Make Sure You Have a CV or Résumé That Travels Well

by Mary Anne Thompson

INTEREST AMONG SEASONED professionals in pursuing international careers has skyrocketed in recent years. Such interest has been enhanced by chronic personnel shortages in home markets that are causing foreign companies to search beyond their borders for talent.

These candidates aren’t passively waiting to be hired by just any employer. They’re targeting specific destinations
first and then choosing employers who can take them there. A recent survey of the chief executive officers of many of
the world’s largest companies lists working abroad as the most important employment experience for professionals who will succeed them. The first impression you make on a prospective employer will be your résumé or curriculum vitae. It’s important that this document shows that you possess the necessary professional and cultural knowledge.

Putting your best foot forward

Résumé and CV guidelines are in a constant state of change. There are no hard-and-fast rules that are 100 percent appropriate in every case. For example, letters that accompany a résumé or CV, known as “cover letters” in the U.S., are called “letters of interest” in some countries and “motivation letters” in others. The best advice is to do your homework–find out what’s appropriate according to the corporate culture, the country culture and the culture of the person making the hiring decision. The challenge will be to incorporate these different cultures in one document. The safest way to ensure that your document is culturally correct is to review as many examples as possible. Ask employers or recruiters for examples of résumés or CVs that they think are particularly good. Here’s some general
advice on how to create a résumé or CV that will help you land international job offers.

• A CV typically is a lengthier version of a résumé, complete with numerous attachments.

• An average length for a résumé or CV is two pages, regardless of the country or position.

• Don’t try to get around this rule by shrinking your font size to an unreadable level or printing your résumé on both
sides of a piece of paper.

• If you have limited work experience, one page is adequate. Never stretch your resume to two pages, and don’t sell yourself short by limiting yourself to one page.

• Most countries have definite preferences about whether a résumé or CV should be in a chronological or reverse-chronological format. Chronological order means that your first work experience is listed first; reverse-chronological order means that your current or most recent experience is listed first. If no specific guidelines are given, generally a reverse-chronological format is preferred.

• In many European countries, résumés come with photos attached, but this simply isn’t done in the U.S. If one is attached, the employer is required to dispose of it.

In my lectures, I’m constantly confronted by job seekers who are insistent about attaching their photos to U.S. applications anyway. But why would you want to highlight to an employer that, although you’d like to work in that culture, you haven’t taken the time to find out what’s appropriate, or for some reason wish to ignore the rules?

Education

Education terms differ from country to country. In almost every case of cross-border job hunting, merely stating the
title of your degree isn’t an adequate description. The reader still might not have a clear understanding of what topics
you studied or for how many years. In some countries, a university degree can be earned in three years and in other countries it takes five years.

If you’re counting on your educational background to get a job, it’s important to provide the reader with details about
your studies and any related projects and experience.

However, for experienced professionals, educational background should rarely be more than a line item on your resume. Computer and language skills are always important, no matter the job or the country. Take care to describe your skill levels in detail.

Language

Most multinational companies will expect you to speak both the language of their country and English, which is widely accepted as the universal language of business.

Have your résumé or CV drafted in both languages and be prepared for your interview to be conducted in both languages. Most companies want to see and hear proof of your language skills early in the hiring process. If you’re submitting your résumé in English, find out if the recipient uses British English or American English. There are numerous variations between the two versions. If you use the wrong one, a reader who’s unfamiliar with the variations may just presume that your résumé contains typos.

Most European companies use British English, and most U.S. companies, regardless of where a particular hiring manager is based, use American English. Almost every computer allows you to choose between the two.

Accuracy

Use your word processing software’s spellcheck feature, then have someone check your résumé or CV for spelling errors as well. Human-resources professionals the world over frown on misspelled words or typos. Their presumption is that if you submit a sloppy, careless résumé, you’ll be a sloppy, careless employee.

A human spellchecker is especially valuable for catching words that are spelled properly but used incorrectly. Also
take time to double-check the title, gender and spelling of the name of your résumé’s recipient. If you can, have someone who’s a native speaker of the language in which your résumé or CV is written review your document. Résumés and CVs written by people who aren’t native speakers of a language tend to include terms that, though correct in the exact translation, are never used on an everyday basis.

One goal of your résumé or CV is to show your familiarity with the culture by using culturally appropriate language.
Anything else just highlights that you may not be a candidate who can hit the ground running.

Delivery

Computer technology and Internet accessibility vary widely from country to country. Even if a company or individual lists an e-mail address, there’s no guarantee that they’ll receive your message. E-mail your résumé as an attachment in a widely accepted format, such as Microsoft Word. Send a hard copy of your résumé or CV by conventional mail to make sure that it’s received.

Be aware that the standard paper size is different in different countries. The U.S. standard is 8.5 inches wide and 11 inches long while the European A-4 standard is 210 millimeters wide and 297 millimeters long. When you create your résumé or CV for e-mail transmission, use the “page setup” feature to reformat your document to the recipient’s standard. Otherwise, when your document is printed on the other end, half of your material will be missing. The same is true for sending a fax. If possible, use stationery with the same dimensions as the recipient’s.

Making the most of your experience

To be successful and enjoy your experience abroad, you must be flexible, open-minded and eager to learn new ways of doing things. People everywhere appreciate individuals who are interested in getting to know them and learning about their ways of doing things. When committed by pleasant individuals who are making an honest attempt to fit in, enormous cultural faux pas often are forgiven. On the other hand, an arrogant know-it-all
can sink a million-dollar deal with his attitude.

Be patient and observant. Ask questions and show your interest in learning and broadening your horizons. Be aware that you represent your country to everyone you meet. You may be the first Australian that a German has ever met, and each of you may walk away from the initial encounter assuming that the other epitomizes that culture. Representing an entire country is a major responsibility and one that you should be aware of in everything you say and do. Work-permit and visa regulations are similar in most countries. Generally, most employers who want to hire a person from another country must certify to the government that they were unable to find locals with the required skills.

The fastest way to be hired abroad is either to actively seek a country where there’s a shortage of people with your
skills–an information-technology background is hot everywhere–or to be an intracompany transfer from another country. Be aware that securing a work permit can take several months. These guidelines are just some of the tools that you’ll need to land an international post. The rest is up to you.