What should a college professor put on their CV?

Focus on three areas: (1) Research output with exact metrics (publication count, h-index, journal names, not 'published research'), (2) Grant funding with dollar amounts and agencies ('secured $1.2M from NSF/NIH', not 'applied for grants'), and (3) Teaching effectiveness with evaluation scores and enrollment data. In 2026, university ATS systems and search committees scan for specific keywords like Peer-Reviewed Publication, Grant Writing, IRB, Curriculum Development, and Statistical Analysis. Missing even 2-3 of these can drop your score below the threshold. Not sure which keywords you are missing? Scan your CV with our free tool to find out.

How do I write a college professor CV with limited teaching experience?

Use this formula for graduate teaching and adjunct work: [Action Verb] + [Course/Research] + [Methodology] + [Quantifiable Result]. Example: 'Designed and taught 4 sections of Introduction to Psychology (120 students total), achieving a 4.3/5.0 student evaluation average and reducing student failure rates by 15%.' Include guest lectures, TA experience, conference presentations, and co-authored publications. Even without a tenure-track record, showcasing peer-reviewed output, grant contributions, and student mentorship proves academic readiness.

What are the best ATS keywords for a college professor CV in 2026?

The most impactful keywords fall into five categories: Research (Peer-Reviewed Publication, H-Index, Impact Factor, First Author, Co-PI), Funding (NSF, NIH, Grant Writing, External Funding, PI), Teaching (Curriculum Development, Student Evaluations, Active Learning, Online Pedagogy), Compliance (IRB Protocol, FERPA, Accreditation, Assessment), and Service (Committee Chair, Faculty Senate, Program Review). Over 97% of universities now use ATS to filter applications. Upload your CV to see exactly which keywords you are missing.

How long should a college professor CV be?

For academic positions, a CV can be 3-5+ pages, especially if you include a full publication list, grants, and presentations. For non-academic or industry roles, limit to 2 pages. ATS systems parse the entire document regardless of length, but search committee members often review 100+ applications. Front-load your strongest publications, funded grants, and teaching evaluations on page one. Every line must earn its space with metrics.

Should I include my full publication list on my CV?

Yes, for academic positions. List publications in reverse chronological order using a consistent citation format (APA, MLA, or discipline standard). Bold your name, note first-author and corresponding-author papers, and include DOI links. For industry positions, include only the 5-10 most relevant publications and summarize the rest ('22 peer-reviewed publications, h-index 14'). Search committees use publication lists as a primary screening criterion.

What is the difference between a college professor resume and CV?

In academia, a 'CV' (Curriculum Vitae) is the standard document, typically 3-5+ pages, including full publication lists, grants, teaching, and service. A 'resume' is a 1-2 page summary used for industry or administrative roles. Both are parsed by ATS the same way. The keywords, formatting rules, and optimization strategies are identical. The main difference is length and completeness. Regardless of which you use, the same ATS keywords (Peer-Reviewed, Grant Funding, Curriculum Development, IRB) determine whether your application passes the automated filter.

97% of tech companies use ATS

College Professor CV
Example (2026)

Most college professor CVs score below 41% on ATS systems. See exactly why yours might be failing. 75% never reach a recruiter.

Free foreverFull analysisWorks with your existing CV

What ATS systems actually see

Toggle between a typical college professor CV and an optimized version. Notice what changes.

Generic descriptions and soft skills make this resume hard to scan and easy to ignore.

✗ 'Research' and 'Teaching' are assumed for every professor. ATS cannot match these generic terms to specific job requirements.

✗ 'Published papers' gives no count, no journal names, no impact metrics. Search committees need bibliometric evidence.

✗ 'Some upperlevel courses' is vague. Which courses? How many students? What was the outcome?

✗ 'Served on committees' shows no leadership or outcomes. Which committee? What changed?

✗ 'Helped write' shows no ownership. Were the grants funded? How much?

✗ Hobbies waste space on an academic resume. Use it for publications, conference presentations, or editorial board memberships instead.

Dr. William Hayes

Professor

Ann Arbor, MI · w.hayes@email.com · linkedin.com/in/drwilliamhayes · scholar.google.com/williamhayes

Professional Summary

Experienced professor who has taught many courses at the university level. Passionate about research and dedicated to student success. Strong communicator who works well with colleagues and students. Looking for a tenure-track position at a top university.

Core Skills

TeachingResearchGradingPowerPointTeam playerHard worker

Professional Experience

University of Michigan

Aug 2020 - Present

Professor

Taught undergraduate and graduate psychology courses.
Did research and published papers.
Applied for grants to fund research.

Wayne State University

Aug 2017 - Jul 2020

Assistant Professor

Taught intro psychology and some upper-level courses.
Supervised graduate students on their thesis work.
Served on department committees.

Stanford University

Aug 2015 - Jul 2017

Postdoctoral Researcher

Conducted research experiments and analyzed data.
Helped write grant proposals for the lab.
Mentored undergraduate research assistants.

