Senior Package

STRUGGLING WITH CV? 

A resume or CV is a brief summary of your qualifications, education, and experiences relevant to your job search objective. The purpose of a resume is to obtain an interview. Employers will spend less than 20 seconds reviewing your resume; therefore, the information must be conveyed in a clear, well-organized style.  Europass CV: http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/ 

TIPS FOR CREATING A SUCCESSFUL RESUME: 

Do’s

• Do design your descriptions to focus on your accomplishments, using action verbs to clearly indicate the skills you’ve used. 
• Do try quantifying results in your descriptions, such as “Created marketing campaign that increased club membership by 25%.”  
• Do keep your resume brief enough to fit on one page (or two pages if your experience is extensive).
• Do print your resume on good quality bond paper, either white or conservative tones. If printed on plain computer paper, copy onto good quality bond paper.
• Do accompany your resume with a cover letter in most cases.
• Do have others look over your resume for content and grammar. Career Counselors and Peer Counselors are available at the CDC to critique your resume during  appointments.

Don’ts

• Don’t make your margins and font size too small: margins no smaller than one inch and font size no smaller than 10 point.  
• Don’t include personal pronouns (e.g. I, me, we).
• Don’t include personal information, physical characteristics, or photographs on your resume. However, individuals from other countries may include these on their resume
• Don’t include the last line: “References available upon request”.

Other Tips

• It is more appropriate for freshmen and sophomores to include high school experiences. However, important high school experiences that have some relevance to your job objective may be appropriate for upper classmen.
• For International Students it is sometimes a disadvantage to include your non-immigrant visa status or permanent address (if outside the U.S.) on your resume. Usually your visa status should be discussed later during the interview. If you have obtained permanent residency or U.S. citizenship, it might be to your advantage to list the information on your resume.

Here is a number of resources that you also can consider:  

http://www.cvtips.com/CV_example.html

http://grandresume.com/samples

http://www.cv-resume.org/

http://www.cv4you.com/

http://www.curriculumvitaesample.org/cv_tips/\

WONDER WHAT COVER LETTER IS? 

The cover letter provides you with an opportunity to introduce yourself and state your objective, personalize your resume, and highlight information that addresses the needs and interests of the employer. Bear in mind that letters you write not only convey your interest and qualifications, but also give the employer an opportunity to observe your attentiveness to detail, spelling, grammar, and the overall quality of your written communication. Flaws in your letters will often be interpreted as flaws in your qualifications.  Different countries use different terms to describe the specific aspects of what a resume/CV should contain. For example, “cover letters” are called “letters of interest” in some countries and “motivation letters” in others. 

Tips for Writing an Effective Cover Letter 

• It highlights the aspects of your background that will be most relevant to the reader 
• It demonstrates you can organize your thoughts and express yourself clearly and appropriately 
• It reflects your communication skills & personality 
• 1 page, 3-4 paragraphs 
• Tailored to specific employer / job title 
• Address it to specific person: never “To Whom It May Concern” 
• Proof read and have it critiqued. 
• Avoid fancy fonts and colors, color paper 
• Print your cover letter on one sheet of plain paper. Do not fold it. Paper clip it to your resume and supporting materials. Place it in a large envelope with no folding whatsoever.  
• Use a strong close, e.g., “After you have had an opportunity to review this letter, I will call you…” Avoid weak endings such as “I look forward to your reply” or “Please call me at your earliest convenience.” 
• Don’t use someone else’s letter and if you are using the same letter for several companies, remember to change the name in the body of your letter. 
• Follow-up, follow-up. People will call you, but you’ll improve your odds dramatically if you follow up your letters with a phone call. 
• Don’t mark letters “personal and confidential” unless there is a solid reason why a secretary or an administrative assistant can’t open them. If your letter is persuasive enough, it will get through. 
• Left block style, no indents, space between paragraphs, sign it!

Click here to see an example template of a cover letter.

• What is a reference and how to collect them – Here
• How to ask for a reference e-mail template
• How to send a thank you e-mail to the individuals who wrote the reference on your behave

• Application interest e-mail Template
• Follow-up e-mail after interview 
• No response follow-up e-mail 

Here you can find a variety of links in which you can begin your search for an MA program that could suit your interests; 

• Portal for graduate programs in Europe https://www.mastersportal.com/search/#q=di-9|ci-17 
• MASTERSSTUDIES.COM Find MA TESOL Programs in Europe 2019. This web site lists MA TESOL Programs in Europe https://www.masterstudies.com/MA/TESOL/Europe/. 

Here is a GUIDE TO GRADUATE STUDIES AROUND THE WORLD

Click here to watch an interview with Prof. Robin Gingerich about whether or not an MA is right for you!