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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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 Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 3:46 pm Post subject: |
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If posting actual documents via snail mail, ensure your tongue is wet before trying to lick the envelope glue seal. Better yet, get self-sealing envelopes with those pull-away strips.  |
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AGoodStory
Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 738
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
Forgiven, buravirgil. Except, the thread's neither useless nor dead either, clearly. Please read on.
Dear John
I know it's unlikely to ever really stop. But we can still make our small efforts when/where we can:-)
This thread's actually been useful, if one omits the rodents.
We've suggested
1. don't apply if you don't have at least a reasonable overlap between your quals and those stated on the advert. My original bit of advice, seconded by nomadsoul and johnslat later on.
2. tutoring 1:1 is not the same as teaching classes (santi, and thanks)
3. when applying for jobs where work with zero beginners will be involved, be clear whether you have applicable experience or are at least willing to learn (santi again).
4. don't try to argue with visa regulations, or culturally related criteria like age, race, gender, looks (nomadsoul)
5. research the employer before applying
6. research the region/culture before applying (more nomadsoul gems - these may seem obvious but we have consistent newbs here who don't do any of the above)
And from AGoodStory, a whole whack of great advice:
Okay, here's mine:
Do NOT send out a generic, all-purpose cover letter.
Do NOT simply put your CV into letter format and call it a cover letter. You've wasted the opportunity to tell an employer why she should interview you for this job.
DO use your cover letter to relate your skills and experience to the particulars of the advertised job. Be concrete and specific.
Do NOT blather on about your passion for teaching. Qualified applicants don't waste the limited space available talking about how passionate they are. (Well, okay, maybe this is just a pet peeve of mine, but believe me, describing your passion for teaching will not make you stand out.)
Personally I find "Job Objective" descriptions a waste of space. Skip it unless you have nothing better to put on your CV. A summary, or profile, on the other hand, is quite useful in quickly making sense of your application, and will be appreciated.
Proofread, proofread, proofread! Or have someone else do it after you think it is letter perfect. I am amazed by how often people will send a letter or CV riddled with misspellings and other errors. You don't want a prospective employer's first impression of you to say that you don't pay attention to details. That first impression is likely to be the last impression
And Johnslat has added a note on the undesirability of pimping ones resume.
I should also note that the posters who've noted that in some job markets, employers often take less qualifications than they are advertising for have also offered valid advice (even if it's not true everywhere, I'm sure it is in many places and situations).
This is clearly quite a lot of useful advice for newbies or those with just a few years of experience in the field.
The thread's justified, regardless of the sour seeds from the hamster and others.
Best,
spiral |
I take it back--Not so dead, after all! Good save, Spiral!  |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 3:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Well, these threads would putter along a lot more quietly and unspectacularly if there weren't the initial accusations of misreading and snideness. FWIW I liked AGoodStory's advice but ultimately it's just repeating what umpteen books and webpages already say. But if it gives you guys a sense of accomplishment to repeat all that and then keep highlighting the repeats (Look Ma!), I guess that's the most important thing. Me, I prefer to talk about how to do rather than just get the job, ho hum. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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mster
PostPosted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 3:58 pm Post subject:
Well, these threads would putter along a lot more quietly and unspectacularly if there weren't the initial accusations of misreading and snideness. FWIW I liked AGoodStory's advice but ultimately it's just repeating what umpteen books and webpages already say. But if it gives you guys a sense of accomplishment to repeat all that and then keep highlighting the repeats (Look Ma!), I guess that's the most important thing. Me, I prefer to talk about how to do rather than just get the job, ho hum.
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So get off this thread. Why are you torturing yourself? Clearly not healthy. |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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| I think what's clearly unhealthier is the seemingly limitless need to patronize people, but sure, I'll leave it now to others to call it (or not/if they can really be bothered). |
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santi84
Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 1317
Location: under da sea
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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| fluffyhamster wrote: |
| Well, these threads would putter along a lot more quietly and unspectacularly if there weren't the initial accusations of misreading and snideness. FWIW I liked AGoodStory's advice but ultimately it's just repeating what umpteen books and webpages already say. But if it gives you guys a sense of accomplishment to repeat all that and then keep highlighting the repeats (Look Ma!), I guess that's the most important thing. Me, I prefer to talk about how to do rather than just get the job, ho hum. |
I feel the same way about your lengthy grammar threads, but I make it a point to simply ignore it instead. |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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"Proofread, proofread, proofread! Or have someone else do it after you think it is letter perfect."
