Having a resume in English can open several doors around the world. Most large companies operate in English; by submitting your resume in English, you understand it sufficiently for professional purposes.

Structure of a resume in English

Like many other resumes, an English resume is usually two A4 pages long. Pagination is also common practice. When applying to a US company, your resume should not be longer than one A4 page.

Sections are usually structured in reverse chronological order, as follows:

Personal application or profile Work experience Education

Please note that the sections “Work experience” and “Education” can be swapped if you have just finished your studies or are still studying.

It is important to note that dates can be written in English in any of the following ways, depending on the country in which the employer is located:

July 14, 2021 (US & Canada)

July 14, 2021 (USA)

July 14, 2021 (UK and Ireland)

July 14, 2021 (UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa)

What to include

While there are some differences between an English and American style resume, it usually includes the following sections:

Personal and contact information

Write your name in the title of your resume. Then include your address, email address and telephone number, including international dialing code.

Personal statement

This is a short, roughly six-line introductory statement in which you highlight the skills, experience, and accomplishments that are relevant to the position you are applying for.

This part of your resume can also be called a “career goal”; however, it tends to be shorter and tends to focus on your career goals and ambitions.

experience

Starting with your last position, include start and end dates, the name of your employer, and a combination of your responsibilities and accomplishments.

Use bulleted lists and omit pronouns rather than using “I” clauses such as

Managed a team of 5 content creators that published 10 blog posts monthly.

It’s even better if you can quantify the results achieved, whether you worked in the sales department or led a project.

As you can see from the sentence above, the simple past is used to describe the roles. However, if you are currently in any role, you can use present tense or present continuous tense:

Proofreading of translations (present) Proofreading of translations (always present)

Education

Please list your degrees and diplomas by year, institution and location. To be understood, you will need to indicate the Anglo-Saxon equivalents.

If you are applying for a job in the academic community or the courses you have taken are particularly important to the job you are applying for, you can also include details on the modules for your course.

Other sections of the resume in English

Study courses / professional development and internships are separate sections in the resume in English.

While it is not customary to mention your hobbies and interests, they can be mentioned if they demonstrate relevant skills and / or experience. Including sections for the languages ​​you speak (if applicable), a summary of your skills (soft and hard), and extracurricular activities (if you are a student or recent graduate) is also a very good idea.

Should links be included?

Typically, there is no need to mention links or even include the sentence “Links are available on request”.

In the early stages of the process, most employers will not need this.

However, if you live in South Africa, your links are usually included in a “detailed resume” that follows a “short profile” (comparable to a one-page US resume) where you detail your work. experience, education and skills.

Plus, in New Zealand, many employers expect to see links on your resume, especially if most of your work experience is overseas.

What to leave

In many English-speaking countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa, the use of photographs is discouraged to protect against discrimination.

There is also no need to provide personal details such as date of birth, place of birth, nationality, marital status or the number of children you have. However, in South Africa you may be required to provide your ID number, but it is best to check the job description or with the employer before submitting such confidential information.

Europass CV in English

If you are applying for jobs in Europe, you can also create a Europass resume directly. This is done on the Europass website.

Europass also offers the ability to add all kinds of documents that make it easier to apply in Europe, such as the Europass language passport, in which you indicate your language skills, and various applications describing your educational level.

Beware of spelling differences

Beware of spelling differences between British and American English. Here are the main differences:

An English CV is a resume in American English. Verbs can end with ise or ize in British English, but are always written with ize in American English, for example, “organize” vs. “organize”. Verbs ending in “yse” in British English are always written “yze” in American English, such as “to analyze.”

Some nouns ending in “ence” in British English end in “ense” in American English, for example, “license” vs. “license”.

Our advice

Having a resume in English can increase your chances of getting a job and getting an interview. Instead of translating your resume verbatim from your native language, try writing your resume in English yourself using online dictionaries and resume templates. You can then ask a native speaker or professional translator to check your resume for wording, style, and grammar.

To get rid of some of the guesswork, consider using a resume writer like hoteljob.id. Since the important headings have been translated, all you have to do is complete each section.