The Expert CV Checklist

By Rosalie Hamilton

When you have an upcoming project, a recently completed project or unexpected free time is the ideal time to review and update your curriculum vitae. There are two objectives of your curriculum vitae:

1. Marketing your services to be retained as a consulting or testifying expert, and
2. Bulletproofing in preparation for qualifying and being cross-examined.

With these in mind, examine the following issues in your CV:

• Are there any time gaps in your employment history?
  Include all periods, even if they were spent outside of your field.
• Have you included information about your legal consulting?
  I do not recommend it, other than to list that you perform legal consulting along with your other professional work. Do not identify cases or state the number of engagements.
• Have you listed all memberships, licenses and certifications?
  Are they current? If any are inactive, indicate this, and certainly list only those that are authentic.
• Is all information accurate and complete?
  Are all authors included in citations of publications and presentations? Are the titles and publication dates correct? Are the years for experience and education correct?
• Have you exaggerated or included self-serving comments?
  State the information without editorializing.
• Do you have a photograph on your CV?
  It is preferable to have a separate photo available to be sent on request, but it is acceptable to print a photo on your CV.
• Are the layout and format of your CV professional and consistent?
  Consistency of form – punctuation, italics, underlining, spacing – is more important than strictly following a certain scholarly style.

Cautions:

• Do not include personal information such as spouse, children, hobbies or Social Security number.
• If using a shorter version of your curriculum vitae for marketing purposes, do not title it a c.v. Use another term such as ‘profile’ or ‘biographical sketch.’
• Verify that your contact information is current and complete.
• Do not use two different CVs for plaintiff and defense.
• Proofread, proofread and proofread again.

This article was written by Rosalie Hamilton, the founder of Expert Communications. She specializes in expert witness marketing and provides these services to individual clients and firms.

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