Job Discussion Forums

[nonsmoker]

Hello friends. I am determined to teach English in Japan and I need your help! What should I put on my Resume/CV and Cover Letter to make it look attractive to Japanese employers? I don't have any teaching experience and I'm fresh out out college (w/BSc). Here are some questions:

1. I have some tutoring experience from college but it was for literature and business. Should I put that down?

2. Should I write about my entry level office positions that I've had? Should I even bother to write about my work history at all if it's not teaching related?

3. I noticed that most places require a recent photo with the CV. Should I send the photo as a separate attachment or should I paste it on the resume next to my name?

4. Is there a certain order that the Japanese prefer the CV to be in (bio-education-work history, etc)?

5. I graduated with Honors (C.u.m Laude) from college. Do Japanese employers care about that or should I leave it out?

About the cover letter:

6. Should the cover letter be extravagant (situational Q & A, etc.) or more subtle? Should I over-emphasize my enthusiasm, love for children and interest in Japan to compensate for the lack of teaching experience?

In regards to references:

7. I'm thinking I should get 2 references: 1 from my turoring coordinator at college and 1 from a former employer to give the Japanese employer a more rounded view of my history. Does it matter if the letters are generic or do they have to be tailored to what I'm applying for?

My nationality:

8. I'm thinking this shouldn't be a problem but I want to be sure. I was born in Romania but I came to the States at a young age so I'm as much a native speaker as anyone born here. My American accent is native to the fullest. My American Passport, however, says "Romanian" under "Nationality" and I am a dual citizen. My appearance is caucasian (italian-like w/ dark hair). Will my place of birth be a setback on my application? Should I discuss this matter on the resume or cover letter?


This topic has probably been touched upon before but maybe not 100%. Many of you can remember the excitement you felt prior to coming to Japan, but for me, the journey is just beginning. Your help is greatly appreciated .

R.D.

[kahilm]

Hello nonsmoker, good luck with the whole process I know it can be a giant headache. I just went through what you're going through right now with 2 of the big 4 eikaiwa companies, as well as with the JET program back in the Fall. From what I know, and what I accomplished (offered a position at both eikaiwa companies), here's what I can tell you:

1. YES. Any teaching experience is a plus, always! I didn't have any official teaching experience, not even tutoring experience. But I wrote about how I helped coach people on my school's fencing team as well as my experience "teaching" my host-sister in Japan some basic English. The companies seemed to like it.

2. I wrote about every job I had had, which was only 4. This included pizza delivery guy and golf driving range attendant. It also included an internship. Include everything even if it's not teaching related.

3. I never wrote a cover letter for my interviews, just the resume. So, I never put a picture on there.

4. As for order of the resume, let me look at mine real quick... I went objective, education, work history, volunteer experience, interests and activities, then references.

5. I included my magna c.um (they bleep that word? ) laude and all the dean's lists honors I received. You earned it, so you should put it on there.

6. Again, I never did a cover letter.

7. References: mine were both from former employers. They didn't have to write me any sort of letter, though (except for the JET program but I didn't get accepted for that, and you're not applying to that). I did tell them beforehand that I was listing them as references and what I was applying for, which is probably a good idea. The companies said they would call them after the interviews were over.

8. This I don't know about. You might want to search more online or check the companies websites.

Mind telling us which companies you are applying to? To let you know, the two eikaiwas I applied to were NOVA and Geos. Going with Geos

Hope this helps, good luck to ya.

[Glenski]

1. I have some tutoring experience from college but it was for literature and business. Should I put that down?
Yes. At least describe how many students at a time you tutored and what the field was. Experience is experience.

2. Should I write about my entry level office positions that I've had? Should I even bother to write about my work history at all if it's not teaching related?
Yes, especially important for a fresh college grad. If nothing else, it shows you are ambitious enough to work. Just don't go crazy over the details.

3. I noticed that most places require a recent photo with the CV. Should I send the photo as a separate attachment or should I paste it on the resume next to my name?
Embed it on the resume in the upper corner.

4. Is there a certain order that the Japanese prefer the CV to be in (bio-education-work history, etc)?
Not really, but you should put your bio/profile first so they know your nationality and current contact information, then education, then work experience. I'd say insert the tutoring between education and work experience as a separate category.

5. I graduated with Honors (C.u.m Laude) from college. Do Japanese employers care about that or should I leave it out?
They don't care, nor do they know what it means. You graduated. That's all. No GPA, no Dean's List.

About the cover letter:

6. Should the cover letter be extravagant (situational Q & A, etc.) or more subtle? Should I over-emphasize my enthusiasm, love for children and interest in Japan to compensate for the lack of teaching experience?
The resume lists your work and education experience. The cover letter describes you, your reason for applying, and your desire to work. Be realistic since you have only just graduated. Tell them why you chose EFL as a job, what you put into and got out of your tutoring experience, and why you are interested in Japan. Remember, they get thousands of newbie letters, so yours has to be unique to catch their eye, and your reviewer may not be a native English speaker. Emphasize what you can offer them, not what you expect to get out of the deal. The cover letter gives the reviewer an inkling to glance at your resume, so don't divulge things in the CL that are on the resume.

