The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that academic career openings nationwide are expected to increase with the large number of expected retirements. While resumes in most areas of employment require categorizing information into groupings such as education, employment history and training, academic resumes must include other specific information, such as written work published by scholarly presses, formal presentations done at conferences and symposiums and any special work done as a consultant in education or private industry.

Publications
Academic career appointments are granted to candidates with ability and experience in two general areas: teaching and research. These are also the areas in which tenure will be granted to retain an initial appointment. Prior to writing the resume, examine the job posting to determine the focus of the department and the school in general. If this is not evident from the posting, carefully read the information on the department's website to establish the resume's overall focus. Another way to find this out is to obtain a copy of the department and school course offerings, available online or by contacting the school bookstore. Use the catalog to identify the philosophy (teaching- or research-based) of the department. Schools or departments making frequent student intern placements as a regular part of the curriculum are focused on teaching, while departments requiring numerous lab sections as part of the regular curriculum are research oriented. Scan the catalog to determine the education and experience of other faculty members in the department. If consulting is frequently mentioned, then add practical experience to the candidate's personal resume as well.

Teaching vs. Research Focus
Most departments, regardless of the research or teaching focus, want to hire faculty members who will make a scholarly contribution to the field of study. If a candidate has published articles, chapters or book reviews prior to hiring, this is viewed as a major asset. Do not include any publications that are not considered scholarly, unless the position involves nonscholarly writing. For instance, an academic candidate for a journalism teaching position should include the web address of a professional website with examples of the candidate's work. Some academic positions require the candidate to present a portfolio at the interview. If this is the case, the resume should state "Portfolio available upon request." Some positions require scholarly work to be submitted with the resume. Read the job posting carefully and send only the items requested. If additional materials are required, format the items using the same font and margins as the resume to create a unified package that is neat and professional.

Recommendations
Recommendations are critical to many academic appointments, according to Richard M. Reis, Director for Academic Partnerships at the Stanford University Learning Laboratory. This does not mean the candidate must use a reference who personally knows someone in the hiring department or school, but that is an advantage. It also helps to have a recommendation from a professional who is well-known in the field of study. Be sure to formally list the name and the official position of the individual under each name. Contact information for each recommendation should include a telephone and fax number as well as a business and email address.