How You Can Prepare Your Resume - Basic Tips (International)

Curation of your CV is not only about parroting the job advert. Also, when it comes to preparing your resume for the international job market then you must need to take extra care of your resume. I have heard people enquire, “How to prepare my resume for the international market?” But here is my question for everyone, if there is any difference between domestic & international resumes? Let us learn today if there exists any difference between international & domestic resumes and if yes, then what are the differences. Resume writing for international jobs often use the same tools as domestic resumes formats but only differences are: a. Form & content b. Nationality & visa status c. Language abilities Apart from these, there are no other differences between international & domestic resume formats. So, crafting an international resume is not only about the format but more like following strategy to align your resume with local expectations (of that country). Here you must focus on three things – expectation from company side regards to the format, references & a professional photo and a tone (this is very important). But these things vary geographically. The different country uses separate criteria in terms of shortlisting candidate profiles (based on a resume), but frankly speaking there is not much of differences or any term called country-specific resume. The only part which differentiates from universal resume to country-specific resume is language, local responses, tone, etc. We will discuss these in detail in my next articles, where I will come up with more detailed country-specific resume differences.  In my tenure (being from Human Resource background) I got an ample number of opportunities to learn about resumes both domestic (India) and international. Today I will share how that you can prepare your resume universal acceptable rather focused in a country-specific manner. There is no single right way to create an international resume, but in almost every case, your resume should show respect for the language and expectations of your readers. While reviewing international resumes, you will have some formatting guidelines to follow as you complete your summary, education, and skills sections. But when you reach the section that outlines your work experience, you will need to make some formatting decisions of your own. If you choose the chronological layout for your international resume as a format, you will need to create a separate entry for each of your past positions, beginning with the most recent or simply we can say as reverse chronological order. Within each entry of your work experience, you will need to provide the title of your job, the name of your employer, and the dates on which you began and ended your tenure with that organization. After this, you will need to mention a short, succinct summary of your most important responsibilities (you handled) in this role. Apart from this, you can also mention your accomplishments. But if you choose the functional layout option as your resume format, then you will need to break your entire work experience section into two sub-sections. The first will present a list of your core responsibilities/capabilities or the most important areas of expertise that you can offer to any potential employer. In the second, you need to share a list of your previous job titles. But here in this case you will not need to add any supporting details, like the tenure period. Here you also must showcase your accomplishments, awards, etc. Following these below steps, you can start preparing your resume to make it acceptable for the international job market. Let us check the critical points: a. Focus more on your professional personality. Employers would love to check your professional personality in your resume. Here let us see how we can put personality into your resume: • Career objective • Personal and professional traits • Summary of skills • Education in reverse chronological order • Professional work experience in reverse chronological order • If you have any international exposure, then group them together • Length of the resume – Try to make it within 2 pages b. Must mention cross-cultural skills – Your resume must reflect that you are aware of the unique set of skills required to be successful in a cross-cultural environment. The best example is the LinkedIn profile section. Let us understand how to mention your cross-functional skills: • Skills Summary – enjoy cross-cultural work environment, adapt to situations • Volunteer experience  • Language – ability to learn languages when traveling c. Your professional summary needs to be crisp, reflect about your quantitative professional achievements, must reflect your core skills & total experience d. Keep it short and express clearly – two sides of A4 will almost always suffice e. Choose a clear, professional font to ensure that your CV can be easily read (try to use professional fonts & skip using comic fonts) f. Your resume layout must be in a logical order, with sufficient spacing and clear section headings g. Might focus on curating your resume crisper if you are at the later stages of your career h. Focus area in your resume – personal statement, work history (if any), skills, certifications (only related to your domain/your profile) i. Prioritize your skills  j. To stand out at the job market, you must avoid using these words in your CV – excellent communication skills, goal-oriented, flexible, motivated, multitasker, independent contributor.  Order your experience and education in reverse chronological order to highlight your most recent experience and achievements