Kill Chinglish before it kills your career
In my work with China’s job seekers aspiring to international firms, I come across truly dynamic individuals. They are savvy, have boundless energy and clearly know where their career trajectories are headed. More often than not though, they also have a silent and lethal professional problem lurking in their profiles. The most prominent killer to their career aspirations is the existence of Chinglish on English resumes. Among all of the reasons I hear from senior foreign employers about applicants not being acceptable for consideration, a document sprinkled with Chinglish is at the top of the list.
Don’t get me wrong. The bi-lingual skillset most of my diligent clients exhibit is truly impressive. In the last year, I myself have started on the long road towards Chinese language mastery so I appreciate the endless hours of work put in to achieve solid English proficiency. But having Chinglish on one’s resume or CV is like baking a delicious cake and forgetting to add the frosting completing the dish. I have reviewed countless resumes; some even from undergraduate majors in English from Chinese universities, with plenty of Chinglish not to mention poor grammar, punctuation, and mis-spellings. It would be a tragedy to have groomed one’s academic and early career so diligently and methodically only to fail reaching the next level due to easily addressable errors. Why risk not surmounting such a simple hurdle in the process?
I often hear, “Chinglish is not a big deal; I am still getting an initial interview with companies”. Wrong! This is a pat answer and reflects what candidates do not know about the internal human resources process. A poorly worded or constructed resume may get you past the junior HR staffer who is tasked to be the initial screen for applicants and often has a poor command of English themselves. But once past the first or second rounds of scrutiny, in the hands of a senior hiring manager or direct supervisor hiring for the role, a Chinglish filled document is headed for the virtual garbage bin guaranteed. How many times have you contemplated weeks after a job submission why you did not get a call back or any communication from the firm? This is one of the primary reasons. The message being sent by a bad resume is “I can do 90% of the work to get in front of you but I am not detail oriented enough to ensure the highest quality”.
My strongest suggestion is to re-double one’s efforts to perfect the English resume if you are going to do it yourself (DIY). Find a friend whose English you admire and ask them to review your documents with a highly critical eye. This is not a time for face saving or pride; this is a time for achieving perfection. Otherwise, take the do-it-for-me (DIFM) approach and for very little time and cost, hiring a professional resume writer ensures your personal marketing document will vastly exceed your competitors. In the end, after presenting yourself in every way at your very best, you will be the one tasting sweet career success.
I am excited to announce a new professional service for job seekers and students in China looking to perfect their English résumés, hone their interview skills and/or polish applications for university programs abroad. Our firm’s strengths include:
* Bringing U.S. résumé, interview and academic applications best practices to China
* Proven qualifications include membership in the US. National Résumé Writers’ Association and
prestigious professional organizations such as the CFA Institute and the CAIA Association
* Team is experienced in numerous industry groups including finance, industrials and FMCG
* Backgrounds include organizational expertise, financial analysis, and professional resume writing
