How to Adapt Your CV for an American Company

Many people dream of living and working in the USA, but no one would claim it’s easy. To secure a work visa, you’ll need a job offer before you leave – which means perfecting your CV is more important than ever. Don’t simply roll out the CV you’ve been using at home; there are a few key differences you’ll need to know first. Before you hit send, check through this list of tips to make sure American employers can easily see what a great candidate you are.

1 Your CV is no longer a CV!

While languages as diverse as Arabic, Spanish and British English use the term (short for the Latin curriculum vitae) American English prefers the term résumé. It’s important not to neglect this detail as the term CV is used in America, but only in academia.

2 Lose the photo

In many countries it’s normal to include a photo of yourself, and it’s tempting to try to get the employer to picture you in the office, looking dynamic and ready to work. But the USA has strict laws concerning discrimination, so employers can’t be seen to be making decisions based on any aspect of your appearance. You should also remove any details about your marital status, ethnicity, date or place of birth, parents’ names or religion. All you need in terms of personal information is your name, contact details and where to find you on LinkedIn.

3 Keep it short

The name change signals a change of attitude. This is a summary of your skills and achievements, rather than a detailed account of your working life. On average, employers spend only six seconds looking at your résumé! Aim for a single page, or two at the very most. Cut out irrelevant hobbies or unrelated positions you held years ago. After your contact details, recruiters will be looking for:

• Summary statement – a few short, strong statements that sum up why you’re the perfect candidate for this job
• Professional experience – start with the most recent position and work backwards
• Skills – this could include relevant computer programs you can use or languages you speak
• Education – unless you are a very recent or current student, keep this down to a line or two and put it toward the end of the résumé, not at the beginning

If English is your second language, you may be tempted to prove your proficiency by including your TOEFL score. Don’t! Your fluency should speak for itself. But the fact that you are bilingual is a big bonus – list it under skills.

4 Third or first person?

Should you write “Maria has exceptional organizational skills,” or “I have exceptional organizational skills?” This question raises some surprisingly strong feelings. Not so long ago, the advice was to use the third person, and some employers still feel this avoids the impression that you’re just stating your own opinion of yourself. On the other hand, you are stating your opinion of yourself, and as a result many employers hate third person résumés, finding them weird and artificial. Our advice: where a pronoun is unavoidable, use “I,” but in so-called “résumese,” it’s acceptable to avoid pronouns altogether and even to drop the occasional verb. For example: “A manager with exceptional organizational skills. Successfully increased staff retention by 50%.”

Whatever you do, don’t mix “I” with “he/she”!

5 Use action verbs

American culture isn’t big on modesty. Where some cultures would see boastfulness, Americans see confidence and straightforwardness. This doesn’t mean you should make grandiose claims of personal perfection, but it does mean that when explaining your employment history, you should focus on the successes you achieved, not just your duties and responsibilities. You can approach this by avoiding the passive voice and by replacing verbs like “worked on,” “handled” and “was responsible for” with bolder alternatives like “accomplished,” “created,” “increased,” “transformed” or “led,” as well as by giving specific examples of your results.

For example, “handled fundraising” could become “raised $105,000 in new donations in 2017.” Don’t worry about showing off – if you think back, you’ll probably find more relevant achievements than you expect!

7 Avoid clichés

Don’t claim to be “passionate” about your field – is anyone really passionate about, say, data management? And even if your work truly is your passion, the word is so overused that it no longer communicates anything. Instead, tell a story that demonstrates your depth of commitment in your cover letter, or include a bullet point that showcases the results your enthusiasm has helped you achieve. Don’t claim to be a “good team player” or “hard worker” and don’t boast of your “communication skills.” These are vague virtues that employers will tend to assume everyone should have! Give examples of times you’ve taken on extra responsibility, or times you’ve collaborated with others to accomplish something tangible.

8 Don’t forget American vocabulary!

Make sure to use American terms throughout. Even if it feels strange to change your job titles, use “attorney” instead of “solicitor,” “realtor” rather than “estate agent.” Write all dates in the American format: month/day/year. Finally, switch your spell-check to “US English” and do a last sweep to be sure you’re describing your skills as “analyzing” data, not “analysing” it and writing “programs” not “programmes.” And of course, you’ll want to proofread multiple times to be sure that your spelling and grammar is perfect.

