Job Discussion Forums

FarawayNow · Joined: 28 Apr 2012 Posts: 17

I have been using a one page CV for job applications (Most are for China). Is a longer CV a good idea? I am more familiar with the USA resume format which is one page only. I have a photo on the one page CV. In addition, I have my other documents scanned for the employer (passport, degree, education documents). If I use a longer CV then I could use more detail about my experiences and coursework.

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

In my experience as an American, the standard resume maximum length is 2 pages, not 1.

But, how long have you been teaching? Many in the EFL game have zero experience and zero background teaching, so 1 page is more than enough, while others who have been around the block (and the world) may need that second page, perhaps more. I would recommend not going more than 2 pages unless it is extremely necessary. The main reason is that you can put into a cover letter details that are not needed on a resume.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

I cannot speak for China and want to suggest that you post on the China board below for more accurate advice if that's where you are primarily seeking work.

But I can chime in on the 'coursework' issue - not many employers anywhere will be interested unless it's something directly related to language teaching.

coledavis · Joined: 21 Jun 2003 Posts: 1838

I agree with Glenski that the length of one's cv depends on the level of experience. Padding out a cv to two pages with a lot of boring or irrelevant material is not advisable. A neat one page cv which tells the employer that you have what they want (hopefully) and leaves them with questions to ask at interview would be much better.

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

By the way, is that "coursework" you taught or studied? Leave out what you studied.

Xie Lin · Joined: 21 Oct 2011 Posts: 731

Kiwi303 · Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 2:30 pm Post subject:

talking with chinese recruiters... Do Not put "CV" or "Curriculum Vitae" on your "Resume". They'll get confused and kick it to the bottom of the pile.

In (Commonwealth) English a Curriculum Vitae is your list of the achievments of your life, exactly the same as in Americanese your Resume is your summation of your achievements to date...

But the chinese refer to it by the Americanese term Resume and look blank when you refer to your CV... I gave one recruiter my CV, she looked at it, read it through, handed it back and said "that looks good, but do you have a Resume?"

It may be the same thing, but if it is not Called what they Expect, it's not what they Want...

teflworldwideprague · Joined: 13 May 2009 Posts: 4 Location: Prague

I used to work in Human Resources for two large companies and had to screen plenty of applicants. Most of the time count that the employer will glance at your CV for appx. 30 seconds. In that time you need to make sure they see the most relevant info so keep that in mind.

The length of the CV (or resume) really depends upon your experience so it's ok if it's more than 1 page.

If you do have previous teaching experience then I'd recommend listing your work experience first so that they see that. If you don't have previous teaching experience then list your TEFL course first and mention whether or not you had any practice teaching and if so how many hours.

Objective: Far too many entrants into the TEFL world forget this key statement on their CV/resume. You can say something standard such as �TEFL/TESOL Certified Teacher seeking to utilize my teaching knowledge to teach the English Language to students of all ages� or you can specialize it a bit more to your employer after you do your research. Such as �TEFL Certified teacher with extensive experience with kids seeking to utilize my skills in a position as ___)�

Highlight your TEFL experience: We always encourage our grads to immediately follow their �Objective� with a description of the TEFL program that they graduated from. Make sure you mention the length of the course, the highlights, and whether or not it�s �accredited� or not. Employers look for this TEFL/TESOL/CELTA/DELTA, etc. experience first and foremost.

Relevant Experience: If you have any experience with teaching, coaching, coordinating, counseling or anything that would help your skills as a teacher, include this in your relevant experience. If you worked as, say, a Restaurant Manager, you can put this in a separate section entitled �Professional Experience� and be sure to highlight the fact that you worked effectively with people in a supervisory role and had to do a lot of planning. Spin everything in the Professional Experience section to make it relate to how and why you�d be a great fit for the school.

Then include any skills or certifications you may have, list 2-3 references (preferably one who has seen you teach, coach or coordinate), make it look nice, and then make the edits.

Good luck!!

Cheryl Drabova
www.teflworldwideprague.com

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

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

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

tttompatz · Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 6:09 am Post subject:

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 6:20 am Post subject:

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

Sasha,
Don't now what it's like where you work, but most newbies in Japan have zero teaching experience, so they have no senior staff members or course trainers to rely on for references.

My only real reason for not cluttering up a resume with references' names and contact info is for control. As professionals, despite what I wrote above, we are all expected to have 2-3 people at the ready to be our references/referees, whether for work experience, academic achievement, or character. So, IMO (and that is all this is), why put the information on a page unless you have passed first round of acceptance (that is, on the strength of your resume and cover letter contents)?

Moreover, the control I speak of is this: how long do you intend to to shotgun resumes? The references may be surprised months later (and yes, it will take that long) to be contacted out of the blue (if at all) to provide a reference. In fact, they may have long since forgotten what you are applying for and why. Keeping the control helps you to remind them and keep it fresh in their minds.

Just my way of doing things and keeping a resume neat and clean. If you have references that wield power or appear so by their titles, go ahead and list them if you like, I guess.

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

I agree with Glenski about cluttering up a resume/CV with reference names, titles, and contact info. One option is to include a separate page with the ref info on it---formatted to match the resume/CV style. It could be submitted with the cover letter and resume/CV but as a separate document or subsequently, provided upon request, post-interview. However, I prefer to include copies of reference letters from my last two teaching jobs along with my application packet.