ENGLISH WRITING

Thiu nng
ENGLISH WRITING
Thiu nng
Session 7
Module IV
Instructor: H L V
1
OVERVIEW
Warm-up
Self-assessment questionnaire
Application components
Resume/CV preparation (part 1)
Warm-up
Self-assessment questionnaire
Application components
Resume/CV preparation (part 1)
2
WARM-UP
Food for thought (taken from actual CVs)
Objective: Student today. Vice president tomorrow.
Desired salary: The higher the better.
Marital status: Single. Unmarried. Unengaged. Uninvolved. No
commitments.
Sex: Occasionally
Education: A bachelorette degree in computers.
Other qualifications: Twin sister has accounting degree.
Working experiences: Wholly responsible for two failed financial
institutions.
Food for thought (taken from actual CVs)
Objective: Student today. Vice president tomorrow.
Desired salary: The higher the better.
Marital status: Single. Unmarried. Unengaged. Uninvolved. No
commitments.
Sex: Occasionally
Education: A bachelorette degree in computers.
Other qualifications: Twin sister has accounting degree.
Working experiences: Wholly responsible for two failed financial
institutions.
3
WARM-UP
Food for thought (cont.)
Language skills: Exposure to German for two years, but many words are
not appropriate for academic use.
Language skills: being bi-lingual in three languages
Special skills: can stand on my head for a few minutes
Personal interests: Donating blood. Fourteen liters so far
Other interests: Playing with my two dogs (they actually belong to my
wife but I love the dogs more than my wife)
Emergency Contact Number: 911
Food for thought (cont.)
Language skills: Exposure to German for two years, but many words are
not appropriate for academic use.
Language skills: being bi-lingual in three languages
Special skills: can stand on my head for a few minutes
Personal interests: Donating blood. Fourteen liters so far
Other interests: Playing with my two dogs (they actually belong to my
wife but I love the dogs more than my wife)
Emergency Contact Number: 911
4
SELF-ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE
Food for thought
Why is it helpful?
What if you havent yet had any specific plans for graduate
study?
start working on filling up your CV NOW!
Food for thought
Why is it helpful?
What if you havent yet had any specific plans for graduate
study?
start working on filling up your CV NOW!
5
SELF-ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE
Discuss the handout: think about a specific scenario
Major
Degree level
University
References
Potential issues
Major switching
Low GPA
Low test scores
Review school guides or check with school admission officers for class
profile
Important: check if cut-off scores/GPAs are used
Lack of relevant experiences
Resume gaps
Discuss the handout: think about a specific scenario
Major
Degree level
University
References
Potential issues
Major switching
Low GPA
Low test scores
Review school guides or check with school admission officers for class
profile
Important: check if cut-off scores/GPAs are used
Lack of relevant experiences
Resume gaps
6
SELF-ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE
A sample question
Q: Em c nn hc thc s trong nc ri ra nc ngoi hc MBA ko? V d
nh e lm v tc th ngoi kn 2 nm ra th ci chng trnh thc s mnh
hc trong nc c cn hon thnh ko ? V c cn hc thc s theo
ng chuyn ngnh ti chnh ko ?
A:
nu im i hc ca em ko c tt im hc thc s t i thnh tch
thiu thuyt phc thi i hc
nn va i lm va hc ti chc mt bng thc s (d l thc s ngnh g)
bng chng r rng em c kh nng hc graduate study
kinh nghim lm vic 2 nm quan trng hn
c th apply khi cha hon thnh ct thc s trong nc (nhng phi chng
minh cho ad com thy l ti thi im em i hc, ct kia hon thnh ri)
Nu em lm v tc nhng ct thc s trong nc l chuyn ngnh khc th em
cn gii thch ti sao (career goal & education goal relevancy)
A sample question
Q: Em c nn hc thc s trong nc ri ra nc ngoi hc MBA ko? V d
nh e lm v tc th ngoi kn 2 nm ra th ci chng trnh thc s mnh
hc trong nc c cn hon thnh ko ? V c cn hc thc s theo
ng chuyn ngnh ti chnh ko ?
