Help me write my Resume in English, please By Carlos Diaz Professor at the Engineering School of Universidad Panamericana in the Mexico City Campus Written on April 5, 2010, Reviewed on November 2011, with the following comment. Some years ago, as I was winding down my consulting company, Grid Inteamericana, a Grid International Associate company, devoted to conduct the Blake-and-Mouton Grid Seminars, and while exploring a teaching career I wanted to start, I had an interesting experience.
I was invited to audition for Senior Business students at Universidad Panamericana, with a subject I was free to choose. For reasons too long to explain here, I chose the subject “ How to look for a job”. One comment on the critique page struck me: ‘ Why wait so long to talk to us about Curriculum Vitae, interviews, and so forth? ’ The University hired me as a part-time professor teaching different Marketing subjects and I have taught almost ten years, enjoying my students and classes very much, first in the Business School, now in Engineering.
However, the need to advise students on such skills have never left me, and several years ago I started to write a regular column in the school newspaper Noticia, called ‘ Desde el otro lado del Escritorio’, with practical advise on those job-seeking related subjects, speaking from the ‘ other side of the desk’, as I looked at candidates for many years as an manager at companies like IBM, Honeywell, Duracell. All my articles are in Spanish, but since I teach in English, some students have asked me to advise them on how to write a CV in English, therefore I wrote the following article for the on-line magazine of the Engineering School, Eure-k.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. 1. Summary: One of the most challenging tasks that any student or professional, for that matter is to write his or her Resume or Curriculum Vitae. Many books and essays have been written about this subject, and some writers even charge for helping you write one. In the Internet, you can find hundreds of samples, advise and sites that offer to write yours free or for a fee. The author has been writing on that subject in Noticia since October 2006 in his column called in Spanish ? Desde el otro lado del escritorio?.
His tips and advise on the design and construction of that very important document has been written in Spanish. For this article, he researched and wrote on the same subject now in the English language. Key words: Resume, Curriculum Vitae, experience, and skills. Some definitions: Merriam Webster Dictionary [1] defines resume (yes, with two accents) as a noun and its Etymology is from the French “ resume”, from past participle of resume to resume, summarize, from Middle French resume. Date: 1804, 1: summary, 2: curriculum vitae, 3: a set of accomplishments.
The same dictionary defines curriculum vitae as a noun and its Etymology: Latin, course of (one’s) life Date: 1902: a short account of one’s career and qualifications prepared typically by an applicant for a position. So both terms are basically the same from the point of the well-known dictionary. However, we shall see later than the length in each definition is different in some countries. Resume vs. Curriculum Vitae, USA vs. UK vs. Canada, According to a very good page full of information from Virginia Tech University, [2] ?
A resume is a brief, concise document that presents, and effectively sells, your most relevant and positive credentials for employment, admission to graduate school, consideration for a scholarship or fellowship, or other professional purpose. “ A… curriculum vitae, is a more extensive document typically used by those with graduate education who are pursuing positions in academia or research ?. Wikipedia USA [3] agrees, as it writes: “ A resume (French pronunciation: [! ezy’me]) is a document that contains a summary of relevant job experience and education.
The resume is typically the first item that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants, often followed by an interview, when seeking employment. The resume is comparable to curriculum vitae in many countries, although in Canada and United States it is substantially different. “ In many contexts, a resume is short (usually one to two pages), and therefore contains only experience directly relevant to a particular position. Many resumes contain precise keywords that potential employers are looking for, make heavy use of active verbs, and display content in a flattering manner. However, Wikipedia from England [4] disagrees by noting: “ In the United Kingdom a CV is short (usually a maximum of 2 sides of A4 paper), and therefore contains only a summary of the job seeker’s employment history, qualifications and some personal information. It is often updated to change the emphasis of the information according to the particular position the job seeker is applying for. Many CVs contain keywords that potential employers might pick up on and displays the content in the most flattering manner brushing over information like poor grades. A CV can also be extended to include an extra page for the job seeker publications if these are important for the job. In the United States and Canada, a CV is used specifically in academic circles and medical careers and is far more comprehensive; the term resume is used for most recruitment campaigns. A CV elaborates on education to a greater degree than an resume and is expected to include a comprehensive listing of professional history including every term of employment, academic credential, publication, contribution or significant achievement.
