Vocabulary, Grammar. 28.03.2022

Useful tips for successful resume writing in English

Author: Ira Grokha

In this article, we will discuss how to prepare a Curriculum Vitae (CV) for a foreign employer or an international company located in Ukraine.

The structure of a CV in English

FULL NAME

Unit Number, Street, City, Country, Post code
E-mail: [email protected] Tel: ×38(099)333-77-33

PROFILE [or OBJECTIVE] 

  • Tell briefly why you are the best candidate for this job
  • Your experience, skills, and abilities in the various fields that make you an excellent candidate for this position

EDUCATION

Jan. 2002 - Jun. 2007
Bachelor of…

WORK EXPERIENCE

Aug. 2009 - Present
Company name, City, Country
Position Title

  • Designed and developed ...
  • Managed ...
  • Liaised …

Jul. 2007 - Jul. 2009
Company name, City, Country
Position Title

  • Provided ...
  • Responsibilities included ...

OTHER SKILLS, EDUCATION, ABILITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • Other relevant information that enables the reader of vour resume to find out about other things that may be relevant
  • Community Work, Sporting Achievements, Papers you wrote and Extra Education


What not to do in a CV in English

1) "Seeking a position that will utilize my skills in"

Using such a template in a resume, we automatically fall into 78% of standard resumes and lose our advantage.

2)  No photos

Not all countries accept placing your photo on a resume, which potentially means it goes to the trash. Self-respecting companies simply cannot afford to choose based on appearance, skin color, or nationality.

3) Incorrect Contact Information

This is a typical mistake when writing a resume in English: don't be surprised if you don't get a call, check if you have forgotten to include your contact information.

4) "References provided upon request"

This is a popular addition when writing a resume in English. But it is better to write a list of people who can provide a recommendation and their contact information.

5) "Responsible for"

Companies often want to know what you have achieved. To let them know what they can expect from you, write prepared, promoted, improved, provided, developed, reduced, etc.

6) "I"

You should not use the pronoun "I" in your English resume, as this is a business form where it is inappropriate. Instead of "I promoted", write "Promoted".

7) Also, there's, also's

"Also" is more acceptable for colloquial speech, as well as abbreviations such as "there's", "also's".

8) Personal info

Date of birth, marital status, health, hobbies, etc. are not required today for the same reason of political correctness.

9) Past vs. Perfect tense

Presenting information in a resume in the present tense is always more aggressive than in the past tense. If you are writing about a job that you are still employed at, then use the present tense.


What you should write when preparing a resume in English

1) The Objective section should not contain information about what you want from the company, but what it can gain by hiring you.

2) Use the following words and phrases

Skills in

Ability to

Knowledge of

Welding steel, aluminum, stainless steel

Hand and power tools Physical dexterity and ability to lift over 100 pounds

Diagnose problems and determine appropriate action

Work in high-stress situations

Perform basic mathematics

Read blueprints and work orders

Write materials requests, records

Mechanical systems, fabrications, and welding

Welding theory and principles

Welding tools and welding codes

Safety procedures


3) Attract the employer's attention with numbers. Instead of "earned eleven million dollars," write "earned $11 million."

4) To write not only about your responsibilities, but also about the result of your work, use the action verbs below:

accelerate

conceive

distribute

expedite

maintain

perform

protest

represent

streamline

advise

conduct

edit

formulate

manage

pinpoint

prove

research

structure

analyze

control

deliver

generate

motivate

plan

provide

revamp

study

approve

coordinate

demonstrate

implement

obtain

prepare

purchase

review

supervise

arrange

create

design

improve

operate

present

receive

resive

support

assemble

delegate

Eliminate

Increase

order

process

recommend

schedule

teach

assist

detect

establish

influence

organize

produce

record

select

test

build

develop

evaluate

install

originate

program

reduce

sell

train

collect

direct

examine

instruct

oversee

promote

reinforce

setup

write

complete

discover

expand

lead

participate

propose

reorganize

solve

 


5) For each profession, you should adjust your resume, as there is no universal form of writing for all vacancies. 

6) A cover letter is an important component. It increases the weight of the resume several times.

Resume formatting in English

  • Follow the business formatting.
  • Always type your CV.
  • Use bold and italics to emphasize certain words.
  • Choose two fonts and decide which words will be emphasized and how. Serif and sans-serif fonts are the best combination.

Sans Serif Fonts

Serif Fonts

Arial

Times New Roman

Gautami

Garamond

Estrangelo Edessa

Palatino

Tahoma

Courier

 

  • Most readers start reading the text from the top left quadrant, so place the most important information on the page at the top or top left.
  • You also need to balance the text/white space ratio. To do this, divide the resume into 4 equal parts.
  • Use tables, columns, and boxes to make the information easier to read.

The 20-second rule

The 20-second test is designed to allow anyone to read your CV for 20 seconds. After that, ask them what they remember. Get the opinions of several people and take their criticisms into account.

Differences

Each country has its own requirements for CV writing. The table below shows the country-specific components that employers want to see in an English resume.

Country

Photo

Age

Work experience

Graduation
(degree as necessary
)

Austria

+

+

+

+

Belgium

 

+

+

 

Cyprus

 

+

+

 

Czech Republic

+

+

 

+

Denmark

+

+

+

+

Estonia

+

+

+

+

Finland

 

+

+

 

France

 

+

+

+

Germany

+

+

+

+

Greece

+

+

+

+

Hungary

+

+

 

 

Ireland

 

+

+

+

Italv

 

+

+

 

Latvia

+

+

+

+

Lithuania

+

+

+

 

Luxembourg

 

+

+

 

Malta

+

+

 

 

Netherlands

 

+

+

 

Poland

 

+

 

+

Portugal

 

+

+

+

Slovakia

+

+

+

+

Slovenia

+

+

 

 

Spain

 

+

+

 

Sweden

 

 

+

+

United Kingdom

 

 

+

+

USA

 

 

+

+


To properly fill out your LinkedIn profile in competent English and make it work for you, take a course from Booyya: https://bit.ly/39oHvjb

An example of CV in English:

Useful tips for successful resume writing in English (resume)
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