer, but education should be at the top of the CV so employers can quickly see the type of residency or fellowship is a matches what they're looking for.

• Work experiences and dates: Account for time gaps in employment. These gaps will garner attention, leading to more questions.

• Desires: List the type of medicine and procedures you enjoy doing and type of setting you enjoy working in. This could be included in a separate cover letter.

• Publications and research: This item is important because it shows the areas of medicine you've focused on.

• Proofread: With the magic of spellcheck, you have no excuse for typos. A CV that’s grammatically sound and properly formatted will draw employer interest.

After you've made any final changes to your CV, consider posting it online, but doing so isn't for everyone, Stone says.

"That is the definition of casting a wide net," Stone said of posting to online job boards. "If you've already identified what you're looking for and the means by which you're going to accomplish that, posting online may be unnecessary."