★ University CV League
Which universities produce the best CVs for the Keep, Ding, Ghost CV Review Sessions?
I’m sure a lot of you would be interested to know which universities produce the best CVs for the Keep, Ding, Ghost CV Review Sessions. So, I am excited to announce the University CV League!
And you’ll be able to find all the details about this league (and how your university stacks up against other universities) in this post!
(Or click here for the main post about the Keep, Ding, Ghost CV Review Sessions or here for the Master Index for this newsletter/podcast.)
Remember that company that rejected your job application despite your strong CV? This newsletter will show you what probably happened.
Founded & Written by L. C. Serrão
University CV League
Overview
This newsletter’s flagship feature is the Keep, Ding, Ghost CV Review Sessions (hereafter referred to as ‘CV review sessions’), which you should consider as test runs before you apply for your ideal graduate jobs.
In these sessions, CVs submitted by subscribers will compete in head-to-head simulations to mimic the rigorous, fast-paced, competitive CV screening round conducted by top graduate employers. This process will result in one CV advancing to the next round (i.e., keep), one receiving a soft rejection (i.e., ding), and one receiving a hard rejection (i.e., ghost).
The University CV League is a separate feature from the CV review sessions.
The CV review sessions is where I will compare the CVs subsmitted by subscribers to this newsletter against each other at an individual level (e.g. Steve Jobs’ CV vs. Bill Gates’ CV). The University CV League is where I will use the same CVs from the CV review sessions to compare univeristies against each other (e.g. Steve Jobs’ univeristy vs. Bill Gates’ univeristy).
Inspired by the Premier League, the University CV League will rank the top 20 universities that produce the best CVs for the CV review sessions.
How Do Universities Qualify for the League?
When a CV is assigned as either a ‘Keep’, a ‘Ding’, or a ‘Ghost’ selection from the CV review sessions, it earns points for the university the CV owner is currently enrolled in or most recently graduated from. Below is the points system for the CV review sessions, which will be used to determine whether a university qualifies for the University CV League:
Each 'Keep' selection represents three points.
Each 'Ding' selection represents one point.
Each 'Ghost' selection represents zero points.
The number of points a university needs to qualify for the league will depend on whether it is the first or subsequent league season.
First season (2024/2025): A university must earn three points from a ‘Keep’ selection to qualify for the league's first season. In other words, a CV picked as a ‘Keep’ selection during the CV review sessions means the univeristy that the owner of the CV is currently enrolled in or most recently graduated from will qualify for the first season. Up to 20 universities can qualify for the league in the first season using this criteria.
Subsequent seasons: If the first league season does not result in 20 universities, the universities that did qualify will automatically secure spots in the following seasons until the league reaches 20 universities. The qualification criteria of at least three points from one ‘Keep’ selection from the CV review sessions will remain in place until this goal is achieved. Once a league season comprises 20 universities, new universities who want to qualify for the league must accumulate points from the CV review sessions that would place them in the top three of all universities outside the league. Additionally, once a league season comprises 20 universities, the concept of ‘relegation’ will come into play, which will demote universities from the league to make way for new universities. To avoid relegation and remain in the league, universities must finish the season in 17th place or higher. The universities that finish in the 'bottom three', i.e., in 18th, 19th, and 20th place, will be relegated and replaced by the top three universities outside the league that earned the most points from the CV review sessions (which can include universities that were relegated in previous seasons).
Example 1:
It’s the 2024/2025 season. ‘Apple’ is a current student from University A who had her CV assessed by me during one of the CV review sessions. Her CV was the ‘Keep’ selection. As such, University A qualified for the first season of the CV University League in 2024/2025. At the end of that season, my comparison of each university for the league resulted in University A finishing in 18th place, i.e., in the bottom three, resulting in its relegation. Hence, University A was disqualified from participating in the new 2025/2026 league season. However, during that new season, current students and recent graduates from University A continued participating in the CV review sessions. Their CVs were picked as ‘Keep’ and ‘Ding’ selections, which earned 17 points for their university. These points placed University A among the top three universities outside the 2025/2026 league in terms of points, securing its qualification for the 2026/2027 league season.
Example 2:
It’s the 2024/2025 season. ‘Orange’ is a current student from University B who had her CV assessed by me during one of the CV review sessions. Her CV was the ‘Ding’ selection. As such, University B did not qualify for the league's first season in 2024/2025. During that season, current students and recent graduates from University B participated in the CV review sessions and accumulated 12 points for their university. These 12 points placed University B among the top three universities that did not participate in the league during the 2024/2025 season, earning it a spot in the next 2025/2026 season. In that season, my comparison of each university for the league resulted in University B finishing in 16th place, securing its position to remain in the league for the next season.
What Happens Once a University Qualifies for the League?
Once a university qualifies for the University CV League, it’s game on! Universities in the league will compete against each other in 1:1 'matches'/’fixtures’ throughout the season, which will typically run from September to June and alongside the season for the CV review sessions.
The CVs used in the league represent ‘players’. The rules dictate that I can use up to three of each university's best ‘players’ for each fixture based on the individual ranking I give them during the CV review sessions.
Each match will have the universities face off in the following four CV categories:
Education (click here for the post outlining the ‘education’ criteria)
Work Experience (click here for the post outlining the ‘work experience’ criteria)
Extracurriculars (click here for the post outlining the ‘extraccurricular’ criteria)
Overall Form (click here for the post outlining what defines a CV as being in good ‘form’)
For each category, it will be decided which of the two universities facing each other in the fixture has the stronger CV or set of CVs.
As I compare the universities in terms of the categories mentioned, each university will gain one point for each category it wins. Hence, a maximum of four points can be gained per fixture. The university with the most points will be declared the winner. Otherwise, the fixture will end in a draw.
The universities will ‘play’ each other twice during the season, totalling 38 matches per university ‘team’.
How is the League Table Position or Winner Determined?
A university's rank in the University CV League table will depend on its accumulated points throughout the season.
Primary ranking: At the end of each fixture, a university will gain points based on its performance against its opponent.
A ‘win’ represents three points.
A ‘draw’ represents one point.
A ‘loss’ represents zero points.
The university with the highest points at the end of the season will be the league winner.
Secondary ranking: If the fixture points are drawn, ‘goal difference’ will be utilised to determine the university’s position in the league table or the league winner.
Within the context of the University CV League, ‘goal difference’ refers to a university’s performance against its opponent in each of the four CV categories challenged during the fixtures. The goal difference is determined by the number of categories the university wins minus the number of categories it concedes.
Example:
University A and Univeristy B both ended the season with 89 points.
Throughout the season:
University A won 93 CV categories and conceded 29 categories. Hence, its goal difference is 64 (i.e., 93 - 29).
University B won 89 CV categories and conceded 33 categories. Hence, its goal difference is 56 (i.e., 89 - 33).
In this scenario, and since the fixture points are drawn, Univeristy A would be determined as the league winner because it has a better (i.e., higher) goal difference.
Tertiary ranking: If the goal difference is also drawn, premium subscribers to this newsletter will determine the league winner via a vote.
Where Can I View the League Table/Posts?
Below is an index for the league, by season
Read/Learn More:
Click here for the main post about the Keep, Ding, Ghost CV Review Sessions.
Click here for the Master Index for this newsletter/podcast.
Click here to request a FREE CV review.