It is no longer possible to determine when the commitment to do something “only for the CV” became established in the language. If memory serves, the phrase first appeared prominently in the early 1990s; in talks with university graduates, for example, the recommendation was regularly made not to do this internship or that social activity out of interest, but because the station would “look good on your CV” and would have a positive effect on later applications. This strategy already indicates that the format of the “résumé” or “CV” (“curriculum vitae”), as it is now called, true to the Anglo-American model, is not simply to be understood as a passive reflection of one’s own biography. Rather, the opposite has happened in recent years: The CV, as presented in application letters or Linkedin and Xing profiles, does not follow life, but life has to follow the dazzling CV. The inconspicuous format thus produces manifestations of professional subjectivity.
Applications: Why the Academic Resume Gets Out of Shape – Culture