9 Nail the cover letter

In some countries a cover letter (or these days, a covering email) is optional, but an American employer won’t even consider an application without a letter – which needs to be individually tailored to every job you apply for. If at all possible, find out the name of the person who will be receiving the letter and address it to them, “Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs. [xxx].” Even if you really can’t find a specific name, don’t lead with “Dear Sir” – female recruiters will not appreciate it. “Dear Hiring Manager” is an acceptable alternative. Like your résumé, your cover letter should be short – no more than one page. It’s the first thing that employers read, which means it’s your best chance to grab the recruiter’s attention: make it clear why you are interested in this particular company, and why they should be interested in you.

Once again, don’t be shy – Americans appreciate self-confidence and will expect you to be proud of your achievements.

Kaplan International English is part of Kaplan Inc., a global education and career services company. With 40 language schools across 6 English-speaking countries, Kaplan helps 50,000 students from 150 countries each year go further with English. Our courses include Business English and preparation for exams such as TOEFL® and GMAT®.

8 Mistakes to Avoid on Your Return from Vacation

What follows a fantastic vacation? For many, it’s the post-vacation blues. What you might not realize is that small, correctable mistakes may be the cause of your slump. Let’s learn the eight most avoidable of these errors so you can return from your next vacation on a high note.

1 Staying Gone Too Long

How can you guarantee yourself a horrifically stressful Monday? Arrive home from vacation late Sunday night! Resist the urge to spend all of your vacation days out of town. Instead, include a recuperation day or two at the end of your trip. Running a few errands is okay, but try to spend most of the evening relaxing at home. Unpack, check your email, and get a good night’s rest. Come Monday morning, you’ll be ready to face the day.

2 Apologizing

If you’re apologizing for going on vacation or not being completely caught up, stop it! Every hard worker deserves a break from time to time. And it’s only natural to need a few days to get back on track. On the other hand, feel free let people know that you are on vacation or have just returned by setting up an email autoreply.

3 Broadcasting Your Return

Of course, let your boss know you’re back. Beyond that, be selective. Flying under the radar will give you a chance to catch up on what you missed without being bombarded with questions and more work. Even going incognito for a half day will buy you some much needed quiet time.

4 Returning Emails in Chronological Order

You open your inbox and see about a hundred messages waiting for your attention. The only solution is to set aside a couple of hours and plug through them in order, right? Wrong! The email you received inviting you to connect with a vague acquaintance on LinkedIn is not as significant as the one from your boss about the project due at the end of the week. Here’s a strategy: Read the most recent emails first, but skip (or delete) anything that you can see from the subject line is of low priority. This method saves time because senders may have resolved many questions and issues in your absence. If not, they probably sent a follow-up email that will appear in your recent messages.

5 Failing to Delegate

“If you want something done right, do it yourself.” This adage is old and incorrect. Pick the most qualified members of your company and delegate tasks that are relevant to the ones they already do. If you are in management, inform your team who the go-to people are for certain projects, questions, and problems. Some employees fear delegating because they don’t want to seem replaceable. However, if you do it right, delegation will show your value. Organizational Behavior professor Jeffrey Pfeffer explains: “Your most important task as a leader is to teach people how to think. . .so that the world doesn’t go to hell if you take a day off,” Prepare everyone before your vacation, and your wisdom and managerial qualities will shine.”

6 Working Your Fingers to the Bone

Remember what they say about “all work and no play”? Don’t turn yourself into a dull boy! Just because your trip is over doesn’t mean your life is. According to medical professionals, negative emotions are normal after a happy event. Why not make some fun plans for your first weekend home? Even something small, such as visiting a new cafe with a couple of friends or renting a flick you want to see, will give you something to look forward to while you dig yourself out of a pile of paperwork.

7 Bringing in Souvenirs.

How many clients and colleagues pass through your working space in a typical day? Unless you want to take the time to explain the significance of your handmade Central American rain stick to each passerby, you ought to leave it at home. Besides, seeing photos of the delicious food you sampled and the adventures you had might deepen your post-vacation nostalgia. If you can’t resist showing off some memento of your trip, try sharing something that everyone can enjoy. Leaving a box of exotic candy in the breakroom would be just the trick.

8 Saying Yes to Unessential Work

Optional or voluntary duties are a great way to support your company—when you have spare time. Saying no, although it may feel uncomfortable, ensures you will have time to complete everything on your to-do list. Be firm, but kind: “I’d love to help you, but my schedule won’t allow it.”

Which of these mistakes have you made? You can’t change the past, but you can apply these tips to your next holiday. The next time you book a trip, refer to this article so you can plan a seamless return.

Top #SummerReads for 2013

Summer has simmered down and school is back in session. What better way to keep the summer spirit alive a little bit longer than by encouraging you to pick up some of the top #summerreads from the Grammarly community?

