Job Discussion Forums

[Prof.Gringo]

How many pages do you use for your resume? As I understand it in Mexico, people tend to have longer cv's than in the States.

Once I saw a resume from a woman looking for an ESL job. Her resume was a book! Seriously, it was about 30 pages long and she had it bound with a cover. The coordinator asked me to take a look and we had a good laugh! It even had her kindergarten classes and awards in it!

What do you say? One or two pages? More? How about four? Cover letter?

Thanks for your replies.

[Guy Courchesne]

It depends on the job you're applying for. Language institute work for first timers probably won't require much more than a page or two, with heaviest focus on education, languages, and relevant experience. Leave the stint at the McDonald's drive-thru window off.

Professionals seeking work at the primary to post-secondary level will want to include all relevant experience and education, as well as awards, workshops, publications, etc. A recent participant in the TEFL course I instruct on came with a doctorate in English literature, numerous publications, many ESL related workshops, and experience in language lab management had a CV about 5 pages long, but it was appropriate for the level she will be working at in Mexico.

A cover letter is always a good idea, though not really needed if you're going to Harmon Hall your way through Mexico.

[MO39]

[TheLongWayHome]

[Milenka]

[MO39]

[gregd75]

As a recruiter, I strongly believe that a resume must NEVER be more (or less) than 2 pages. In total.

The resume is a very personal document which reflects the character of the author. I know this sounds cheesy, but its true! If there are spelling mistakes, or it appears 'rushed'- then I am thinking the person will be the same in the job they are applying for.

Conversely, if a resume includes every detail, maybe the person will be very detail oriented and won't be flexible enough for a TEFL position.

The resume is a reflection of yourself, and this is what I like to see:

1) NAME
contact details eg phone number and email address. Dont waste space writing your mail address- nobody uses mail to recruit these days!

2) An OBJECTIVES statement. Something that is around 20 words, describing what you want to achieve and ideally this is linked to the job you are applying for!

3) Now for me, this depends....if you are younger and fresh out of education, I think put education first. If you have more work experience then put that first.

EDUCATION
I want to see what you studied and the KEY POINTS. Dont go into detail, but put top line subjects studied

WORK EXPERIENCE
I like to see this split into two... put the job, the dates you worked form and until, a line with a description and then split into 1) RESPONSIBILITIES and 2) ACHIEVEMENTS
Keep it short and simple. Use bullet points to keep the information clean, well presented and succinct

4) Other information

Here is where I disagree with Guy's point about the McDonalds job. If you had customer contact, or were part of the training crew, or were awarded 'crew member of the month' then this is something to be proud of and it SHOULD be added to your resume. A 1-line what did you achieve, over and above the regular job, university club etc.

5) References. NEVER include your references... your resume is a key to the interview door. If I am interested in you, I will contact your references after the interview and not before... so I will ask for your references at this point.

I always think adding references onto your resume just wastes space when all you need is 1 line saying 'References gladly supplied upon request'

I hope this helps any prospective TEFL teacher out there!

[deeb]

I think that gregd75 makes some good points IF you are applying for a job in Mexico with gringos. If you are applying to a Mexican public university, as I did for my first job here, you may want to follow some of the local customs.

I now have two very different resumes - one in English and one in Spanish. The one in Spanish is significantly longer - 4 pages instead of 2 - and includes my home address, my date of birth and a photo.

Just as when I was hiring for a position stateside and received a 15 page resume, including head shot, and it was culturally inappropriate. Sending off a one page resume for a job with Mexicans here and not including your photo or birth date, may be equally inappropriate.

But, it all goes back to knowing the company or organization where you are applying.

[dixie]

I think listing the McDonald's job depends on how much (or little) experience one has related to dealing with people. If you're new to the profession, and have very little beyond a certificate, and dreams, then it helps to show you have people-related experience.

I have such a working experience, but I have more experience directly related to education that I never list my time at McDonalds.

[MO39]

I also agree that gregd has some good suggestions to offer, except for one point he makes. Strictly limiting your resume to 2 pages is not realistic for older job applicants (like me, for instance), who have many years of relevant experience and education to offer a prospective employer, and none of them involved working at MacDonald's!

One more thing, I think it is important to include your email address on your resume - I have applied for teaching positions and received job offers in recent memory from on-line contacts.

[gregd75]

I am pleased MO39 likes the majority of my comments.

I definately agree about contact details- 3 things are necessary;
1) Your Name!
2) A contact phone number
3) An email address.

I think thats enough.

As for the comment about not using 2 pages because a person is older. I totally disagree. Look at it the other way- An inexperienced person could fill out more than 2 pages as well as an experienced person.

If potential employees think that recruiters look at every detail on a resume, then they're wrong! Its a snapshot into the persons life and experiences. You have 1 or 2 minutes to present yourself.

With Resumes that are longer, it makes me think that the person cannot compact their experiences, they cannot prioritize the important things in their experiences for the job they are looking for- or even worse they have a one size fits all resume.... better to put everything on, than to miss something off.

I wholeheartedly disagree that any resume (English speaking resume. as I dont have experience recruiting Spanish worded resumes) could be over 2 pages.

Even if you have many years of experiences to offer an employer- if you dont get an interview, the experience wont get you the job. Just prioritise your experiences. Choose the training and experience that would marry up with what the employer is looking for and chop the rest. You can talk about the other experiences once you have an interview.

1 to 2 minutes is all you have to present yourself. Make it EASY for the employer by just putting the KEY points, This will show that you have experience and you're still able to present yourself as a relevant, succinct candidate.

[gregd75]

[quote="deeb"]I think that gregd75 makes some good points IF you are applying for a job in Mexico with gringos.�

[deeb]

Yes, gregd,

Sorry about the confusion - I still have trouble with this as I began using the word in Ecuador where more people fall into the category (Europeans, Canadians, white South Africans, Australians - in general white people - or even non-white people who come from white majority countries).

[gregd75]

No problems....

I guess its just that here in Mexico, being a Gringo has a negative implication.

Mybe its different in other Latin American countries, but here.. its definately not a good thing to be a gringo- if you're not!

[El Gallo]

Depends on who the audience is. If it's a "recruiter" he or she probably prefers an American style resume like the example above.

If it's for a Mexican due�o, here's a more traditional Mexican format:

CURR�CULUM VITAE

DATOS PERSONALES:

Name //// Country of Brith
Address //// Nationality
Telephone Number //// When you are available
Age //// Driver's license
Work Visa

FORMACI�N ACAD�MICA

High School
University
Post-Grad

FORMACI�N EXTRA ACAD�MICA

Other certifications / courses/ seminars/ workshops
(load these up - the more the better)


EXPERIENCIA LABORAL

job history

IDIOMAS

languages you read / write/ speak and what %

INFORM�TICA

computer abilities like Microsoft Office

OTROS DATOS DE INTER�S

Referencias, ser�n facilitadas en caso de ser requeridas

Notice that in the US, one wouldn't be required to indicate age but equal opportunity in this regard is not a right in Mexico