In certain professions, it may even include samples of the person’s work and may run to many pages. ” Very interesting information from Wikipedia UK follows: “ As with resumes, CVs are subject to recruiting fads. For example, – In the 1980s and early 1990s in the U. S. , the trend was to not allow an resume to exceed one page in length. In the late 1990s, this restriction fell out of vogue, with two- or even three-page resumes becoming common. – The use of an “ objective statement” at the top of the document (such as “ Looking for an entry-level position in stores”) was strongly encouraged in the U.
S. during the mid-1990s but fell out of favor by the late-1990s. However, with the avalanche of resumes distributed via the Internet since the late 1990s, an “ objective” and/or “ skills summary” statement has become more common to help recruiters quickly determine the applicant’s suitability. It is not prevalent elsewhere. – Including a photograph of the applicant is strongly discouraged in the U. S. as it would suggest that an employer would discriminate on the basis of a person’s appearance — age, race, sex, attractiveness, or the like.
The theatre and modeling industries are exceptions, where it is expected that resumes will include photographs; actors refer to such photos as headshots. – In Canada, by Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, applicants may refuse to put down race, national or ethnic origin, color, sex, age or mental or physical disability on the resume even if the employer instructed the applicants to do so. ” When Google was asked for differences between resumes and curriculums, it referred us to About. com, [5] and here is what it said: “ Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)? What’s the difference between a resume and a CV?
The primary differences are the length, the content and the purpose. A resume is a one or two page summary of your skills, experience and education. A goal of resume writing is to be brief and concise since, at best the resume reader will spend a minute or so reviewing your qualifications. A Curriculum Vitae, commonly referred to as CV, is a longer (two or more pages), more detailed synopsis. It includes a summary of your educational and academic backgrounds as well as teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details. When to Use a CV
In the United States a Curriculum Vitae is used primarily when applying for international, academic, education, scientific or research positions or when applying for fellowships or grants. As with a resume, you may need different versions of a CV for different type of positions. What to Include in Your CV Like a resume, your CV should include your name, contact information, education, skills and experience. In addition to the basics, a CV includes research and teaching experience, publications, grants and fellowships, professional associations and licenses, awards and other information relevant to the position you are applying for.
Start by making a list of all your background information and then organize it into categories. Make sure you include dates on all the publications you include. ” In summary and to make it simple, the difference between a resume and a CV is its length, content and purpose. In general, both documents are for one main purpose: to obtain attention to your candidacy for a position, either in industry or in academia. According to Forum, [6] if you’re applying for a teaching or research position at a university, for instance, you will be asked to supply your CV. If you are applying for a (non-academic) job, you probably be asked for your resume. . Contents To start this part, let me recommend you view an exceptional short video, which summarizes what the resume should (and should not) contain. It was made by Laura Hill, founder of Careers in Motions [7] and in it; she reminds us that the resume is a marketing tool (designed to sell YOU). The three key elements that she mentions are worthwhile summarizing here: 1. Start with your profile, a short sentence which tells what you are and more importantly, it positions you on the market and in your prospect’s mind 2. List your accomplishments, not your job positions and responsibilities.
What you specifically contributed to your employer’s results. She warns not to go into details, “ leave that for the interview”, she advises very soundly. 3. Formatting or Aesthetics of your document: avoid making the reader work to get the information he/she is seeking, either by hiding it in verbose statements, or using a hard-to-read font. What the reader finds first on the top of the page is of prime importance, since what he/she reads in the first milliseconds determines whether or not he/she will continue reading or file your document in a deep drawer or in the trashcan.
There are two items that we should NOT write there: our name, or the words RESUME or CURRICULUM VITAE. No one will hire you or consider you as an exceptional candidate because you are named (put your name here), period. Writing RESUME or CURRICULUM VITAE on top of the document is equal to having the words BUSINESS CARD on the top of that very handy and necessary document. Then: what should we write on top of the page? I agree with what Laura Hill suggests, a short sentence that describes what you want your future employer to have on his/her mind when she thinks of you.
