An English resume is a valuable marketing tool that connects you with a company.
There is no specific design or format mandated for English resumes.
While content is most important, it's also crucial to pay attention to the design and page layout preferred by recruiters.
English resume is required for job changes to foreign companies or studying abroad.
In this article, we introduce effective writing techniques from the perspective of a certified public resume writer.
When considering a job change, let's discuss how to maximize the use of your resume and strategize to create materials that recruiters want to read.
Let's trace the history of the English resume. In 1482, a letter written by Leonardo da Vinci to the monarch of Milan, Italy, to market himself is considered the first resume in Western countries. He wrote a letter to the monarch including 11 points seeking employment. This document is similar to the format of modern resumes and cover letters. Da Vinci used a humble tone to list his skills and capabilities (Open Culture). Early resumes were used as letters of introduction.
This period in Japan was in the Muromachi era, with the Kamakura shogunate established and a government centered around the warrior class. Later, in 1549, Francis Xavier landed in Kagoshima to spread Christianity as a Christian missionary.
The First Industrial Revolution began in England around 1733. At this time, the employment of skilled workers and artisans with special skills was declining. It seems there were individuals with unique skills who used resumes at that time, but there are hardly any records of resume use (Burdick).
It has then become common since 1950 to submit written documents before interviews, marking the start of the formal use of resumes.
By the 1980s, video resumes recorded on VHS appeared, and today, it has evolved as we see digital resumes created with software like Microsoft Office Word, or through social networking services like LinkedIn. Online face-to-face interviews have also become possible. In the future, with the development of VR and metaverse technologies, interviews in virtual reality spaces may become a reality, allowing for more immersive and sophisticated digital self-presentations.
A resume is used for the criteria for recruiters' Decisions. Unlike traditional letters of introduction, recruiters are more emphasized in looking for information that matches the candidate. Recruiters read this document to decide whether to proceed with an interview. In other words, the document must be the resume or curriculum vitae that the other party is seeking. It is desirable for a resume to include the following contents, similar to Japanese resumes;
Resume Contents
- Header
- Summary
- Professional Experiences
- Education
- Certificates/ Licenses
- Skills
- Awards
- Others
In this example of a resume, we will explain using a chronological resume.
Header
Written at the top of the page, the header includes your name, a simplified address, phone number, email address, LinkedIn address, etc. Professionals with titles or advanced degrees should list their titles next to their names (e.g., PhD, CPA, CMA, CCNP, MCSA, MBA). If the document exceeds two pages, including page numbers and your name in the header conveys professionalism.
Summary
Below the header is a summary section with approximately six lines of text. The summary, also known as a branding statement, includes information supporting your title and job level in the industry (intern, entry, senior, executive, etc.). It can be written in a format like "My brand is XX. I have hard skills in XX and soft skills in XX," and bullet points can be used for longer summaries. The role of the summary is to capture the reader's interest in 5-10 seconds.
Work Experiences
The work experience section is the core of the English resume, where the applicant's past work history is organized chronologically. Start with the most recent job, listing only the jobs and significant items experienced. Include the company name, location, period of employment, job title, and department. Bullet points in English should ideally be kept to three lines. Begin sentences with action verbs in the past tense, and as for writing achievements, use "Action + Result" or "Result + Action" to highlight skills and strengths. Get creative with the initial letters of each line; for example, using "□" can suggest a checkbox, showing eagerness for the recruiter to check off each relevance to the job listing. Also, using multiple initial letters and breaking lines can make the resume more visually appealing and easier to read.
Education
In the education section, list degrees earned and school names. For recent graduates, including GPA can be a point of appeal. Use the full form of the degree (e.g., "Bachelor of Science") rather than abbreviations (e.g., BS) because Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) may not recognize abbreviations. If you dropped out of school, list the school name and degree, and write "(Incomplete)" next to the degree to indicate dropout status.
Licenses and Certificates
List acquired licenses and certifications, starting with the most recent, and highlight particularly noteworthy items.
You can find the English translations of each certification to Japanese in the article below.
Skills, Awards, Hobbies, and Others
In the skills section, list computer skills, programming languages, software, systems, tool names, foreign language proficiency, etc. You can also indicate your proficiency level with Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) here. Other sections can include community activities, memberships, and hobbies that can be highlighted.
The appropriate length for a resume is generally two pages. Resumes in the consulting industry, for high-degree holders, or technical positions may extend beyond two pages and are then referred to as CVs (Curriculum Vitae), which contain more detailed information. An English resume is a simplified document tailored to each company's job listing. In the U.S., the term "resume" is commonly used, while in Europe, "CV" refers to a resume. There are grammar and format rules as follows:
You can customize your English resume. The common formats are chronological (listing career history in chronological order), functional (focusing on skills and achievements), and combination (mixing both elements). The choice of format depends on the job you're applying for and your work history.
Open Culture. Leonardo Da Vinci’s Handwritten Resume (1482) | Open Culture. 14 Jan. 2014, www.openculture.com/2014/01/leonardo-da-vincis-handwritten-resume-1482.html. Accessed 26 Jan. 2024.
Burdick, Cody. “The History of the Resume | Where Did the Resume Come From?” DAVRON, 30 Apr. 2019, www.davron.net/history-of-the-resume/. Accessed 26 Jan. 2024.
