There are sometimes differences between British and American English and conventions. Here are some of the most important differences for your CV/ résumé and covering letter.
UK: CV/curriculum vitae
US: resumé, resume
UK: Yours faithfully
US: Yours truly
UK: covering letter
US: cover letter, covering letter
Paper sizes:
UK: A4 (210 x 297 mm)
US: Letter (8 1/2 x 11 inches)
UK: Managing Director (MD)
US: Chief Executive Officer (CEO), General Manager
UK: Mrs, Miss
US: Ms
Date formats:
UK: DD/MM/YY example: 30/12/99 30 December 1999
US: MM/DD/YY example: 12/30/99 December 31st, 1999
Example of CV
SUMMARY
Your résumé's job is to get you an interview. To do this, it must:
· attract
· inform
· persuade
· sell
A good résumé/CV is one of your most important tools in the search for employment.
What a résumé or cv is not
· a book.
· an obstacle.
· boring or difficult to read.
· your life story or autobiography.
· a catalogue of your personal opinions.
· a list of problems with past employers.
What a résumé or cv is
· short.
· seductive.
· an important document.
· answers the question "Why?"
· is interesting and easy to read.
· is a list of benefits for the employer.
· is as much about the employer as about you.
Task 1. Writing a CV/ Résumé.
Look in the newspaper and select a job that you are qualified for and/or would like to have, and write a CV/Résumé for it.
CV
Name:
Address:
Telephone no: (Home) (Work)
Age:
Date of birth:
Personal status:
Education
Work experience
Additional skills
Interests/activities
Referees
Read each other’s résumé. Critique the positive and negative aspects of each other’s résumé. Use the résumé evaluation guide given below.
Résumé Checklist
Yes
Needs Work
Comments
APPEARANCE
is inviting and easy to read; not too much information
uses appropriate font styles and font sizes (10-14 pts.)
incorporates enough white space between sections to facilitate skimming
centers text; adequate margins
creates visual impact using bullets, boldface, underlining, italics, and font sizes to emphasize key words
printed on high quality (16-25 lb.) bond paper
print is letter quality
ORGANIZATION AND FORMAT
Contact Information (address, telephone number(s)
Objective (briefly indicates the sort of position, title, and possible area of specialization sought)
Education and Training
reversed chronological order
include type of degree, name of university, location of university, date of graduation or anticipated date
relevant courses, papers, projects; include paper or project titles
honors, awards, scholarships
Employment Experience
reversed chronological order
title held, organization name, city
accomplishments on your job
contributions to the organization (with qualitative characteristics)
Skills
computer skills: software applications, languages, hardware, operating systems
language skills: specific level of fluency and ability to read and write as "basic," "intermediate," or "advanced"
Extracurricular Activities, Community Service, Professional Associations
list of significant positions of responsibility; include title, name of organization or team, dates
leadership roles, achievements, and transferable skills that are relevant
MARKETING FOCUS
omits racial, religious, or political affiliations
omits age, sex, marital status, national origin, health, names of references
WRITING STYLE
begins sentences or phrases with powerful action verbs
short paragraphs mostly under five lines; short sentences
brief, succinct language; no unnecessary words
absolutely free from grammatical, spelling, punctuation, usage, and typographical errors
