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RazzleDazzleRozzle
Joined: 27 Jun 2009 Posts: 3 Location: New Zealand
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 9:57 pm Post subject: CV/resume tips |
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Hi, I'm new to this forum and am currently looking for TEFL jobs in Japan. Does anybody have any tips on how to write a good resume?
Is there a special format I should use?
Should I only include teaching experience or would it be beneficial to include other jobs I've had as well? |
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Glenski

Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 12:10 am Post subject: |
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First tip is to use the search function here. Yours is a common topic.
Second, keep in mind that if you get a Japanese reviewer, expect the level of English to be low. So, write simply, avoid jargon and buzzwords, and keep sentences short & simple. In fact, on a resume it would be better to use bullets instead of paragraphs or sentences.
Third, include some additional information on the resume, compared to what you are used to. Employers here often need a bit more, and even though it might seem discriminatory, the info is still needed.
Name (as it appears on your passport)
mailing address
email address
phone number (only one, please)
fax number if you have one
nationality
date and place of birth
visa or passport status (and expiration date)
marital status
education
work experience
photo of you (business attire, shoulders and up shot, neutral background) embedded on the resume, top corner
Anything else will depend on how much space you have, but keep it to 1-2 pages. Don't write an "objective" on the resume.
Don't abbreviate anything except USA, UK, or CELTA.
Include city/state/country for each school & employer.
Don't list the total years you attended university. Just the graduation date will do.
List job experience time frames as month/year to month/year.
How much teaching experience do you have? Hard to answer your question about listing other work without knowing that. Are you a fresh college grad, for example? |
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RazzleDazzleRozzle
Joined: 27 Jun 2009 Posts: 3 Location: New Zealand
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:02 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the advice Glenski.
I have 6 months' experience teaching English in Thailand as a volunteer and have worked in admin in between. I graduated two years ago. |
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Glenski

Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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With that kind of work experience, list everything, but don't make more than 2 bullets for each non-teaching work experience.
Yours will be a 1-page resume, so add to the bottom a bulleted list of personal interests (and describe them in 5-10 words each). |
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RazzleDazzleRozzle
Joined: 27 Jun 2009 Posts: 3 Location: New Zealand
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 11:03 pm Post subject: |
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Should I include details of my TEFL certificate? So far I've written a summary in bullet points of all the units it consisted of but it's taking up a lot of space. |
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Conor_Ire
Joined: 22 Nov 2008 Posts: 34 Location: Tokyo
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 2:31 am Post subject: |
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The photo is very important!! Big happy smiley face!  |
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Glenski

Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:05 am Post subject: |
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RazzleDazzleRozzle wrote: |
Should I include details of my TEFL certificate? So far I've written a summary in bullet points of all the units it consisted of but it's taking up a lot of space. |
You probably don't need to go into any detail at all. How many bullet points do you actually have for that? Be careful not to write an unbalanced amount of text compared to the rest of your resume. |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009 Posts: 1546 Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 8:53 am Post subject: |
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RazzleDazzleRozzle wrote: |
Should I include details of my TEFL certificate? So far I've written a summary in bullet points of all the units it consisted of but it's taking up a lot of space. |
Don't bother going into all the units on your resume, just like you wouldn't bother listing all the units you ever took at uni. I was told only to put the number of contact hours I had and the number hours work experience I had to complete for my TEFL cert (so only 2 bullet points).
If they are truely interested in what exactly your cert consisted of, then you can give them those details seperately later. |
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