th International Higher Education Dual Career Conference College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, June 4, 2012 Marlar Kin, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany Helping your Global Clients Create Marketable CVs for the U.S.

DCS: Diverse Culture Service? Why deal with this?  Challenge in Science and Research: International Recruitments → bring in people used to different styles of job applications  „Odd“ applications hinder qualified applicants to find a job according to their skills  Longer duration of job search → increases work for DCS  Knowing cultural differences helps to counsel more efficiently

U.S. Resumes/CVsCentral European CVs Personal details & photo: not appropriate Personal Details are requested  date of birth  civil/marital status  children  sometimes: religion  photo(!) is preferred Order & Format  reverse chronological  clustered by skills and topics if clear and helpful  Focus on relevant professional experience  irrelevant info is left out Order & Format  used to be chronological  now more and more reverse chronological  clustered by skills uncommon  focus on „straight“ biography without gaps  other skills listed (languages, IT, further education certificates), sometimes hobbies  date and signature at the end of CV are a must Info on earlier jobs & references  description of work & responsibilities standard  references (contact details) by former employers, professors etc. Info on earlier jobs & references  description of work & responsibilities less common  detailed description and evaluation of work by former employer attached to CV and cover letter Comparison – part 1

U.S. ResumesCentral European CVs Objective & personal profile  career objective often given  Personal profile given: competencies, soft skills, fields of interest, special experience, success, personal strength –  application = professional self-marketing Objective & personal profile  No career objective given in CV  Usually no personal profile given, especially no information on soft skills, self-evaluation, or any other “non-facts” considered to be self-praise  application = neutral/objective report of career Attachments  none (cover letter sent with application only) Attachments  copies of work certificates by former employers (each 1-3 pages)  copies of education certificates (high school diploma, university degree, etc.)  copies of other relevant documents (language certificates, letter of recommendation) Comparison – part 2

Translating is not enough …. because there are many differences in  structure  kind of information provided  length of descriptions …. and can be wrong, because names for positions are often translated incorrectly Examples:  person who works in an office is not necessarily an officer or  person who manages appointments and travel planning for boss is not a manager

Workshop 1. Divide into groups of 3 or 4 2. Each group works together on same CV (20 min.):  How should it be re-structured?  What information should be taken out?  What information is missing? → ask “client” 3. Each group presents results briefly 4. Wrap-up

Marlar Kin Dual Career Service Coordinator Goethe-University Frankfurt Bockenheimer Landstr. 133 D Frankfurt am Main Phone: Thank you! Contact