Resumes and Interviews Here and Abroad

The resume

In the United States, the perfect resume for the new college graduate:

• Is a concise, attractive marketing tool that summarizes jobs, skills, accomplishments, and academic background relevant to an employment objective.
• Is typically one page long, two pages maximum.
• Does not include age, marital status, race, or religion.

Abroad, the resume:

• May simply detail academic and formal work experience in chronological order.
• Is sometimes two or more pages long.
• Sometimes includes age, marital status, race, and/or religion.

The interview

In the United States:

• It’s critically important to be on time for the interview—punctuality counts for a lot.
• You are expected to make eye contact, which is perceived as a sign of confidence.
• The interviewer may do most of the talking or may expect you to do most of the talking.
• Questions about age, race, sex, and marital status are illegal.
• The interview features direct questions about the your competency and experience.
• Your open discussion of skills and accomplishments shows your confidence.
• You are expected to show self-knowledge and have a sense of career goals.
• The interviewer expects that, were you hired, you would “hit the ground running”—show immediate competence. Accordingly, the company looks for a two- to five-year commitment from you.
• As appropriate, you may disclose your strengths, weaknesses, personality, leadership style, problem-solving abilities, and other traits and characteristics.
• You are expected to demonstrate some knowledge of the organization, based on research, in the interview.
• It’s perfectly acceptable for you to ask the employer where the company is in the interview process and when you might expect a decision.

Abroad:

• Personal relationships may be more important than time, and being late for the interview may not be a problem.
• Making eye contact—especially with people of a higher status—may be perceived as disrespectful.
• The interviewer may do the bulk of the talking.
• Age, race, sex, and/or marital status may be issues in the interview. Males may be expected to dominate interactions with females, and younger people may be expected to show deference to their elders.
• The interview may feature indirect questions about your competency and experience.
• You may be considered boastful, self-serving, or too individualistic if you cite your accomplishments and skills.
• Jobs may be assigned by the government or family. You may be viewed as disloyal if you question your role in the company. Sometimes, companies assign work and expect individuals to accept whatever is available.
• The employer expects a long-term commitment from employees; consequently, you’re not expected to be immediately competent in your job.
• Questions about strengths and weaknesses, leadership style, problem-solving abilities and the like may be considered an invasion of privacy.
• Researching an organization in advance could be perceived as showing too much initiative and independence.
• You may be considered rude or forward if you ask an employer where the company is in the interview process and when you can expect to hear back from them.