Amen - I forgot to mention a couple of examples: 1. One applicant wrote "My colleagues were taken back by my proficiency . . ."
Taken back where - to the future? This, to my mind, is a twofer: the confusion of "back" with "aback" and the unseemly and unsupported boasting.
And another application included, among the required three letters of recommendation, a letter of recommendation that HE had written for someone else.
By the way, if you don't think those are checked, think again. I did, however, not call that applicant to check on the letter of recommendation that he had written.
Unbelievable, no?
Regards,
John |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:26 pm Post subject: |
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Well Santi, you're no longer making enough of a point of ignoring whatever "lengthy grammar threads" now that you've commented "on" them. What in particular do you disagree with so much? The very notion of grammar? Good luck with that.
I'm willing to be corrected (perhaps on the relevant threads themselves) regarding the (my) often necessary (counter-)analyses...assuming of course that you have some actual points to make, and are capable of making them?
Last edited by fluffyhamster on Fri Oct 23, 2015 12:55 am; edited 2 times in total |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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Ah, proofing for boo-boos... I once reviewed a CV in which the applicant stated that he "provided information to others who were missed and formed."  |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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| I once reviewed a CV in which the applicant stated that he "provided information to others who were missed and formed." Laughing |
That's a good one:-)
It should go without saying that anyone seeking a job to teach the language needs to demonstrate general proficiency in it. I've seen some zingers as well, including the ubiquitous their/there error.
Here's another tip:
Always ask someone else to read over your job application documents with a clean eye before sending them out. Even those of us who are proficient make the occasional boo-boo! |
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In the heat of the moment
Joined: 22 May 2015
Posts: 393
Location: Italy
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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| What an amusingly scurrilous thread. I was going to add something worthwhile but it would be out of context and off topic, so will just confirm the only seemingly (to me) good advice which is to send an application free of spelling mistakes - would you want to work for someone who didn't spot them? |
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Xie Lin
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
Posts: 731
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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One applicant wrote "My colleagues were taken back by my proficiency . . ."
Taken back where - to the future? This, to my mind, is a twofer: the confusion of "back" with "aback" and the unseemly and unsupported boasting.
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Cringe!  The boastfulness even more than the error!
My two cents: You need to convey confidence in your abilities without coming across as a braggart. Get this balance right! As an English teacher, you are expected to have the ability to communicate effectively, so you should be able to identify the difference. Confidence, yes. Boasting, no.
Of all the advice out there, I would choose this one (from an earlier list) to focus on. "DO use your cover letter to relate your skils and experience to the particulars of the advertised job. Be concrete and specific." Applicants who do this, and do a good job of it, are fewer than you would think. Other things being equal, success here can elevate interest in your application above those who are equally qualifed. A caution: I'm not suggesting that you twist your experience pretzel-like, or inflate your qualifications to appear to fit the job. A babysitter is not a therapist.  |
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Xie Lin
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
Posts: 731
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 5:27 pm Post subject: |
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. . . provided information to others who were missed and formed
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Now that's a real howler! A sign of someone who speaks but doesn't read.
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 6:43 pm Post subject: |
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Wear surgical gloves to prevent fingerprints appearing on the CV and letter.
I always do that when sending out the ransom demands.
Have I posted this advice on the right page ? |
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Xie Lin
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
Posts: 731
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 6:46 pm Post subject: |
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| scot47 wrote: |
Wear surgical gloves to prevent fingerprints appearing on the CV and letter.
I always do that when sending out the ransom demands.
Have I posted this advice on the right page ? |
Maybe the wrong forum? Is this how you support yourself now, Scot?
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