Doing my 'resume' the american way!

[ladybutterfly 0]

For the past couple of days I have been slaving away at my resume in anticipation of getting my work permit soon. In the UK I was always taught that the standard CV was two pages. My US husband has been helping me with doing my resume and says that here in the US, the standard is one page. Is this right? I shall be applying for office/admin or receptionist positions. Also, he says not to put your date or birth on it. The headings I have on my resume are - Objective, Professional Experience, Education, Skills and References. Any tips or advice on putting together the perfect resume?!?

[munchkins 0]

That is always a difficult one especially as the two countries do appear to do them very differently. I joined Monster.com and they are really good at giving advice and you can then post your resume on there (without the names and companies) and they will help all they can.

It's true, do not put your DOB and you only need to put your last 3 jobs,

I would definitely suggest taking a look on Monster for the US, good luck. Oh and another thing I have done, just to make sure that I was writing my resume correctly, I attached it to an email to an agency in Jaxs and asked if they felt that my skills would transferable to the US market and got a really nice reply back indicating that they sould have no problems placing me. I am however hoping that within two weeks of being in the states I will have my interview with the same bank as my daughter -so fingers crossed for that

Good luck, I am sure you will be just fine/

[I'm Gone 60]

http://www.acinet.org/acinet/resume/resume_intro.asp

[kc456 0]

You can have a look at my resumer here:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...type=post&id=30

It's almost like a functional resume, since I was with the same company for 5 yrs. I had my resume reviewed by the employment advisor, so it meets US criteria.

Definitely do not put date of birth -- that's not needed or expected. List about 10-15 yrs of experience, no more. Don't include personal interests. You can go 1 or 2 pages, depending on work history, but not more.

Good luck with the job search.

[ChristinaM 0]

I had the same issue with my CV. I stuck with the two-page thing, because to me there was too much information to condense without leaving a lot of questions unanswered.

Mine is posted here if you would like a comparison:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...findpost&p=5787

[Englishsammy 17]

I am currently trying to convert my C.V to a 'resume' ! I (hopefully ) have a job lined up so need to send my 'resume' over the pond soon. Is anything ever simple......

[kc456 0]

I am currently trying to convert my C.V to a 'resume' ! I (hopefully ) have a job lined up so need to send my 'resume' over the pond soon. Is anything ever simple......

Good luck to you both.

Most of all, make sure there are no spelling or grammar mistakes. This turns the hiring managers off.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

One thing I noticed in the UK is people put their academic background all the way back to GCSEs/O-Levels, which is important in the UK but probably less so here unless that's the highest level of education achieved. If you have a BA/BS, I wouldn't include A-Levels or anything before it. If you have a lot of career experience, don't include anything that's not related to the position you are applying for, like part-time work and what not.

[tmacneill 0]

I've run across the same issue with my wife. She's from the UK as well.

DOB is something that us "Yanks" don't really go with, so don't go there.

Also... In the UK, they put a lot of emphasis on a "first" or also on GCSE's etc...

Not applicable in the States.

Whatever you received in your uni-degree doesn't actually matter. I mean, if you actually GOT a first, then hell, say you did... But employers over here don't really need that information.

It's weird, but the "cover-letter" in the States is where you really "sell" yourself, not on your C.V.

I have all my education from Uni. onwards... And the C.V. changes depending on the job. If I'm applying for a job in "advertising" I'll list jobs that I wouldn't list for a job in "Education."

A "C.V." or Résumé is statistically looked at for 30 seconds by an employer. Only put the really "relevant" things on the page. You don't need to list all the "responsible for..." jargon on the C.V. Usually only your "Title" and time at the job. Again... You're cover letter will speak to your abilities.

Good luck...

Smiles,

T

[caviar22 1]

For Canadians, U.K. and other English speaking countries,... don't forget to use a U.S. spellcheck. My husband has found u's where Americans don't put them... and, words that are not used such as candidature... apparently they use candidacy in the U.S. (I always thought that was for election purposes!!!)

... details, details, details... !

[ktun 0]

I'm working on my Resume at the moment. What I'm finding difficult is that although I have a great education, I do not have much work experience. This is proving difficult for Resume purposes where you dont go into details on your education, like you would on a C.V. I'm having to think more along the lines of a 'Skills' based resume rather than experience.

Having a hard time with the American spellings too. I have to force myself to change that, I'm so fond of the English way.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

It's weird, but the "cover-letter" in the States is where you really "sell" yourself, not on your C.V.

I really agree with this - when I hire and am sifting through resumes, the cover letter will often be the deciding factor on who is worth putting in the shortlist. For one thing it highlights a skill that a lot of people are lacking - writing ability -- and it actually demonstrates whether the person took time to look at the job description and apply their experience to what it requires. A form cover letter almost always winds up in the circular file with the resume. Also, I subtract points when I put my name as contact info on the ad, and it's addressed "Dear Sir or Madam"

[kc456 0]

Not always true about the cover letters.

In the workshop I attended, we were informed that only about 50% of employers (in my area) care about cover letters. That's why she suggested each resume be customized for the particular position you are applying for.

If hiring, I normally scan through the cover letters (if any) and discard, and focus on the resume. But it may vary by industry and by region.

[DouglasSheridan 1]

I'm a mix between all opinions. when hiring I do pay attention to the writing skills in the cover letter and I also believe this to be an opportunity to add this one lill extra thing you found inappropriate to add in your resume.

As for the resume itself, I have worked in childcare/educational environments, also worked as a cook a few times and done a ton of customer service jobs.

When applying to school, my main focus is my past educational jobs, when applying for cust. svcs. then those jobs become emphasized.... and so on.....

Im in the middle of writing mine, hoping to work in the educational environment again, seems for those jobs however, pre-typed applications are usually the norm, so a resume is irrelevant.

[pax 0]

Unless you're applying for an advanced, managerial-type position, keep the resume to one page. I had a lot of internship and work experience even before I graduated from college, so it was tough for me, but you can mess with the formatting a little--I ended up printing mine with half-inch margins and 9-point type.

One thing you may want to include, if applicable, is any significant professional or academic awards you received. This shows you as a standout in your field. Some people might advise against this, but more than once I was asked about my awards and honor societies in interviews, or the interviewer remarked about them.

I agree with everyone who has advised you to leave off your DOB. You might also want to consider forgetting about the "objective"; most employers assume that your objective is to get a job, and they'll ask you about your plans for professional development in the interview if they care to know.

Edited February 21, 2006 by pax