1. Why do I need to enter so much information to be able to use the Common CV system?
2. Why should researchers/students have to register for both the Common CV and the agency to which they are applying?
3. What happens if a researcher asks their research assistant or a collaborator to register for them? Which e-mail address should be entered in the registration form?
4. Why bother validating the PIN that a researcher has specified for an agency in the Common CV database?
5. Why use the e-mail address as the login ID or username?
6. What happens if the user changes e-mail addresses?
7. Why not have one PIN for all agencies?
8. Can someone login to the Common CV and link directly to an agency specific web system without logging in again to complete the application form?
9. How do I re-activate my User ID and password?
10. What should I do if I forget my email address or password?

More Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why do I need to enter so much information to be able to use the Common CV system?
The information collected upon registration is used to be able to uniquely identify you within the system. The majority of information that you will enter upon registration will also become part of your CV.

2. Why should researchers/students have to register for both the Common CV and the agency to which they are applying?
The agencies will receive an extract of the data earmarked for their organization, the data will not be automatically forwarded. In future releases, we may streamline the Common CV registration process by offering tools to transfer data (with consent) from the agency web databases to the Common CV. Similarly, agencies may want to provide a way of streamlining the registration process on their web forms sites by transferring data (with consent) from the Common CV database.

3. What happens if a researcher asks their research assistant or a collaborator to register for them? Which e-mail address should be entered in the registration form?
All information entered on the CV should relate to the person named in the CV. Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) rules prohibit sending information about an individual to third parties. A researcher could ask their assistant to complete the on-line registration forms for them, but the e-mail address specified should be that of the researcher, not of the assistant. The researcher would receive the registration confirmation by e-mail and would need to click on a link before the account is activated. This ensures that the researcher is aware that an account on the Common CV has been created in their name. If a forgotten password is requested by e-mail, it is sent directly to the researcher and it would be at their discretion to share it with their assistant.

4. Why bother validating the PIN that a researcher has specified for an agency in the Common CV database?
Validating the PIN ensures that the individual listed on the Common CV is the same person that is listed with that PIN in that agency's web or corporate database. This helps to prevent erroneous data when that CV is loaded/entered into your corporate database. It is also crucial if we eventually allow cross-web-site authentication in the future. We would not want a researcher to have access to another researcher's web-forms account simply because they entered the wrong PIN either intentionally or unintentionally.

5. Why use the e-mail address as the login ID or username?
Using the e-mail address for the login ID is an industry wide common practice and method of choosing a unique identifier that users can easily remember.

6. What happens if the user changes e-mail addresses?
If a user changes the e-mail address field in their CV, they will be warned that this will change their login id as well. If the user chooses to continue, they will be logged out of the system, their account will be de-activated and an automated e-mail will be sent to the new e-mail address with a link that they must click to re-activate the account. This ensures that the new e-mail address is valid and belongs to the researcher.

7. Why not have one PIN for all agencies?
Having one PIN for all agencies is not feasible at this point since it would require that all of the participating agencies make substantial changes to their corporate systems and convert existing data. Existing researchers in the agencies' databases do not have Common CV PINs and will not get them until they create their CV in the Common CV system.

8. Can someone login to the Common CV and link directly to an agency specific web system without logging in again to complete the application form?
No. Links will be provided to the partner agency sites, but participants will need to login to the agency sites even if they are logged into the Common CV. In future releases, we may investigate means of cross-web-site authentication. This would require changes to the agency websites as well as the Common CV website and an agreement on standards, policies and procedures.

9. How do I re-activate my User ID and password?
If you attempt to log on to the system using an incorrect User ID or password, your session will be terminated after three attempts, for security purposes. You will receive an email similar to the confirmation email sent upon registration to the Common CV system. You must reset your account by clicking on the link presented in the email.

10. What should I do if I forget my email address or password?
If you forget or misplace your email address and password, do not re-register yourself. Instead, proceed to the Login screen and select "Look up your forgotten password". Follow the steps to retrieve either your email address (username) or password.

If you have forgotten both your email username and password, please contact the help desk for assistance.