CV and Cover Letter FAQ
简历和求职信的几个常见问题

What is the difference between a Curriculum Vitae and a Résumé?
履历和简历的区别?

Firstly there is a language difference; Curriculum Vitae is Latin in origin and means “course of life” whilst Résumé is French for “summery”. Curriculum vitae is used in Commonwealth English and often abbreviated to CV. Résumé, which is sometimes spelt resumé or resume, is used in North American English. Commonwealth English is used in English speaking countries; apart from the USA. Canada is an exception as Canadians use elements of both Commonwealth and North American English.
首先是语言上的不同。Curriculum Vitae是拉丁语,意为生命的历程;Résumé是法语,意为综述。Curriculum Vitae常用于英式英语,缩写为CV;Résumé有时会被写成resumé或resume,常用语美式英语。英式英语是指除了美国以外其他使用英语的国家。加拿大是个例外,因为它两种英语都使用。

In British English we only use the term CV and, in form, it is what the Americans would call a résumé. It is short, usually one or two pages, and contains a summary of relevant job experience and education; it is this form of CV that we are looking at in this series of topics.
英国英语我们只是用CV这个术语,即美式英语中的résumé。简而言之,一般是一到两张,内容有相关的工作经历和教育背景。我们今天的话题就是围绕着这个形式的CV。

In American English a CV contains a list of all your professional history. This would include all your employment experience, academic qualifications and significant achievements. It could even include samples of your work and would run to many pages.
美式英语中的CV就是你个人成长历史,包括你所有的工作经历、学术技能和获得的重大成就。也甚至可以包括你的具体工作内容,所以有时会有很多页。

Is it necessary to send a cover letter with every CV?
有必要在每封简历上附上求职信?

Even if you have spent many hours polishing your CV, without a good covering letter, your work is only half done. The cover letter is an introduction and a hook to get the employer’s attention. It should make him or her want to know more about you, so he or she will bother to read your CV.
即使你花了好几个小时在优化简历上,没有一个好的求职信,你的工作也是算做了一半。求职信是一个自我介绍,可以很快地吸引雇主的眼球。求职信可以让雇主更好地了解你,因为他们有时会懒得看你的简历。

Can a graduate CV be longer than one page?
一个毕业生的简历可以超过一页吗?

A new graduate CV should be no longer than a page; even job applicants with a long job history should limit themselves to two. Of course there are exceptions; a student, who has done numerous internships, volunteer work or other relevant work experience, may use two. However the general rule, for those who are first time job applicants or who are graduates, is one page only.
一个应届毕业生的简历最好不好要超过一页。一个有很多年工龄的应聘者的简历要限制在两页以内。当然也有例外,一个做过很多实习、志愿者活动和有其他相关工作经历的学生可以使用两页。但是一般来说,职场新人和应届毕业生最好是只用一页的简历。

In the cover letter, is it necessary to address it to a specific person?
求职信中的收件人有必要是特定的吗?

Yes, it is important to find out a name and personally address it. It shows initiative and shows you are really interested. Also make sure you know if the person is a man or a woman!
是的。很有必要将收件人的名字和地址找出来。这可以表现你的主动性和对职位的巨大兴趣。而且你要确保对方正确的性别。

Should the CV and the cover letter be sent together?
求职信和简历有必要同时发出吗?

Yes, always. Even if the employers don’t specifically request a cover letter; send one! You can’t know whether a particular company values cover letters or not. To be on the safe side, always include one.
是的。一般如此。即使雇主对求职信没有特别要求,或你甚至不知道这家公司是否重视求职信。谨慎起见,你还是随附上求职信一封。

What are the most important things I should consider when writing a CV?
在写简历时有什么事是必须要注意的?

There is an acronym FAKTSA you might like to remember to help you. It stands for five things:
缩写FAKTSA可以帮你有效记住,它代表了5件事:

Focus
重点

Appearance
外观

Keywords
关键词

Transferable Skills
可转换的技能

Accomplishments
成就

Focus on the employer’s needs rather than your own. The appearance should be clear and concise. It should contain job and skill related keywords. These keywords are important because employers will use search programmes to match these words with CVs stored in their database. If your CV has these keywords you could be considered. You can find these keywords by researching the company website and related job advertisements in your industry. Transferable skills are all the skills you have acquired from your previous jobs, schooling or day to day life that are relevant to what the new job requires. Your accomplishments are, especially, those strengths that match the requirements of the job; good references are important here.
关注雇主的需求,而不是自己的需求。整体外观需要清晰简洁。关键字中必须包含职位和技能。这些关键字很重要,因为雇主会在数据库中用程序对简历和关键词进行配对。你的简历中有这些关键词,你将会脱颖而出。你可以在他们的公司网站和你所在行业的相关招聘广告上找到这些关键词。可转换技能是指你在先前工作中、学习中和生活中获得的与现在新工作要求相符的技能。你的成就主要是指你的优点符合工作的需求;好的参照事件是非常重要的。

GLOSSARY
词汇

Commonwealth (noun) Association of independent states, most of which were ruled by Britain in the past
联邦(名词)

Polishing (verb)    Perfecting
优化(动词)

Hook (noun)     Device to get the attention of the reader
吸引(名词)

Initiative (noun)    Power to begin something
倡议(名词)

Specifically (adv)    Particularly
特别的(副词)

Database (noun)    Collection of data or records
数据库(名词)

Transferable skills (noun) Acquired skills relevant to a new situation
可转换技能(名词)

[en]Accomplishments (noun) Achievements, triumphs
[/en]
成就(名词)

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