A:
nu im i hc ca em ko c tt im hc thc s t i thnh tch
thiu thuyt phc thi i hc
nn va i lm va hc ti chc mt bng thc s (d l thc s ngnh g)
bng chng r rng em c kh nng hc graduate study
kinh nghim lm vic 2 nm quan trng hn
c th apply khi cha hon thnh ct thc s trong nc (nhng phi chng
minh cho ad com thy l ti thi im em i hc, ct kia hon thnh ri)
Nu em lm v tc nhng ct thc s trong nc l chuyn ngnh khc th em
cn gii thch ti sao (career goal & education goal relevancy)
7
Package
Resume (CV)
Personal statement (PS)/Statement of Purpose (SOP)
Letters of recommendation (LORs)
Awards and testimonials
Application package: other necessary components
Professor contact
Final interview
Writing sample(s)
Why RESUME comes first?
Resume vs. CV: do we need a full CV for our application?
APPLICATION PACKAGE
Package
Resume (CV)
Personal statement (PS)/Statement of Purpose (SOP)
Letters of recommendation (LORs)
Awards and testimonials
Application package: other necessary components
Professor contact
Final interview
Writing sample(s)
Why RESUME comes first?
Resume vs. CV: do we need a full CV for our application?
8
RESUME STRUCTURE
Objectives, research interests
Contact information
Education
Relevant experiences
teaching experiences
research experiences
other professional/working experiences
Honors, awards and grants
Publications and conference presentations
Extracurricular / Community activities
Professional affiliations
Other qualifications (language, computer, statistics, etc.)
Personal hobbies/interests
References
Objectives, research interests
Contact information
Education
Relevant experiences
teaching experiences
research experiences
other professional/working experiences
Honors, awards and grants
Publications and conference presentations
Extracurricular / Community activities
Professional affiliations
Other qualifications (language, computer, statistics, etc.)
Personal hobbies/interests
References
9
RESUME STRUCTURE
Objectives, research interests
short-term vs. long-term goals
be concise but specific
Example: seeking a Masters degree in Applied Linguistics
summarize your research interests with three to six
keywords
Example: Vocabulary development, translation & L2 writing
Objectives, research interests
short-term vs. long-term goals
be concise but specific
Example: seeking a Masters degree in Applied Linguistics
summarize your research interests with three to six
keywords
Example: Vocabulary development, translation & L2 writing
10
RESUME STRUCTURE
Objectives: problematic examples
Seeking a Professor position in a well-known university
seeking an academic faculty position (tenure track) in an well-known
accredited tertiary institution
Example: Seeking a Master Scholarship in Public Relations
Seeking a Masters degree in Public Relations (with financial aid)
Objectives: problematic examples
Seeking a Professor position in a well-known university
seeking an academic faculty position (tenure track) in an well-known
accredited tertiary institution
Example: Seeking a Master Scholarship in Public Relations
Seeking a Masters degree in Public Relations (with financial aid)
11
RESUME STRUCTURE
Objectives: problematic examples
Information technology is my passion since I was a high school student.
Therefore, I always want to go to a world top-level university to have an
opportunity to obtain more useful knowledge in IT field.
provide too much details
more appropriate for SOP
I want to become a Marketing Manager in a foreign company
seeking a Marketing Manager position in a...
(size) small-sized | mid-sized
(nationality) international | multinational corporation
(industry) in IT | telecommunication | the hospitality industry
Objectives: problematic examples
Information technology is my passion since I was a high school student.
Therefore, I always want to go to a world top-level university to have an
opportunity to obtain more useful knowledge in IT field.
provide too much details
more appropriate for SOP
I want to become a Marketing Manager in a foreign company
seeking a Marketing Manager position in a...
(size) small-sized | mid-sized
(nationality) international | multinational corporation
(industry) in IT | telecommunication | the hospitality industry
12
RESUME STRUCTURE
Research interests: problematic examples
Applied Geographic Information System in Forest Resources and
Management
Internationalization of SMEs
seem a bit narrow. Use several keywords peculiar to your own discipline
the risk of having too narrow or broad research interests
the professor-matching process, more important for Ph.D. students
Research interests: problematic examples
Applied Geographic Information System in Forest Resources and
Management
Internationalization of SMEs
seem a bit narrow. Use several keywords peculiar to your own discipline
the risk of having too narrow or broad research interests
the professor-matching process, more important for Ph.D. students
13
RESUME STRUCTURE
Contact information
full name, postal address, phone, fax, and e-mail for home and office
Name, Addr., Tel, Fax, Email, (H), (O) & (M)
Notes:
Gender, DOB, marital status, nationality normally NOT required
Why so?
