Job Discussion Forums

[Bud Powell]

If one has a long history in one area with specialized work, generally, it's a good idea NOT to turn in a one-page synopsis of one's work history. Descriptions should be short, but if one is 45-55 years old and he lists only two jobs at which he stayed only a year, submitting a resume is pointless.

If one has twenty years experience in teaching and several years in administration, the resume should reflect it. Showing a progression of increased responsibility makes sense. I've been published in several journals, but I don't include names of publications. I merely say, "publication list available at interview" or "publication list available available upon request".

In China, a newbie with little experience and no college degree is pretty much forced to submit a one-page resume. The worst thing he can do is turn in a bullet point self description like this:

* Always prompt for work

* Voted "Most Likely to Succeed" in high school

* Detail oriented

* Cheerful and outgoing

If one has a long work history, but he lists only his last two jobs, the employer will wonder if the prospective employee spent the previous thirty years in prison. If the work is TOTALLY unrelated, just say so. Nobody needs to know that you worked as a grocery bagger and a valet car parker and a waiter for fifteen years. Just give the date of aggregate employment and state "unrelated".

My resume is about a page and a half, not including the half-page cover letter (which is of dubious value). If I get a job interview (stateside), I turn in my publication list and writing portfolio (student writing) at that time, if asked for it.

There's no one-page rule anymore. It's better to give too much information than too little which leaves prospective employers wondering about the applicant.

[muffintop]

You don't need to list every job but you don't want to leave a gap in employment history OR have a more than one page resume unless perhaps you are shooting for a technical kind of position...which we aren't.

Summarize.

1998-2007 blahblah. If the jobs were in the same field just lump them together.

Not too hard to keep a resume one page if you want to regardless of your age.

Bud I totally disagree with you about the one page rule. Granted there are certainly exceptions to be made but it's a pretty good rule of thumb. Especially here.

In the U.S. I may say otherwise right now since most resumes are fed through a computer program looking for keywords before they ever get to the eyes of an actual human but you can try to cram them in creatively while keeping it a single page. There are many tricks to do this....you can even put in keywords that the human reader won't see but the scanning programs will. Here there is no such thing for the jobs we are applying for.

Too much info will turn most people off, your resume will land right in the trash if it's too long or difficult to follow. One and a half pages isn't exactly 'too long' IMO but I'd be looking for ways to pare it down to one.

You mentioned showing a progression of increased responsibility. Which is worth showing....back home. The value is perhaps less here depending on the type of position one is after. That can be handled with a single sentence or sentence fragment either way.

A resume is not about minute details or grandiose verbiage. It's only to show that you have enough related experience to warrant an interview or a phone call.

In my previous life I had 2 standard resumes I used...I would alter each as needed depending on the position/company. The one I would send before a line of communication was established was one page. Never longer...even for technical positions. The other is the one I'd bring to interviews and held FAR more detail. All that detail would have little to no meaning to some random putz in HR but would be important to the dept heads or whoever was in charge of the actual interview.

None of that is important here really. No need to over complicate things.

[wonderingjoesmith]

"Too much information" in a Resume will probably not be read by many employers in this business. But if you apply for a position of a professor at Columbia University, of course, someone will take time to read such one and a half paged document.

[muffintop]

[choudoufu]

what is the point of a resume? i assume y'all are applying for the
standard uni position. not much in the way of requirements (white,
breathing, thank you, you're hired).

the info the fao needs is all in the attachments: diploma, passport scan,
healthy certificate, digital photo, release letter. they really don't need
to see a full resume.

also remember that many times the fao may have limited english. your
fao may have perfect english or may have westernfolk on staff;
dinglezhou college of goat cheese? probably not.

keep it short and simple. one page or less, with just enough info to
show you have whatever it is they've decided to require. regardless,
your resume will be translated, shortened and massaged to meet
the requirements of the local foreign expert bureau.

subject teachers, or those applying at international schools? perhaps a
real resume is in order.

[BlueBlood]

[Bud Powell]

[BlueBlood]

No, Bud. I was "certified" as an instructor by my former employer. Meant I was "certified" to instruct in a very general sense, but it was an excellent, week-long in-person course with presentations and course plans, etc.

I realize it's not as good for being an FT as one of those CELTA courses people talk about here, but it's something to throw down on the resume.

[Banner41]

If you do have a long work history it still shouldn't spill on two pages. That would mean lots of jobs and lots of hopping around. It shows you were unable to stay in one job for long. That's not a good sign for prospective employers. In the current position I am in I was asked carefully about everything in my resume including gaps and the length of time at different jobs. I was very honest on paper and I was questioned many times about it. Luckily I had an answer for everything but I have since amended my resume to answer for any gaps and it still fits one page. Having a resume too many pages long is very old school thinking and honestly many jobs are filled by on-line applications which are short and to the point. If they want more information they will ask you. Make sure you cover the requirements the employer is looking for and you will at least get the call. After that, it's up to you to tell them how many times you were published and where.

The reason I put education first is because logically your resume should fall in chronological order. This happened first, this happened second in my life and so on. (of course if you graduated first and then went into your field). I don't list the jobs I had before graduation like lifeguard and shop clerk because it doesn't pertain to the job I am applying for. If it's relevant then list it!

[BlueBlood]

[mw182006]

I think you're over thinking, but I guess it depends on the gig you're going for. I've never taught and submitted a 1.5 pager that consisted of degree info, tesol info, and work history for the 2 employers I've worked for after college.

[Denim-Maniac]

Im still surprised people can use a single page! I dont put anything that is waffle on the CV, and I keep it very brief.

Of course I could fit in on one page if I used a small font size and bunched everything together ... but when dealing with non-native speakers a clear layout that is easy to read and follow is likely to win more friends than a single sheet IMHO.

[Banner41]

[quote="BlueBlood"]

[Javelin of Radiance]

[Bud Powell]