In regards to references:

7. I'm thinking I should get 2 references: 1 from my turoring coordinator at college and 1 from a former employer to give the Japanese employer a more rounded view of my history. Does it matter if the letters are generic or do they have to be tailored to what I'm applying for?
No need to have letters of references provided with any resume. I don't even advise writing "references provided upon request" on a resume, because you should consider yourself professional enough to have them at the ready anyway. As for generic or tailored, what do you think? Better the odds by having them as tailored as possible, but if the reference can't attest to any teaching ability, fine. Just a character reference is good enough.

My nationality:

8. I'm thinking this shouldn't be a problem but I want to be sure. I was born in Romania but I came to the States at a young age so I'm as much a native speaker as anyone born here. My American accent is native to the fullest. My American Passport, however, says "Romanian" under "Nationality" and I am a dual citizen. My appearance is caucasian (italian-like w/ dark hair). Will my place of birth be a setback on my application? Should I discuss this matter on the resume or cover letter?
You have dual nationality. Say that on the resume and be done with it. I'd suggest that your writing ability in the CL would show how good a native English speaker you might really be, so be extra careful there. You might want to make a passing statement about having moved to the USA, just so they know the situation better, but don't dwell on it. Your "appearance" means nothing since Americans come from varied backgrounds, so don't make them think otherwise. You are American/Romanian, emphasis on the American.

[nonsmoker]

Kahilm and Glenski, thank you for the information. It looks like my resume does need a little tweaking.

On another note: I have the jitters! I am so excited about the idea of teaching in Japan but at the same time I am worried about getting a job. I don't really have that many qualifications other than a Degree but apparently that's enough to get me there. I'm just worried that by the time I want to go in the fall, the job market will crumble or something . I can't help being afraid that my dreams of going to Japan will not materialise! How did you guys handle this kind of stress and do you think that the ESL market will continue to steadily increase or decrease???

Danke Schon.

[Urban_Legend]

[sethness]

Keep your resume SHORT. List things you have certificates or diplomas for; go VERY light on the rest. Japanese resumes tend to be very brief compared to the blustery, long-winded American versions.

As for being from Romania-- yes, this will hurt your chances. Work visas are offered mainly to people from countries where English is the #1 language... particularly America and Canada.
Clearly, though, your English is full-on native speaker English, so harp on that somewhere in the resume. If you say "Lived in America from age two onward" or something like that, that shoudl be sufficient to please an employer....though the government may still give you hassles when you apply for a work-visa.

When listing former work experience, GO LIGHT NOT HEAVY. Not only is this proper form in Japan-- also, consider the burden of reading a long resume, for the employer. A lenghty resume may go to the bottom of the stack just because the employer can't be bothered to read it.

re: your photo: Split the difference. Try putting your passport-style photo (wearing Mormon/Blues-Brothers/Midwestern-accountant clothing) in a clear plastic sheath, and attaching that firmly to the resume. In this way, you guarantee that the photo won't be inadvertently detached, yet it's still possible to remove it and attach it to any office paperwork the empoyer might have.

DO list as many contact methods as you can, especially FAX. Fax is suprisingly popular in Japan, as are cellphones. DO make yourself available for phone interviews, so the employer can confirm your native English speaker accent.

[Glenski]

sethness,
You and I disagree about a few things, and I just want to point them out.

The OP's nationality is American and Romanian, not just Romanian. If he/she points that out, there won't be as much of a stigma as you let on.

Also, what certificates do you think the OP has that would be worth putting on his/her resume? He/She has no experience in EFL. I would not recommend things like a Red Cross lifesaving certificate or scuba license (have seen both put on resumes), for example.

Considering the OP's background, I don't think it'll be a problem in keeping the resume short.

[leosmith]

[canuck]

[Glenski]

Like Sheik said, use Word.

After you insert the picture, you can move it around in front of text, behind text, or within text by changing the format. To do that, right-click on the inserted picture, choose "format picture", then "layout". From that menu, do what you like. I suggest "behind text", but play around to see what seems more user-friendly to you.

I have never heard of anyone using a PowerPoint resume except one or two highly professional computer experts (not teachers).

[leosmith]

[leosmith]

Another question about the picture - is it better to smile or not?

[canuck]

[Glenski]

Japanese people often don't smile for their professional photos. Some do. You are being hired as a foreigner, your picture may even give the employer an idea of your personality. They want to attract clients (students), and your face may be put on brochures (although with a different photo than on your resume). Smile. Openly or reservedly, but smile. Just be yourself, though.

[nonsmoker]