Are you looking to grow your career in other countries or be a part of a company that works in another language? Congrats! That’s an amazing step for your career that will take you out of your comfort zone. But it will also make you grow on a personal and professional level!
There are different things you can do to achieve that dream of working in your second language. But one of the first things you must do is adapt your resume to a foreign language. In particular the one you want to work in. Sounds easy? Well, it can be more complicated than translating words just like that.
The format of a resume can vary from country to country. Don’t worry, though. Here are some tips to adapt your resume to a foreign language and culture successfully. This way you’ll have more chances of acquiring your dream job!
Should You Use a Translator?
If you’re applying to work in a different language, it probably is because you’re already proficient in that language. Because of this, we recommend you do not use a translator to translate from your resume in your native language. It’s better if you write your own resume in your second language. Trust your knowledge and your fluency.
That being said, we understand that you want to make sure you don’t have one single error. After all, you want to leave a great impression. In that case, you can ask a translator, your language teacher, or even a native to give your resume a look. So they can confirm that there are no mistakes and everything is well written.
But whatever you do, do not use an online translator. They’re usually not very reliable. They usually translate everything in a literal way and that’s not always great, because languages have nuances.
For example: People can use one phrase or word to express something in one language, and in the other that word or phrase might not exist. This could lead to making important mistakes and confusing the recruiters.
Don’t Translate Word by Word
We just told you that using online translators is not the best idea because they tend to translate to literal. But now we’re here to tell you to be very careful when writing your resume, so you don’t make the same mistake.
Even if you’re writing your own resume, you can think it’s easier to translate word by word from the resume you have in your native language. But that could be counterproductive. Like we said above, there are nuances in the languages.
So what if you used a word in the resume written in your native language that doesn’t exist in your second language?
Translating a resume and being too literal will also make you sound too robotic. There might be better phrases and words to sound more fluent in your second language than the ones you would use if you were to translate word by word.
So it’s better if you write your resume in your second language from scratch.
Use the Right Language and Dialect
What do we mean by this? Many countries have one common official language. For example: English is the official language of England, Australia, the U.S.A., and more. French is the official language of France, Republic of the Congo, parts of Switzerland, and more.
Therefore, there are differences among the various places where one specific language is spoken. Sure, they can understand each other, because overall they speak the same language. But there are still some words that don’t mean the same, or some things that are said differently.
So when writing your resume, make sure to use the right type of language or dialect for the place you’re applying to. For example, “specialty” is more commonly used in the U.S., while in England they prefer “speciality”.
So if you’re going to use this word in your resume, use the one that fits better for the country and culture you want to work in.
Do They Require a Photo?
In many countries it’s required to add a picture of yourself in your resume. It usually is not very big, and it should just show your face. It’s also a very formal photo, because it’s for business not for fun.
But in other countries it’s recommended to leave your resume without your photo. This is because they believe it could lead to discrimination. So it’s preferable to leave your picture out of the resume, so the recruiter doesn’t get biased by it.
This is something you should research very carefully before creating your resume. Does the country you’re applying for require a picture of yourself in your resume or do they dislike that?
Contact Information
Every resume must have some contact information, so the recruiters know important details about you and how to contact you. But you should always research which information the recruiters in the country you’re applying for ask for in a resume. Because it might change from country to country.
Do you have to add your place of residence? Is it a must to add your age? Do you really have to write your address, or can you skip that?
This way you won’t miss any information that the recruiters might find crucial.
Which Verbs to Use
Research which types of verbs or verb tenses you have to use for your job descriptions in your resume. One might think that when you describe what you used to do in your former jobs, you would always use past tense.
But that might not always be the best approach. In some countries or languages, they’ll prefer the verbs in other formats. For example, in Spanish it’s preferable to use action verbs in their infinitive form in your resume. Like “coordinar” (to coordinate) or “producir” (to produce).
Style
Research the style and format of the resumes for the country and language you’re applying for.
This includes the order in which you write the information. For example: Should I first write about my education background and then my job experience? Or should it be the other way around? Many people would assume to put their education first and then their experience, but it’s not always the best way to do it.
The style also has to do with the format of the dates. For example: In Mexico it’s “dd/mm/yyyy”, so “15 de enero de 2025”. Meanwhile in the U.S. it’s “mm/dd/yyyy”, so “01/15/2025”. This can vary depending on the country. So you must write the date format correctly in order to avoid confusion with the recruiter.
Resume vs Curriculum Vitae
You might not use the word “resume” in your resume. But you might use it when sending an email with your resume attached, or for the title of the document that has your resume. That’s why it’s important that you research very well the word they use to call a resume in the country you’re applying to.
This is because many countries around the world use the Latin phrase “curriculum vitae (CV)” to refer to a resume. Some even shorten it to just “curriculum”.
But you have to be sure of how they name a resume in your new country of work and not just assume they call it the same way as you.
We Help You Impress Recruiters with Your Language Skills
Are you ready to work in a new country and in a new language? Then you must be ready to impress recruiters with your language skills and fluency. It might sound like too much pressure, but there’s no need to worry; we can help you!
Fluency Corp offers corporate language classes for you, your coworkers and your employees! That’s right, we offer language lessons for everyone.
The best of all is that our classes are completely customized to your job and your needs. Just tell us what you need, and we’ll make a plan accordingly.
Do you need to learn how to write a proper resume in Spanish? We can help!
Does your work team need accent training? Great!
Or do you need business vocabulary in Portuguese for an important presentation? We’re here for you!
As if that weren’t enough, with us you have the opportunity to choose from many different languages. We offer classes in more than 10 languages!
Oh, and we base all lessons in our Bellieu Method, created by our founder and CEO, Micah Bellieu. Through it, we encourage students to speak in their target language in every single class. This is the best way to achieve fluency!
Start the language path towards your dream career now! Just choose between our online or onsite classes. Don’t forget to contact us for a free consultation.
