Ten Worst Things for a Law Prof Put on a CV

Over at the Chronicle Forums (here), readers are chiming in with the "Ten Worst Things to Put on Your CV," inspired by a similar general-business post over here at Yahoo Finance.  Here are some of my favorites from the Chron:

• Eagle scout
• MENSA Membership
• Photos
• Hobbies
• Job talks
• Marital status and names of kids
• Placement in recent athletic competitions
• Postings to fan-fiction sites
• List of grants applied for but denied or unfunded.

So what are some of the worst things for a law prof to put on a CV?  I'll incorporate by reference all of the above and add a few more:

• Pre-collegiate employment or volunteer activity
• Pre-collegiate anything, really
• Lists of blog postings
• Religious affiliation or membership.

Additions? Modifications? Clarifications?  How about American Bar Foundation Fellowship?  Service as an outside tenure reviewer?  What's on your list of "don'ts" for a law prof's CV?

Comments

[anonprof]

LSAT

[anon3]

Eh. I think some of that can be fine. Things like hobbies can help to facilitate conversation at an interview, particularly a call back interview. I think blog postings can count as scholarship, and I don't see why someone who has made a number of lengthy blog posts shouldn't put that on their CV. (For example, should Doug Berman really not list his blog on his CV? That seems silly.)

[Bridget Crawford]

I think it is completely appropriate to list on a CV that one blogs regularly at x or y. For both regular bloggers and infrequent contributors, I still think it would be weird to list by name non-substantive or minor posts (and, for sure, I've written plenty of those myself).

[Doug Richmond]

I think gaps on law professors' CVs are curious. I routinely see CVs where, for example, a professor earned his or her undergraduate degree in 1985 and law degree in 1990, but there is no mention on the person's CV of interim employment or activities between, I would presume, 1985-87. I guess the thinking must be that activities or employment unrelated to the law are unimportant, but I find this semingly widespread practice to be odd. Candidates for business or law firm positions with resume gaps would certainly draw related questions.

[Eric Fink]

It's probably not a good idea to list appearances on "Hoarders", "My Strange Addiction", or "America's Most Wanted".

[Jeff Yates]

When I began my career in academia I really hated seeing these things on a vita - now, after having sorted through many large stacks of vitas while on recruiting committees I welcome them as a wonderful distraction :-) My favorites are the high school accomplishments and activities.

[Anon]

- Articles that cite your work

[Anon]

SAT

[roger dennis]

eagle scouts are cool..see e.g. Jay Feinman and Karl Okamoto..r

[anon]

Boy Scout Leader

[Tim Zinnecker]

Why not religious affiliation or membership?

Or, for that matter, political affiliation?

[Not a prawf]

I put both the fact that I have several small children, including a set of twins, and the fact that I'm a sub-3:00 marathoner, in a short, two line "outside interests" section at the very end of my resume (at two full pages, I refuse to call it a "CV" yet). I've spent substantial time at virtually every interview I've had since I started doing that talking about those things. People seem really interested in them. Not sure if that's good or bad, though.

[David Levine]

Registered sex offender

[preparing for meat market]

OK, sincere question: If I have actually written on the study of "Law & Literature," doesn't it then become appropriate to list fiction or poetry publications as well as law review publications? (It's not fanfic, but I understand it would probably look strange for anyone who doesn't write on L&L)

[Anon]

Anon@ 01:03 PM-- I agree with you that listing other articles citing your work seem tedious and unnecessary (given the sheer number articles out there, everyone's going to get cited somewhere), but what if your work is cited by a court or popular textbook? I note those cites in my CV.

[anon]

Not unless it is the Supreme Court, or the court adopts your theory after discussing it.

[anon]

Marital status. (And this one I've actually seen done.)

[Ayles]

As an Eagle Scout, I will keep it on my resume.

[Bruce Boyden]

I don't see a problem with "Hobbies," assuming it's one line and last. I don't do it myself though.

My impression is that "Marital status and names of kids" is something a previous generation put regularly on academic CVs that has faded away.

[anony]

Following up on Eric Fink's comment, how about "Featured on TV's 'I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant.'"