International Resumes & Cover Letters

1. International Resumes & Cover Letters Molly Krochalk & Stephanie Kann Letters & Science Career Services

2. A Typical Resume Brief - usually one page for recent graduates Selective – picking only the details you want the employer to consider

3. An International CV Comprehensive – often two pages, even for recent graduates Inclusive – detailing clearly everything you have done

4. Employers abroad… • Do not often use the term “resume” (sometimes in Latin America) • Want to know more about you than just your skills

5. Personal Information • Employers abroad will consider personal factors (e.g. age, marital status, interests) when evaluating whether or not to hire you. • NO ADA (American Disability Act)

6. Like a resume… Your international CV should include: • Your contact information • Higher education experiences • Work experiences • Skills and proficiencies in languages, computers, and other technical areas

7. Unlike a resume… Your International CV should: • Be complete rather than brief • Check to see if experiences should be in chronological or reverse chronological order • Be printed on A4 size paper • List personal factors like age

8. A4 Size Paper • The standard paper outside of North America (like our 8.5” x 11”) • Most office supply stores do not carry it • You can purchase it online: • Empire Imports www.empireimports.com • NexTag www.nextag.com/a4-paper/shop-html

9. Photo • Passport sized photo • Pose in professional manner • Attach to the top left of the first page of your CV

10. Parts of a resume • Contact Information (Name, address, phone, email) • Experience (Employment, volunteer activities, student organizations) • Organization name, location, your title, and dates • Descriptive lines highlighting your accomplishments, skills, and (if nothing else) your duties • Can organize by functional topics • Education(Institution, degree & major, graduation date) • Optional Sections (Interests, Skills etc.)

11. Experience: Section Headings • Consider grouping similar experiences under specific section headings: Example: Work Experience vs. Cross-cultural Experiences • Do not combine paid and unpaid positions

12. Experience: Descriptive Lines • The “meat” of your resume • Begin with an action verb, then qualify, quantify, elaborate, & explain • Highlight your accomplishments • Be concrete/tangible/specific with examples • Talk about what you did, what it took, & especially what skills you used Example: Interacted with diverse customers on a constant basis, promoting excellent communication and customer service skills

13. Complete Sample Experience Centro Hispano, Juventud Program Madison, WI Tutor and English Teacher May - August 2009 • Mentored and built positive relationships with Latino middle school students • Gained insights into issues and challenges facing Latino adolescents • Guided students in decision making and problem solving • Assisted students in enhancing their conversational and written English skills

14. Example Skills Section Technical Skills Computer: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint (proficient), Microsoft Access, Page Maker (familiar) Languages: Spanish (proficient), Portuguese (conversational) Note: It is best to attach a proficiency level to each of your skills Language levels – basic, conversational, proficient, fluent, native Computer & laboratory levels – familiar, proficient, advanced

15. Cover Letters • These vary by country • Often are short and precise if used at all • Highlight purpose for applying and contact information for the person applying

16. Research the Country • GoinGlobal- premiere resource for working abroad • Register for BuckyNet from the L&S Career Services website and access GoinGlobal for free! (www.lssaa.wisc.edu/careers) • Argentina, Peru, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala,, Austrialia,, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong…etc. • Go Global- another research site! • http://go.global.wisc.edu • Follow these links: • Just Browsing • Wider Web • Preparing an International Resume

17. Which language do you use? • When responding to job listings in another country, your materials should be written in thesame language as the job listing • Job listing is written in English = English CV and Cover Letter • Job listing is written in Spanish = Spanish CV and Cover Letter

18. Which gets to THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT OF ALL … • Read the job listing as carefully as possible and try to respond in the way the employer wants • See if you can find people who have worked there before • Try any way to gather more information about what that employer is looking for • This is true for any job application anywhere

19. If you want to teach English… • It’s strongly recommended that you first complete a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course. • Most employers of foreign-born English teachers will want you to have completed a TEFL course.

20. If you want to teach English… • TEFL courses usually last about 4 weeks and can be found in almost every country: • www.europetefl.com/ • www.teflcourses.com/ • www.teflcertificate.com

21. Questions? Stephanie Kann & Molly Krochalk L&S Career Services Middleton Building 1305 Linden Dr. Suite 205 www.lssaa.wisc.edu/careers 608-262-3921