See my 5th article for Noticia. Some examples: Young Engineer with a Desire to Learn. Experienced Salesperson in the Appliance Business. Systems Engineer with Database Experience. Mechanical- Electrical Engineer with Robotic Experience. In the Spanish versions of the resume, this first sentence is followed by the “ Objective”, a short paragraph, no longer than two lines, which summarizes what you are offering, what you are looking for, and what you offer. It is very hard to write this paragraph, and I suggest that if you are satisfied with it, translate it and leave it in this second place.
If you have not written it, I suggest that you do not spend too much time on it. I have not found very many good resumes with a sound “ objective” paragraph on them. The next item could be either skills (what the above referenced writers mention) or actual work experience (what this writer recommends). Laura Hill describes the writing of this part by strongly suggesting that you should state your experience in accomplishments, specific results in your previous positions. In the 6th article for Noticia, how to write this is described in Spanish.
Read the examples and write solid work experience you have had. Remember that your last experiences (the last one or two jobs) are really what the future employer is looking for, so invert the chronological order as to make it easier to find it. If perchance you do not have (yet) any work experience, you have to enhance the next part. The skills part should follow, and this is not easy writing, I admit. If you have been evaluated either in college, by a professor, by a trained psychologist, or by one of your bosses, and you agree with it, write it in short sentences.
Here are some items found in research. Beware of confusing skills (in Spanish: habilidades, destrezas) with abilities (capacidades, aptitudes). According to the North Carolina Career Resource Network [8], “ Everyone has skills and abilities. Some are your unique aptitudes and talents, which may include musical abilities (singing, playing an instrument, composing music), artistic skills (drawing, painting, sculpting), athletic skills (running, jumping, throwing), or any other ability that comes easily and naturally to you.
Some skills and abilities are used in your daily life — such as learning a new video game, repairing the lawnmower, listening to a friend’s problems, or deciding what car to buy — while others are more specific to a particular work task, such as learning a new software program or interpreting financial statements to manage a company budget. “ You will need many skills in the 21st century job market. The important thing to remember is that skills and abilities can be added or improved upon through education, training, and experience.
Continue to develop and enhance your skills, and career opportunities will come your way. ” What George Siemens, a professor of the Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Institute of Athabasca University wrote on the subject of Effort vs. Ability [8], is of particular interest: “…. Most of us evaluate ourselves by our ability… this is especially true in the field of technology. An instructor who is not very comfortable with technology labels him/herself as incapable of moving resources online (“ I hate technology”).
A student who has difficulty grasping a critical learning concept exclaims, “ I can’t get this stuff… I’m not good at math (or English, or whatever)”. Implied in each statement is the notion that we are somehow unable to alter our areas of knowledge deficiency… so before we start learning something new, past failures overrides even our attempts. “ Evaluating our skills based on ability is wrong. Ability is an outcome of effort. If we evaluate ourselves by ability, rather than by effort, we will be reluctant to take new risks/challenges/learning opportunities.
Just because a person is not familiar with HTML today (i. e. ability), does not mean he/she cannot learn the skills (effort) to be proficient in the future. Often, however, we fail to see that the reason we lack ability in an area is because we have only put in minimal effort. ” Six skills that recruiters are looking for are listed in www. easyjob. net, a portal that specializes in helping you with your resume. [9] Here they are: 1. Communication Skills, Verbal and Written 2. Team Skills/ Team Player 3. Attention to Detail 4.
Energy /Dynamism / Drive / Enthusiasm and Initiative 5. Ability to Handle Pressure 6. Leadership If you do not have (yet) any work experience, you should try and get two or more professors to evaluate you on these skills, and write them in your resume, without citing the sources. If asked in the interview about the sources, be honest and tell who gave them to you. The language skills fit in this category, but a suggestion is made: be honest about your level. If you have less than 70% of any language, do not list it.