Education

University of California, Berkeley

Ph.D. in Psychology

2010 - 2015

Certifications & Awards

Teaching cert
IRB training
Employee of the Month (2022)

Languages

English (Native) • French (Professional Working)

Interests & Hobbies

Reading academic journals
Hiking
Chess
Cooking

✗ No discipline, no publication count, no grant funding. 'Passionate about research' appears on 80% of rejected academic applications. ATS finds nothing to score.

✗ 'Taught courses' is the baseline expectation. No course count, no level breakdown, no evaluation data.

✗ 'Applied for grants' does not say whether you won them. Funded research is the metric that matters.

✗ 'Supervised graduate students' shows no count, no completion rate, no publication outcomes.

✗ 'Conducted research' is the definition of a postdoc. No methods, no output count, no impact.

✗ 'Mentored undergrads' gives no count, no skills taught, no student outcomes.

✗ Vague duties like "Responsible for", soft skills like "Hard Worker", and buzzwords like "synergistic" — no keywords for recruiters to find. This resume gets buried.

Wondering if YOUR CV has these same problems?

Keywords ATS Systems Scan For

These are the exact terms recruiters and ATS systems filter by for college professor roles. Missing even 2-3 can drop your score below the threshold.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Grant Writing (NSF/NIH)

Curriculum Development

IRB Protocol & Compliance

Statistical Analysis (SPSS/R)

Graduate Mentorship

Tenure & Promotion

Lecture Design & Delivery

Research Methodology

Academic Program Assessment

Conference Presentation

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Learning Management Systems

How many of these are on your CV?

Examples by Experience Level

Select your level. See the exact verbs, bullets, and metrics that ATS systems reward at each stage.

Action Verbs

DesignedPublishedSecuredMentoredDevelopedLedEstablishedCollaboratedImplementedAnalyzed

Metrics to Include

Publications per Year (#)
Grant Funding Secured ($)
H-Index
New Courses Developed (#)
Graduate Students Mentored (#)
Student Evaluation Average (/5.0)
Conference Presentations (#)

Example CV Bullets

Ship independently

Published 8 peer-reviewed articles in the first 3 years on the tenure track, with 2 featured in top-10% impact factor journals.

Secured $400K in NSF funding as PI for a 3-year study on cognitive development, hiring 2 graduate research assistants.

Developed a new upper-division course in Behavioral Neuroscience that enrolled 85 students in its first year.

Are your bullets this specific?

Phrases That Get College Professors Rejected

Listing languages isn't enough. Context matters. "JavaScript" is good; "Built REST APIs with Node.js" is hired.

Taught multiple courses at the university level.

Every professor teaches courses. No subject, no level, no count, no evaluations. ATS sees zero differentiating keywords.

Designed and taught 8 courses (3 graduate, 5 undergraduate) in cognitive neuroscience, maintaining a 4.7/5.0 student evaluation average across 1,200+ students.

Published research in my field.

No count, no journals, no impact metrics. Search committees need bibliometric evidence to compare candidates.

Published 14 peer-reviewed articles in top-tier journals (Cognitive Psychology, Neuropsychologia) with an average impact factor of 4.2 and h-index of 14.

Applied for grants to fund my research.

'Applied for' does not mean 'secured.' Unfunded applications are not achievements. Show funded amounts and agencies.

Secured $1.2M in external funding as PI/Co-PI (NSF BCS-2024, NIH R21), supporting a 5-member research team over 4 years.

Served on various department committees.

'Various' is unmatchable. Which committees? What outcomes? Search committees look for leadership and institutional impact.

Chaired the Curriculum Review Committee, leading a program redesign that increased undergraduate major enrollment by 18%.

Mentored graduate students.

No count, no completion rate, no publication outcomes. Mentorship quality is measured by student success.

Mentored 6 graduate students (3 Ph.D., 3 M.A.) to completion, with 4 publishing in peer-reviewed journals within one year of defense.

Passionate about teaching and research.

'Passionate' is the most overused word in academic applications. It is unmeasurable and adds no ATS value.

Redesigned the introductory psychology sequence using active learning pedagogy, raising student pass rates from 72% to 89% and earning the Dean's Teaching Award.

Recognize any of these on your CV?

Certifications That Boost Your ATS Score

Include the full name AND the acronym. ATS systems may scan for either.

Quality Matters Certified Peer Reviewer

CITI Program IRB Certification

Online Teaching Certificate (varies by institution)

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Certified Higher Education Professional (CHEP)

Frequently Asked Questions

Stop Guessing.
Scan Your CV.

Upload your CV and a job description. Get your ATS score, missing keywords, and rewrite suggestions in 30 seconds.

More ExamplesTeacher CV Example Education Administrator CV Example Data Scientist CV Example Content Writer CV Example Training Manager CV Example

Teacher Resume Keywords (2026): Transferable Skills for Career Change Instructional Designer Resume Keywords (2026): 60+ ATS Skills to Land Interviews 100 Powerful Action Verbs for Your Resume

College Professor CVExample (2026)