Work/school email should be included (if you have one)
If you provide a personal email, make sure its neutral and not
something like Imsodrunk@gmail.com or Iloveporn@yahoo.com
you may indicate that you prefer which email for program
communication
Emails: personalemail@yahoo.com (preferred), workemail@yahoo.com
Contact information
full name, postal address, phone, fax, and e-mail for home and office
Name, Addr., Tel, Fax, Email, (H), (O) & (M)
Notes:
Gender, DOB, marital status, nationality normally NOT required
Why so?
Work/school email should be included (if you have one)
If you provide a personal email, make sure its neutral and not
something like Imsodrunk@gmail.com or Iloveporn@yahoo.com
you may indicate that you prefer which email for program
communication
Emails: personalemail@yahoo.com (preferred), workemail@yahoo.com
14
RESUME STRUCTURE
Education
list chronologically, with the most recent first
list degrees BEFORE certificates
include date of graduation (or a date range), type of degree
and major, affiliation (department and university), GPA, class
standing, title of thesis/dissertation
for graduate application, ONLY list postsecondary schools
The date the degree was awarded (Month and Year) is preferred
indicate expected graduation date for degrees not yet completed
Overall/cumulative GPA vs. Major GPA: which to be used?
Class standing and GPA:
class vs. section (e.g., class size 210, section size around 30)
specialized class vs. graduating class
Education
list chronologically, with the most recent first
list degrees BEFORE certificates
include date of graduation (or a date range), type of degree
and major, affiliation (department and university), GPA, class
standing, title of thesis/dissertation
for graduate application, ONLY list postsecondary schools
The date the degree was awarded (Month and Year) is preferred
indicate expected graduation date for degrees not yet completed
Overall/cumulative GPA vs. Major GPA: which to be used?
Class standing and GPA:
class vs. section (e.g., class size 210, section size around 30)
specialized class vs. graduating class
15
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
16
RESUME STRUCTURE
Education
Example:
May 06 Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics, Department of
Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, Texas
Tech University, U.S.
GPA: 4.0 (A+ for thesis)
Thesis: Personalized vocabulary development and
organization based on the mechanism of association.
Aug 90-May 95 Bachelor of Science Degree in Electronics and Computer
Science, Electronics and Telecommunication School,
Hanoi University of Technology.
GPA: 7.85 (Class standing: graduated 3
rd
in the class of
30)
Education
Example:
May 06 Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics, Department of
Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, Texas
Tech University, U.S.
GPA: 4.0 (A+ for thesis)
Thesis: Personalized vocabulary development and
organization based on the mechanism of association.
Aug 90-May 95 Bachelor of Science Degree in Electronics and Computer
Science, Electronics and Telecommunication School,
Hanoi University of Technology.
GPA: 7.85 (Class standing: graduated 3
rd
in the class of
30)
17
RESUME STRUCTURE
Education
Example (cont.):
Certificates Certificate on Unix Systems Development by The
Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship, Japan
Certificates on Internetworking and LAN Optimization and
Troubleshooting by NetLearner, Singapore
18
RESUME STRUCTURE
Education: problematic examples
Feb 27th 2009, HANOI MEETING ROOM - MICROSOFT VIETNAM -
10th floor Tung Shing Square, 2 Ngo Quyen Street, Hanoi. Participant,
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Team Foundation Server, lectured by a
Microsoft Vietnam Expert.
Keep in mind: the keyword for resume is succinct
only list certificate courses
dont mention places, lecturers, etc.
What if this is a well-known lecturer?
Certificate in SQL Server 2008 granted by Microsoft [Vietnam]
Education: problematic examples
Feb 27th 2009, HANOI MEETING ROOM - MICROSOFT VIETNAM -
10th floor Tung Shing Square, 2 Ngo Quyen Street, Hanoi. Participant,
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Team Foundation Server, lectured by a
Microsoft Vietnam Expert.
Keep in mind: the keyword for resume is succinct
only list certificate courses
dont mention places, lecturers, etc.
What if this is a well-known lecturer?
