Minimally necessary information:
Well-prepared, informative credentials benefit both an employer and an applicant, in quest for a suitable match. Misleading presentations are avoidable because
| There is a fine but clear line between an effective presentation and and a misleading one. Misleading presentations often backfire on the presenter. |
Job-Application Documents
"Rirekisho" vs. Vita/Resume
Vita vs. Resume
Types of Resume/Vita
What is a portfolio?
Possible teaching portfolio contents
Perhaps...:
A prospective employer has received 50 applications for one
vacancy. They will give a face-to-face interview to 5 of them,
and one of them will be hired. In other words, 45 applicants
will never have a chance to present themselves personally.
ﾊ
| Vita is your liaison: Let it speak for you before you have a chance to do so yourself. |
Imagine that:
On a particularly long day, you, a faculty member of a certain university, are spending a drowsy afternoon in your office. Your are a member of a hiring committee, and by tomorrow you need to submit a list of 5 candicate you want to invite to the campus for an interview out of 50 applicants. Since this morning you have already read 20 applications, but you still have 30 left. It is already 2:30 pm and you have to go to a nursury school to pick up your daughter by 5pm. Your also have to prepare a teaching plan for this Friday, write a grant proposal by next Monday, and call a plumber to fix your kitchin faucet. How will you handle the thick bulk of papers before your eyes?
-> Many committee members (if not all) initially glance
the cover letter and the first page of the vita. Only when they
look attractive, the rest of the credentials will be seriously
examined. Others are likely to be "set aside", which
bulk will not be given a second look.
ﾊ
| Give the essence and climax of your qualifications (i.e., why they have to hire you) on the first page of your vita. You can give further details in the rest of the credentials. |
|
State the most important (appealing) information at the most visible places -- an early part of your vita (or each page). -> State your education, career and publication records inthe counter-chronological order (if you sequence them chronologically at all). |
Conversely,
ﾊ
|
Your potential employer will judge
|
Imagine that:
You have to choose one of the following candidates in each
pair to invite to an interview. Which one will you choose?
ﾊ
vs.
ﾊ
vs.
ﾊ
vs.
| You must demonstrate an "edge" over other candiates to survive the screening. |
| Enlist everything that can potentially stimulate an employer's appetite. (You can delete them later, if you wish.) |
|
Tailor the section headings of your vita, to maximize the impact of your presentation. What headings will make you a well-rounded candidate?
|
Also compare:
| University staff is very much a documenting profession (committee reports, grant proposals, meeting minutes, course outlines, letters of reference, ....). Lousy documentation tends to turn off readers, who are your possible future colleagues. |
If you are lucky enough to still have a few years before you enter the job market, what can you do to prepare yourself better for the battle?
ﾊ
ﾊ
- Write a vita,
- Compare it with a vitas of persons who you consider as you role model;
- Think what will make you a more attractice candidate (Project what you want to look like in 1/2/3/5/10 years.), and
- Plan your teaching/research as such.
Vita is your career navigation logbook as well as a compass.
Update your vita regularly and frequently, after finishing a semester's teaching, giving a conference presentation, etc. ﾊ
Organize your professional portfolio -- it will provide a valuable source of your future job-application credentials. ﾊ
Keep your professional track record (e.g., lesson plans, material development) in a way that will help you find a job.
- Anecdote: Power of course outline.
| Tailor your vita to the needs of the potential employer (if you know who and what they are). |
| Provide an updated vita if there is a significant improvement in your qualification. |
Portfolio and Vita on a Web page -- purpose and audience?
Caution:
Most resume-writing guidebooks are for professionals: Those books are informative, but note the differences between professional resume (1~2 page) and academic vita (longer).
Last updated on 2002/02/13 (Y/M/D).
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