Some list the listening/speaking/writing skills separately for a percent grade, but we have found that amount of detail distracting and inaccurate. Next item is Academic Background. The education you have is important to your prospective employer, but only what can contribute to the job ahead. Doctoral and masters studies should be first, then bachelors, with year date and school. Specialty courses like “ Diplomados” should follow. Do not include your high school, grammar school, or your grades. The last two parts of the resume are the easiest to write: Personal references and personal data.
The specific references can be written in detail in the CV, but because of the space limitations, a sentence like “ Personal references available upon request” should suffice for your Resume. However, the persons whom you are going to list on your CV should be previously contacted personally, not by mail, via phone, and asked as a favor, to take the possible call from the recruiting firm. If time has passed by and he/she does not remember you, prod his/her memory by citing those favorable results you obtained, and not the easily- forgotten titles or jobs you had in that company.
That way those incidents will be fresh in his/her memory when she takes the call from your future employer. The personal data are simply your name, address, zip code, city, and state. Telephone numbers of home and cell. If you have a job, and your present employer does not know you are looking for new opportunities, you should not give your office telephone number. Do not add any more data, like RFC, IFE, driver’s license, age, civil status, number of children, or any other data that if required, will be required for your employee records.
The above are the recommended contents of a resume. The length should be one page long. The longest parts should be accomplishments, or if there is no work experience, then the skills you are offering. For a CV, which could be two or three pages long, you can expand the accomplishments with more detail, or more of them in each company. The detail on your skills could also be expanded. In addition, you could add the following items, but not to exceed three pages in total: – – – – A list of your publications with a brief description and a link to them on a Web site, if available.
Professional associations you have joined, with the positions held on each. Honors you have achieved in your academic or professional experience. Hobbies, and more personal data such as the ages of your children, but not of your spouse. Since the resume and CV should be oriented towards the specific job or opportunity you are exploring, do not be afraid of having several versions, tailored to the requirements of the position for which you are being considered. The author has several versions of his resumes, since Teaching is different from Consulting, and completely different from Managing.
Depending on the position he is being considered, he adjusts and highlights his experiences on the top and in more detail, what specifically could interest the employer more. And if he were to send his resume/CV to Europe, Canada, etc, he would review the different versions of them, according to the above Wikipedia research. One final word on your resume and CV: both are Marketing Tools. They should portrait the best side of you, so it should invite the reader to know more about you, by having a clear, clean, crisp look, without any typographical errors, printed in good white Bond paper, all original.
If you can, send your final draft (via mail, with time) to a professor or someone of your confidence, asking him/her to take it apart and criticize it, before you submit it finally. 4. Conclusion A resume and/or curriculum vitae are one of the most important documents that a student, professor or professional person could be writing in his life. Outmost care should be exercised in this task. Having it well written in Spanish is an asset, but just translating it to English is not sufficient: check for English correctness before submitting it.
Resume is a short summary of experiences and studies, while a CV is a lengthier document. Before being sent, it should be reviewed by a proficient English reader. 5. Bibliography – Richard N. Bolles What Color Is Your Parachute 2009: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career- Changers (Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press) – Jorge Munian Como te vendes te contratan (Mexico, DF: McGraw-Hill, 2003) – Gloria Serrato Azar Como hacer un Curriculum, (Madrid, Espana, 1999= References 1. Merriam Webster Dictionary, http://www. m-w. com 2. Virginia Tech University, Division of Student Affairs, http://www. areer. vt. edu/ 3. Wikipedia English http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Resume 4. Wikipedia English British http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Curriculum_vitae. 5. About. com: Job searching http://jobsearch. about. com/od/curriculumvitae/a/curriculumvitae. htm 6. Word Reference. com http://forum. wordreference. com/showthread. php? t= 1593968 7. Careers in Motion. com http://www. careersinmotionllc. com/ 8. Elearnspace. org/blog http://www. elearnspace. org/blog/2002/11/07/effort-vs-ability/ 9. AGBO Business Architecture, S. L. http://www. easyjob. net/cvs/cv-skills. htm %
