Introduction to Business English

Resume’s and CV

Ethical QuestionA worker reported to her manager that a fellow

co-worker had sent a company-wide e-mail, during company time, to all he knew in the company, advertising a new herbal tea he was selling on the side. He also was e-mailing and telling them that he would give them all a discount if they would e-mail back to him that they would buy tea from him.

Is this ok?Is there another way he can sell things in the

office?

Resume WritingWhy do I need this “resume”?

Resume is an opportunity to sell yourself to people.

A resume gives an employer a general idea of who you are and what you have to offer

They are essential as most upper level jobs require one before allowing for an interview

Used as a reference for questions when in the interview

Resume WritingThings to remember for both Chinese and

Western ResumesToo much information can lead to the trash

canMake sure your resume is clear of any

grammar issues and spelling mistakesAll resumes should be in a .doc or .pdf formatMake sure to have them reviewed by othersNEVER LIE ON YOUR RESUME!!!Resumes should be one to two pages

depending on experience

Parts of a Chinese ResumeProfile ( 个人资料 )

Name ( 姓名 )Health ( 健康状况 )

Good ( 良好 )Gender ( 性别 )Political Member

( 政治面貌 )Nationality ( 民族 )

Age ( 年龄 )School ( 毕业院校 )

and degree ( 学历 )Address ( 通讯地址 )Telephone ( 固定电

话 )Mobile is ok

Email ( 电子邮件 )Photo ( 照片 )

Parts of a Chinese ResumeObjective Statement ( 求职 意向 )

Objective Statement is a short one to two sentence description of what you want to become in your business life either now or the future.What do you want to be?How will you do it?What is your career path?What needs can I fulfill?

Parts of a Chinese ResumeEducation ( 教育经历 )

Name of schoolWhereWhat you studiedWhen you wentDegrees or experience receivedAwards

School InformationMake sure to add any

extracurricular activities you did at schoolClubsSport teamsAwardsGroup workAdditional items of interest

Parts of a Chinese ResumeWork Experience ( 工作经验 )

Name of the companyJob titleTime Spent in the companyLocationThe tasks you were responsible forBig accomplishments/awards during your work

Skills gained at work

Job ExperienceMake sure to use active verbs (verbs used to

show action)Describe the most often done things first and

only the responsibilities that you feel can be either transferred to a new job or are unique

Describe no more than four – five responsibilities you did at the company

Try using key words that employers are looking for in your field

Place a positive spin on your job responsibilities

Job ResponsibilitiesSecretary

Before: Answered phones, made copies, filed, sorted incoming mail.

After: Coordinated communication between outside clients, vendors and partners with department staff; created and managed system to prioritize and improve information flow resulting in improved department efficiency and employee satisfaction.

Job ResponsibilitiesMailroom Assistant

Before: Received and sorted mail from mailman for company employees.

After: Efficiently processed incoming correspondence for entire company; met regularly with manager for customer service assignments; worked directly with outside corporate partners; improved overall efficiency of corporate mailroom.

Job ResponsibilitiesDaycare Provider

Before: Watched six children ages seven months to 2 years old.

After: Performed a wide variety of tasks to promote healthy child development and ensure child safety and security; monitored children's play and provided wide variety of age-appropriate activities; prepared healthy food and refreshments on regular schedule; maintained accurate records of children's personal habits and activities; reported daily routines, incidents and activities to parents; wrote contracts and managed monthly client billing.

Parts of a Chinese ResumeComputer Skills ( 计算机能力 )

Any skills that you feel makes you uniqueSoftware that isn’t common (NO MS Word!!!)

Foreign Language Skills ( 外语能力 )Include all languages not common to your

locationInclude any CELTA certificate copies if you

canAny Groups that you were involved in with

foreign languages or awards won.

Parts of a Chinese resumesAwards ( 获得奖励 )

Awards won outside school or businessSkills ( 技能 )

Any additional skills that you find useful not intended for computer or business

Personality( 人格 )Who you are and what you are great at

Interests ( 权益 )What things do you do outside work and

school

Western Resumes

Profile ( 个人资料 )

Name ( 姓名 )Health ( 健康状况 )

Good ( 良好 )Gender ( 性别 )Political Member ( 政

治面貌 )Nationality ( 民族 )

– Age ( 年龄 )– School ( 毕业院校 )

and degree ( 学历 )– Address ( 通讯地址 )– Telephone ( 固定电

话 )• Mobile is ok

– Email ( 电子邮件 )– Photo ( 照片 )

Western ResumesObjective Statement

Same as the Chinese objective statementMake sure it correlates with the job

Personal ProfileProfile who you are as a workerUsually talks about your skills that are transferable to the new job

Usually used by CEO’s and upper level people.

Western ResumeFour types of resume formats:

1.Chronological Start with your most recent job and move

backwards from there2.Targeted

Talk about the most appropriate jobs you have had for the job you are applying for.

3.Skills Start with your skill set prior to your job history.

For those who have a lot of skills or unique skills.4.Functional

Discuss the how you use your skills with very little (or no) discussion about prior job history. For Job-hoppers or 1st timers

Job HistoryName of the companyTime you worked thereLocationJob TitleResponsibilities on the job Awards/Accomplishments

Use bullet pointing instead of paragraphing!

Western ResumeEducation

Only Colleges if you are awarded a degreeName of SchoolAddressTime of GraduationDegree (including what discipline)Any activities outside studies

Certificates awarded to youName of SchoolAddressTime of GraduationSkills awarded or thing you are certified to be able to

do

Western ResumeSkills

Skills you feel make you different than others or are needed for the job

InterestsHobbiesSportsCommunity activity (may be it’s own

group)TravelEtc.

CV’sCV stands for Curriculum VitaeLike a resume but with different

formatting. (Usually longer)Usually has more information about

international and family statusMore interested in your entire job

and school historyShould be 2 to 5 pages depending

on experience.

CV DesignPersonal information

PhotoObjective Statement /

Personal ProfileMore personal

informationNationalityAgeVisa StatusGenderSpouse and

dependents

Work ExperienceEducationSkillsLanguagesHobbies & InterestsReferences

Referrals/ReferencesSome companies may ask for referrals to show

that you are truly as good as you say you areSome good ones are:

Former bossTeachersPeople in the industryCo-workersChurch authorityRespected people in community

Family member and friends are not good referrals. Use them sparingly.

StyleTry to use fonts that are appropriate

for a business:This is fineThis is not appropriate

Font is 10 to 12 pptTry to have Western resumes be clean.Choose a paper that isn’t standard

whiteFill the entire page with information

Final TipsThis is your only chance to get an

employer to know who you areLearn what they want and apply it

to the resume.Have more then one resumePlace Education first if you have

zero or little job experience.