Actual question

[Firesong]

What do you know about resumes in English/English resumes (I see a difference here - sometimes russian companies demand resume in English, but it's russian resume iin english language)? I invite you to share resources and/or personal experence.
I reallized that I know nothing aboout it but there is a chance i may need it. So... please? I think, it may be of interest for many of us.

Oh, and I think we'll ignore accents" At least, I don't know how to put them here, and there must be one... or two... in resume...

@темы: help needed

Comments

[Shae]

Чиффа.
I personally find the Handbook of Commercial Correspondence by A.Ashley very usefull when I need to write an official document or letter - whaterver. It contains both advice and samples. Read about it or Download from EnglishTips/))

[Firesong]

Shae, many thanks. I saw a choice of books in my recent quests but was baffled by quantity - on top of everything else. I think I'lll buy it - I'm working with my PC too much to add study to this. I'll go blind ))) So it's paper only for me, 'cos my PDA can't handle pdf...

[KattyJamison]

Чиффа. Hm... I can give a sample of what I write. Which so far was accepted anywhere I applied to with good results.

Name
Address
Phone

Education:
College, degree, when received. Distinctions, if any.
Graduate school(s), degree, when received. Distinctions, if any. Topic of thesis is applicable.
Courses/classes/tests, when received.

Work experience:
I usually break up this category by field of work. So for me it would be:
Teaching experience
Position, company, when worked, a brief description.
(i.e. Daycare teacher, Apple Children Center, 1999-2000. Lead teacher for a group of 12 children ages 2-3.)
Position #2, company, when worked, a brief description.
Healthcare experience:
Position, company, when worked, description.
Research experience:
Position, company, when worked, description.

Volunteering experience:
Pretty much same format as work

Awards:
What award, when received, what for.

I usually put down only those things can can reasonably interest an employer. So if I am looking for a teaching job I will put down my teaching jobs but will not put down my time volunteering in homeless shelters.

There also is a thing called cover letter, which is different from resume but used interchangeably. Is this used in Russia at all?

[Shae]

Чиффа.
I bought it in Relod, btw))

[Firesong]

KattyJamison
1. We have already discussed it but I still want to mention it here - about degree correlation. How to call our высшее образование?
2. What are distinctions? I don't quite understand meaning in context, can you give an example?
3. Work experience - dates. How do you write it, forwards or bcakwards? We here do it backwards, so most recent job comes last, like this:
2008 y - job A
2005-2008 job B
2003-2005 - job C etc
4. I never saw in Russia volounteering expperience in resumes. I understand what it is, but can't relate it to resume. There goes any relevant unpaid job? What it can be for me, say? In general terms?

I know this thing about construct each resume separately. And i know about cover letters. I'm not sure if it's official here, but I've intuit it lonng ago and recently had them covered )) in one of my boooks. There weren't any resume details sadly - readers were referred to "other sources".

Shae, I'm dumb (туплю? how to say?) - what is relod?

[Kleo Scanti]

www.workthing.com/career-advice/cv-writing/
www.cvtips.com/CV_example.html

All you wanted to know about CV, but was afraid to ask.

[KattyJamison]

Чиффа.
1. Right. Degree correlation.
Usually American college is 4 years as opposed to Russian five. So when filling out a resume one can have a chioce between claiming a Russian "institute" as a bachelor's degree and bachelor's and master's. It is truly a free choice: you decide if what you studied qualifies you for a master's degree. Some exceptions:
-architects (here is it a master's degree by default, so that's what you say)
-doctors (doctor's degree by default)
-vets (doctor's degree by default)
-engineer (can fall out either way, but usually master's)
If you have finished аспирантура, that would translate as master's degree.
If you have a doctorate in Russia it is the same as in the US.

Another thing: here the college time is calculated not so much by years as by "credits" or classes. Usually you have to take and pass ~32 different "semester-worth" courses as 1 class. So that's another way to calculate where you fall in deciding whether you want Master's degree or Bachelor's.

2. Disticntions are easy. If you did something extraordinary, the institution you did it at gives you a distinction. For examle, when I graduated freom med. school I have received a distinction in ethics. That means that my work in the field of ethics while I was at school surpasses that of a regular student. Some of my classmates have received distinctions in research.

3. We do dates backwards too.

4. Yes, exactly: any relevant unpaid job. For you... well, if you ever get my stories published and I decide not to share money that would be it )) Getting you cousin's website up would be it... she's not paying you for it, right?

Does that make sense?

[Firesong]

Kleo Scanti thanks!

KattyJamison
2. Well. We don't have distinctions here. *_*
4. Understood ))) I have some )))

[KattyJamison]

Чиффа.
2. Actually, I'm not sure... You have "academic distinction" at least - that's "красный диплом". But you're right, I can't name another.
4. I bet you do )))

[Firesong]

KattyJamison
2. Hmm... I don't like to look distinction-less, it's a bad impression. How do you think, do A-grade курсовые count? It can go as "an independed project", no?

[KattyJamison]

Чиффа. It actually can be... Better yet, it can be a "thesis" (i.e. independent research by a student) so you can do either "with distinction in (topic of курсовая)" or "senior thesis in ___" depending on where you want to go with the resume.

[Firesong]

KattyJamison, ahha ))) Almost all my works are related to anything english (I did them from english books), so I think I can find something relevant.
Thanks!

[KattyJamison]

Чиффа. Welcome )) I was sure you could find something ))