Post by Chinasyndrome on Nov 4, 2003 14:58:31 GMT 7
Your resume.
Bear in mind that the person who is going to read your resume may not be a native speaker or have highly developed English skills. Remember too, that your employer may have to translate your resume into another language.
General tips:
As far as possible, try not to use ‘jargon’ or words that can’t be easily found in a basic dictionary.
Try to keep your writing to words of less than 3 syllables, but don’t consider your audience to be uneducated children.
A sentence should never have more than 23 words, and between 5 and 15 is most desirable.
Do not write your life story. More detail may be asked for in the interview process.
Do not write long discourses on every minute detail of every job you’ve had.
Do not use exotic software programs. Microsoft Word 98 and 2000 are common business applications. Save your resume as a Word file only.
Scans should be saved as jpeg only.
Use easy to read fonts such as Times New Roman, Tahoma, Trebuchet MS, or Garamond.
Use 10 to 12 point font sizes and only use bold letters on headings or subheadings.
Do not underline or use Italics. They sometimes photocopy poorly and can make reading more difficult for a non-native.
Specific tips:
A lot of time and irritation (on both sides) can be saved by thinking through the process and having your entire associated documents ready before you apply. At some point you may be asked for references, a recent and clear photograph (passport type is best), date of availability if selected, and any certificates and or degrees you have. Find a scanner and put all of these onto a disk, making sure you have at least 1 backup copy. Days, weeks and sometimes good jobs can be lost simply because the candidate wasn’t prepared.
Your referees should not be family members unless you have worked with them in a professional capacity. References from instructors at TESOL-type courses are also not highly valued by employers. Best if you can have at least 3 relatively recent referees to put forward and include their email address and not just telephone numbers. Some employers are not highly confident in speaking directly to foreigners, calls can be expensive and often time differences can be difficult to manage, and emails allow information to be more completely understood. Make sure your referees know you are thinking about working overseas. Do not use unreliable referees. If they cannot or are not prepared to respond quickly to potential employers they can affect your chances of getting the job you want. Have at least 2 standby referees.
Attitude:
A lot of time (which is money to someone) is wasted by employers and employees who are ‘just looking’, immature, dreamers, or those who see teaching in another country as being something that is required only to earn the local currency needed to party/travel/act like an idiot. These are the people who tend to get the lesser-paid, more stressful jobs. Be professional if you want a good job.
Example resume.
(Scan a recent passport style photo of yourself and import it onto your resume page. Top left hand corner is best. You can then ‘wrap’ your introductory details to the left of the photo.)
Name: Your full name as shown on your passport
Date of Birth:
Country of Birth: (and country of residence if different from country of birth)
Passport: (country of issue and validity date)
Sex: Male, female, undecided, or ‘see me after I’ve been to Thailand’)
Status: Married or single (optional)
Telephone: (a reliably answered number here)
Email: whathaveidone@home.com (make sure this is correct)
Career Summary:
2001 – current: (name of employer and position held)
2000 – 2001:
1998 – 2000:
Training/Education Summary:
1976 – 2000: Bachelor of Education degree, Dodgy College, Anywhere
2001: TESOL 120-hour course at XYZ Spain
2002: other relevant courses (not lifestyle courses)
Specific teaching/training experience:
1998 – 1998: 1 year at ABC Kindergarten. Childcare Attendant
1999 – 2001: Volunteer English tutor at TGIF College
References:
Tom Howe, Director. Wee, Cheatham & Howe Lawyers. catchmefirst@ontherun.com
Bill ABC, Owner. ABC Kindergarten. abc@def.ghi
Miss Marple, Director. TGIF College. whodunit@tgif.com
Availability:
I am available for employment from 1st September 0000 to 30th August 0001.
(Final Notes)
Your resume should never be more than 2 pages in length. A short but precise resume is better than one padded with rubbish.
Bear in mind that the person who is going to read your resume may not be a native speaker or have highly developed English skills. Remember too, that your employer may have to translate your resume into another language.
General tips:
As far as possible, try not to use ‘jargon’ or words that can’t be easily found in a basic dictionary.
Try to keep your writing to words of less than 3 syllables, but don’t consider your audience to be uneducated children.
A sentence should never have more than 23 words, and between 5 and 15 is most desirable.
Do not write your life story. More detail may be asked for in the interview process.
Do not write long discourses on every minute detail of every job you’ve had.
Do not use exotic software programs. Microsoft Word 98 and 2000 are common business applications. Save your resume as a Word file only.
Scans should be saved as jpeg only.
Use easy to read fonts such as Times New Roman, Tahoma, Trebuchet MS, or Garamond.
Use 10 to 12 point font sizes and only use bold letters on headings or subheadings.
Do not underline or use Italics. They sometimes photocopy poorly and can make reading more difficult for a non-native.
Specific tips:
A lot of time and irritation (on both sides) can be saved by thinking through the process and having your entire associated documents ready before you apply. At some point you may be asked for references, a recent and clear photograph (passport type is best), date of availability if selected, and any certificates and or degrees you have. Find a scanner and put all of these onto a disk, making sure you have at least 1 backup copy. Days, weeks and sometimes good jobs can be lost simply because the candidate wasn’t prepared.
Your referees should not be family members unless you have worked with them in a professional capacity. References from instructors at TESOL-type courses are also not highly valued by employers. Best if you can have at least 3 relatively recent referees to put forward and include their email address and not just telephone numbers. Some employers are not highly confident in speaking directly to foreigners, calls can be expensive and often time differences can be difficult to manage, and emails allow information to be more completely understood. Make sure your referees know you are thinking about working overseas. Do not use unreliable referees. If they cannot or are not prepared to respond quickly to potential employers they can affect your chances of getting the job you want. Have at least 2 standby referees.
Attitude:
A lot of time (which is money to someone) is wasted by employers and employees who are ‘just looking’, immature, dreamers, or those who see teaching in another country as being something that is required only to earn the local currency needed to party/travel/act like an idiot. These are the people who tend to get the lesser-paid, more stressful jobs. Be professional if you want a good job.
Example resume.
(Scan a recent passport style photo of yourself and import it onto your resume page. Top left hand corner is best. You can then ‘wrap’ your introductory details to the left of the photo.)
Name: Your full name as shown on your passport
Date of Birth:
Country of Birth: (and country of residence if different from country of birth)
Passport: (country of issue and validity date)
Sex: Male, female, undecided, or ‘see me after I’ve been to Thailand’)
Status: Married or single (optional)
Telephone: (a reliably answered number here)
Email: whathaveidone@home.com (make sure this is correct)
Career Summary:
2001 – current: (name of employer and position held)
2000 – 2001:
1998 – 2000:
Training/Education Summary:
1976 – 2000: Bachelor of Education degree, Dodgy College, Anywhere
2001: TESOL 120-hour course at XYZ Spain
2002: other relevant courses (not lifestyle courses)
Specific teaching/training experience:
1998 – 1998: 1 year at ABC Kindergarten. Childcare Attendant
1999 – 2001: Volunteer English tutor at TGIF College
References:
Tom Howe, Director. Wee, Cheatham & Howe Lawyers. catchmefirst@ontherun.com
Bill ABC, Owner. ABC Kindergarten. abc@def.ghi
Miss Marple, Director. TGIF College. whodunit@tgif.com
Availability:
I am available for employment from 1st September 0000 to 30th August 0001.
(Final Notes)
Your resume should never be more than 2 pages in length. A short but precise resume is better than one padded with rubbish.