In early September, we asked our Facebook, Google+, and Twitter communities which books they would most recommend from their summer reading lists. We simultaneously ran a survey to get more information about summer reading. Of more than 450 survey respondents across all channels, we found that:

The majority of people identified themselves as female.

• 81.7% Female
• 16% Male
• 2.3% Preference not given

So, with the leaves turning and cool weather on the way, why not settle in with a hot cup of tea and start a new book? Below you’ll find favorites from our community.

Who’s heading to the library? What book are you going to read first?

Brick-and-Mortar Bookstores Are Bringing Their A-Game: Help Spread the Love

Do you love being able to walk into your local bookstore and actually pick up a book and look through its pages?

The boom in e-reader and tablet sales are creating stiff competition for brick and mortar bookstores. Just as the corporate chains threatened to gobble up the independent competition in the pre-tablet, today’s digital media giants threaten brick and mortar merchants. Bookstore owners and managers are forced to think outside of the proverbial box in order to find creative ways of marketing their tangible wares for a public increasingly drawn to cloud storage and digital copies.

Many bookworms who are still dedicated to their physical copies don’t realize just how much they can help these bookstores increase their reach. Here are a few ways to spread the love and help them boost visibility and increase vitality.

• Shop Locally – Everyone knows about the cultural shift to shopping locally in response to growing corporate monopolies. Still, the “buy local” ethos doesn’t always extend to books and the local stores that sell them. Part of supporting your community is supporting local businesses, which includes bookstores as much as groceries and boutiques.

• Be a Buyer, Not a Browser – One of the most troubling new trends in book buying is brick and mortar browsing, but online purchasing. Booksellers refer to the phenomenon as the “brick and click” mentality, and it’s actively using the resources of a local store while driving revenue to online retailers. These days, it’s not uncommon for customers to browse their local bookstore, ask the staff for recommendations or assistance, then leave empty-handed in order to purchase those recommendations at bargain prices online. Reading a few pages, checking out displays and sifting through staff recommendations makes it easy to choose intriguing new reads, but using your local bookstore as a tool to build your online shopping list doesn’t help to support your local seller’s bottom line.

• Become a Promoter – Follow your favorite local bookstore through social media outlets. Broadcast their hard work with clever displays by snapping a photo, then tagging the store when you share it on your own page. Retweet and share promotional updates, especially for in-store appearances and special author events. In a bid to stay relevant as they move into the digital age, more bookstores are making a point of hosting special events with which online retailers can’t hope to compete. Make a point of becoming a cheerleader for your local bookstore, potentially driving more traffic to their pages and customers to their storefront.

• Support Affiliate Programs –There’s no denying the convenience and joy of carrying hundreds of books in one small device. One thing even many dedicated e-book lovers don’t know is that plenty of independent bookstores have jumped on the digital bandwagon in their own unique way. Some e-reader manufacturers have actively paired with local booksellers in order to facilitate a profit share for e-books sold while others operate on an affiliate system. When you purchase your e-books through a local bookstore’s affiliate program, you’re able to fill your device while still supporting your favorite brick and mortar store.

Your local bookstore is working hard to prove their relevance to a new generation of readers, and you can help by supporting those efforts. Shopping at your local bookstore and encouraging others to do the same is a great way to make sure more of your money stays in your community, supporting job growth and helping the local economy flourish.

Gist or Jist?

• Gist means “essence” or “the main point.”
• In a legal context, gist is the grounds of a legal action.
• Jist is a common misspelling of gist.

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If you’ve only heard the word gist aloud, you might not know how to spell it. Both gist and jist might seem like good choices, but one of them is not.

Definition of Gist

When we say we want to get the gist of something, we’re talking about its essence or main point:

We got the gist of his argument in the first two minutes, but then we had to listen while he droned on for another half hour.

You can spare me the details and just give me the gist of the conversation.

In legal contexts, gist refers to the grounds on which a legal action rests. This meaning is closer to the origin of the word gist. It was borrowed from Anglo-French in the early eighteenth century. The phrase it was commonly used in was cest action gist, which means “this action lies.”

Gist or Jist: Which is Correct?

The only correct way of spelling gist is with a g. It’s not uncommon to see it misspelled with a j, but no matter how often jist might pop up, it is not the correct way to spell gist.

Examples

These results were partially linked to sensation seeking, but more fully explained by Fuzzy Trace Theory — the notion that people process information in both a verbatim (quantitative) and gist (qualitative) fashion.

Science Daily

He advised his fans to read “good books” and keep the gist of wisdom of the book they read.

Gulf Today