1. How to Write a Good Resume (in English!)

2. Resumes
This is not your career history. It's a brief, bullet-point description of your related experience and/or your capabilities.
Describe your actions with strong verbs and active voice (meaning you make things happen, not things happen to you)
Bad: “Was a health organization intern.”
Better: “Volunteered with a health organization to raise money.”
Best: “Developed the outreach strategy for a health organization’s fundraising campaign.”
As you have not amassed many job experiences, you should try to incorporate other life experiences from which you learned something or showed your skills.
For example, school clubs or activities, volunteer experiences.
Skills that many employers look for:
integrity, enthusiasm, passion, determination, initiative, creativity, originality, organisational ability, planning, cost-management, people-skills, technical skill, diligence, reliability, etc.
of course, it depends on the job!

3. Resumes
Your resume must have ABSOLUTELY NO SPELLING OR GRAMMAR MISTAKES. Seriously. None.
Someone should be able to know who you are within 30 seconds of looking at your resume. Therefore, it must be visually well organized.
You should include only the information that is related to the job you’re applying.
Your resume should be 1 page.
DO NOT include a photo of yourself. Never.

4. Resume Checklist:
My resume is clear, concise and makes an impression in 30 seconds or less.
There are no spelling, grammar or punctuation mistakes.
The resume is one page.
My resume presents skills and accomplishments that are relevant to the job.
My resume accurately summarizes my qualifications.
Accomplishment statements on the resume start with action words.
The resume is organized, easy to read, and has a balance between content and white space.
**A good resume will answer “yes” to all the above statements.

5. Resume Review In groups of 4 or 5, look at the sample resumes.
Which resumes are good?
What qualities make them good?
Which resumes are bad?
What qualities make them bad?

6. Optional Homework: Create your own resume!
If you want, create your own resume using the guidelines we talked about in class.
Bring it to class on Thursday and we can proofread and edit your resume.

7. Job Interviews
The most important things to remember when interviewing are:
Identify what skills or qualifications are needed for the job.
Examples: Public speaking, English, long hours, leadership experience, etc.
Explain WHY you have those skills/qualifications.
“I have experience in public speaking not only using Chinese, but also English.”
Give good examples of your skills/qualification.
“While studying at USTB I delivered an oral presentation in English.”

8. Interview Dialogue With a partner, read the dialogue.
(1 student should be Ms. Martin and 1 student the interviewee.)
Switch roles and read it again.
Did anything surprise you in the interview?
Did the interviewee successfully explain WHY he/she would be good for the job?

9. Homework and Next Class
Review “What Will I Ask” interview questions
Next class we will practice interviewing
If you want, draft a resume and bring to class on Thursday (not required!).
If time, we will also have an English Corner on Thursday (free chat or prepared topics?)