Writing a CV For Overseas Jobs

Amanda van Mulligen was born in England and moved to the Netherlands in 2000 to live with her Dutch partner.

After a career in Human Resources, she set up The Writing Well at the beginning of 2008 to combine two of her passions – writing and her son!

The Writing Well offers English language writing, editing and proof reading services and allows her to work from home so she can more easily balance her career and motherhood.

Amanda has a wide variety of articles published in expatriate media, specialise in issues facing people living abroad, (particularly career related and culture differences) and provide information and advice to readers through her blog A Letter From the Netherlands.

Expats Guide: What are the main differences between a C.V. for local employment and a C.V for international employment?

Amanda: If you are applying for overseas jobs, it is important to consider the local culture and conventions in the foreign country when you are compiling your C.V.

International employers will also be looking for qualities and skills that employers in your native country may not require – foreign languages, diversity and culture awareness, experience in multicultural environments, knowledge of local markets and customs.

It is worth remembering that the mother tongue of the recruitment team may not be English so keep the language simple. The rules of a multi-cultural/lingual office environment are also valid for a C.V. for an international role – do not use complicated, flowery language.

It seems like a little thing but remember to include international dialling codes for telephone contact details and country details for places of employment or education. You might know that Bradford University is in England, but your potential employer in California may not.

Expats Guide: Some people are applying for overseas jobs through their own country with their own country employer, however others apply to overseas jobs at overseas countries – Does this affect the way the C.V. has to be written and how?

Amanda: If you are applying for a job internally, within the same company but for a department abroad, then your C.V. will differ to a C.V. written for an external company abroad.

There will be much more jargon and company-speak in an internal C.V. and there may well be an internal system for applications so the format will be more company led. The emphasis is less on how you fit with the company, and much more on how the posted job is a fit to you, though you will still need to show that you are suited to an assignment abroad.

You are starting from scratch with an external company so need to show why you fit into their organisational culture and workforce. Then you need to convince the recruiters that you can also do the job!

Expats Guide: Many People use a default C.V when applying for local jobs. Should they do the same for overseas jobs, or is it important to tailor the C.V to the specific requirements of the overseas company?

Amanda: I would never recommend using a default C.V. for any position, local or international. Always tailor your C.V. to the company you are applying to. Ensure that the details you give are relevant to the skill set, experience and education required for the position as stated on the job description.

Research on the company before you send in your C.V. is essential and need not be time consuming with the availability of information on the internet. When you are putting your C.V. together think about the following:

• What does the company website tell you?
• What kind of people are they looking for to work for them?
• What experience do they request?
• What is the company mission? How do you fit into that?
• What is unique about what you offer the company?

Expats Guide: When applying for overseas jobs how important are personal details as photo, nationality, and religion, and should they be included in the C.V?

Amanda: This will be country specific and dependent on local (discrimination) laws.

Some application forms may request generic ethnic information but more likely than not this kind of information should be left out, as it is not relevant to whether you can do the job on offer.

Nationality may become relevant later in the process with regard to visa and work permit procedures but should play no part in the initial selection process.

Expats Guide: What about multicultural and multinational working experiences? Should they be included in the C.V?

Amanda: Definitely. If you are applying for overseas jobs in a multicultural environment then a potential employer would like to see previous experience of handling this.

If you already have experience in a multinational company then point this out to the recruitment team. Include your successes and achievements that are attributable to operating in a multinational environment. Also detail how you overcame problems in such an environment, especially relevant if you are looking at a role that requires people management.

It is important that you display an awareness of cultural and diversity issues in a company with offices across the globe and a workforce comprising a multitude of nationalities.

A key tip to remember is that an employer’s best indicator of a candidate’s future performance on a job is to look at his past performances. If you demonstrate that you have successfully undertaken assignments in multicultural environments then it is a good guide for a potential employer that you can do it again.

Expats Guide: How do you find the right balance between overloading the C.V with too much information and providing enough relevant details?

Amanda: Remember that the purpose of a C.V. is to ensure that the reader wants to find out more and invite you in for an interview or assessment. It is YOUR promotional and marketing tool.

The recruitment process for overseas jobs has one goal – to employ the person who best matches the skills, traits and experience required to undertake the vacancy. The role of the C.V. is to attract the recruiter’s attention so provide the information that tells the recruiter why you are the best person for the role they are offering. When applying for overseas jobs detail the experience and responsibilities from your previous jobs that are relevant for the role you are applying for.

Expats Guide: Do you have any special tips regarding the C.V layout – font, subheadings, length, bullets, Uniformity, etc'

Amanda: Following are some tips:

• If you are sending your C.V. electronically, use standard fonts like Times New Roman and keep the letter type size to 12. Keep it simple. Using fancy headings, underlining and colours may serve only to detract from the message in the C.V. - make your C.V. stand out with its content and not its layout.
• Ensure that the most recent job/education information is first. Recruiters initially want to know what you are currently doing, not what you did fifteen years ago.
• Using bullets to provide a succinct overview (e.g. main achievements per role relevant to the position on offer) is a nice way of bringing the main information to the reader.
• Keep in mind that a recruiter has to sift through a lot of applications so make your C.V. easy to read – that means keeping it short. Opening your application to find it is ten pages long will not win you friends in the HR department!

Expats Guide: Is a cover letter important when applying for overseas jobs? Can you share with us some tips about how to write a cover letter and what to include in it?

Amanda: A cover letter can be all-important as it is the first document a busy recruitment team sees. If it does not fit the bill, your C.V. will see the inside of a bin before a page is even turned.

A cover letter provides the first opportunity to screen and ensure that your skills, experience and qualifications match what the company is looking for.

• Follow company instructions carefully when you submit your cover letter. Many companies will tell you exactly how they want the application and what they want to see in the cover letter so make sure the details are there as requested.
• Make sure you target the cover letter to the position and company. Just like your C.V., do not use a blanket letter for every overseas jobs you apply for.
• Check, check and double check for spelling and grammar errors. Check again. Most recruiters will discard your application if your cover letter (or C.V. for that matter) has errors in it.
• Provide a succinct overview of the skills and experience you have, matching it carefully to the overseas jobs description.
• Write e-mail cover letters as meticulously as you would a standard letter.

Amanda: I would certainly recommend a specialist if your C.V. is considerably out of date and it has been some time since you have been job hunting. Similarly, a specialist can help if you have been unsuccessful securing interviews despite applying for numerous jobs – tweaking your C.V. may be all you need to convince employers to interview you.

Expats Guide: Thank you so much Amanda for sharing with us your expertise. I am sure our readers will find the information useful and interesting.

You may contact Amanda for further information at the following e-mail:

info at thewritingwell dot eu

read her blog A Letter From the Netherlands, and her website The Writing Well