Job Discussion Forums

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

...you might want to consider a few things.

1) Proofread the darned email, including the subject line.

"application" is not spelled "appklication"

2) Say where you saw the ad and what position you are applying for. The institution may have more than one.

3) Read the advertisement carefully.

I don't care if you are a trilingual person who wants to teach math and chemistry. My school wants an English teacher.

4) Look at a map.

You say you want to commute from Tokyo, but to do that you'll have to hop on a plane for 1.5 to 2 hours one way.

5) Customize your cover letters. We can tell when you don't. The main tipoff is that you don't write the name of the person to whom you are addressing the mail. It was in the ad.

6) For goodness' sake, if you intend to shotgun an email to 28 sources at once, learn how to use the BCC function! It's embarrassing to see that you've sent a letter to a university, Interac, and eikaiwas (and to other places with just people's names in the email addresses), yet you only write in that form letter that you are interested in the "job at the school".

7) Make a sensible resume format. Be sure it's not filled to within 1/8 inch of the margins top, bottom and left/right, and that you use consistent font for fields of equal weight, and that you don't send a copy that gets cut off at the bottom so that only the upper half of the type shows.

Cool

Don't copy/paste from other letters of inquiry. If you say something like you're interested in moving to China but the job is in Japan, it's a hint to the reader.

9) Don't include irrelevant information.

Reviewers really don't care how many pets you have, whether you won an archery/swimming/martial arts contest 3 years in a row, or what your spouse does for hobbies.

As you might suspect, I've just seen all of the above. Sigh.

mikefriend · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 2:01 pm Post subject:

Thank you Glen. It's a great reminder for those of us contemplating a job change.

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

Sadly enough, I've also worked with those types at a few places;

The Spanish teacher who teaches English

A drama teacher who taught using drama and French was ideal

A teacher who mostly 'taught' one on ones outside the classroom (while the rest of the class was wondering what the hell happened)

And teachers who thought their hobbies were their most exciting skills for teaching (regardless of how odd the hobbies)

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

gaijinalways,
I have nothing against someone without an English teaching background teaching English. Heck, that's me! My complaint is that the person above didn't even address the issue of an English teaching job and straight out said they wanted to teach math and chemistry.

As for hobbies, again, I have no real issue with what a person's interests are, but what's the point in telling me on a cover letter what your spouse's interests are? A whole paragraph worth, in fact!

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

Exactly, but some people continue these habits after they been given the job from a contact. In other words, I'm argueing some of these people shouldn't have been hired to begin with. Where do you think the 'edutainment' aspect comes from, Monkasho?

As to your own qualifications, your background is related to the kind of place you work at. It's just not related in a typical sense.

Speed · Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 152 Location: Shikoku Land

Oh, great! You got my resume! Do I get the job?

fluffyhamster · Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 5:44 pm Post subject:

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

You do know Glenski is talking about hiring for university teaching, yes?

I was talking about uni instructors, not Jet hires.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

fluffy,
I think you have pretty much taken this thread off topic with talk about JET ALTs.

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

fluffyhamster · Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 7:06 pm Post subject:

Does Monkasho impose a prescribed course of study for English at university level? Just wondering. More to the point, is a gripe on Dave's about bad job applications going to eradicate the problem? Probably not.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

gaijin4life · Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 11:47 am Post subject:

I love your avatar fluffy !! Very Happy

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

fluffy,
why even bother responding if this wasn't that much of a topic? Geez.

No kidding that my one little, dinky, whiny post won't stop all job hunters from making those insipid mistakes. Did you think I meant to do that? Again, geez.

Oh, and I'm not a job-hunting guru. I just got stuck with being the middleman this one time.

Mr. Kalgukshi · Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 11:20 pm Post subject:

Some off topic postings have been deleted. Future ones will result in sanctions for the members posting them.