Certificate in SQL Server 2008 granted by Microsoft [Vietnam]
19
RESUME STRUCTURE
Relevant experiences
teaching experiences
Why teaching experiences are important?
List the courses you taught, co-taught or assisted with as a TA.
Mention student level (adult / secondary / high school / college / 8
th
grade)
Note the institution, supervisor, the number of your TAs (if applicable) and
class size (enrolment).
Notes: exclude private tutor jobs unless you were working for a tutoring
center. Otherwise, put these in the working experience section.
Relevant experiences
teaching experiences
Why teaching experiences are important?
List the courses you taught, co-taught or assisted with as a TA.
Mention student level (adult / secondary / high school / college / 8
th
grade)
Note the institution, supervisor, the number of your TAs (if applicable) and
class size (enrolment).
Notes: exclude private tutor jobs unless you were working for a tutoring
center. Otherwise, put these in the working experience section.
20
RESUME STRUCTURE
Teaching experiences
Examples
Teach (college-level) classes in | on...
TA for classes in....
2008 2009 TA-ed two graduate classes on Functional Approaches to
Language (Fall 08, enrolment: 12) and Applying Cognitive
Linguistics to Language (Spring 09, enrolment: 20)
Supervisor: Dr. Andrea Tyler, Georgetown University
Teaching experiences
Examples
Teach (college-level) classes in | on...
TA for classes in....
2008 2009 TA-ed two graduate classes on Functional Approaches to
Language (Fall 08, enrolment: 12) and Applying Cognitive
Linguistics to Language (Spring 09, enrolment: 20)
Supervisor: Dr. Andrea Tyler, Georgetown University
21
RESUME STRUCTURE
Relevant experiences
research experiences
List assistantships and other research experiences. They do NOT have to
be directly relevant to what you want to do in the future.
Include the institution, research projects, nature of the position, duties, dates,
and supervisor (or advisor/project director).
Mention significant results (e.g. generated papers)
Relevant experiences
research experiences
List assistantships and other research experiences. They do NOT have to
be directly relevant to what you want to do in the future.
Include the institution, research projects, nature of the position, duties, dates,
and supervisor (or advisor/project director).
Mention significant results (e.g. generated papers)
22
RESUME STRUCTURE
Research experiences
Examples
2007 2008 principal researcher in a Cognitive Linguistics project on
Modality Teaching which investigates two current
pedagogical approaches to teaching English modals to
determine if one approach is more effective than the other
Supervisor: Dr. Andrea Tyler.
Result: presented two conference papers, co-authored
a journal article and a book chapter
Research experiences
Examples
2007 2008 principal researcher in a Cognitive Linguistics project on
Modality Teaching which investigates two current
pedagogical approaches to teaching English modals to
determine if one approach is more effective than the other
Supervisor: Dr. Andrea Tyler.
Result: presented two conference papers, co-authored
a journal article and a book chapter
23
RESUME STRUCTURE
Research experiences
Examples: Cuc thi or Tun l sinh vin nghin cu khoa hc
Student Research Contest or Research Contest for University Students
Undergraduate Student Conference or Conference on Undergraduate
research
Question: should you present this as a contest or conference?
Note: youll need to mention your research topic, or better yet, the exact
title of your presented paper.
Research experiences
Examples: Cuc thi or Tun l sinh vin nghin cu khoa hc
Student Research Contest or Research Contest for University Students
Undergraduate Student Conference or Conference on Undergraduate
research
Question: should you present this as a contest or conference?
Note: youll need to mention your research topic, or better yet, the exact
title of your presented paper.
24
RESUME STRUCTURE
Research experiences problematic examples
(Research experience) Built, installed and configured a custom Linux
system from more than 100 packages
(Research experience) Design a resource management system based
on C# and SQL Server for BCHANOI Club
Comment: do not confuse working experiences with research
experiences.
what could be implications of mistakes of this type?
Research experiences problematic examples
(Research experience) Built, installed and configured a custom Linux
system from more than 100 packages
(Research experience) Design a resource management system based
on C# and SQL Server for BCHANOI Club
Comment: do not confuse working experiences with research
experiences.
what could be implications of mistakes of this type?
25
RESUME STRUCTURE
Relevant experiences
working experiences or employment history
include internships, administrative work and part-time/summer jobs
include paid jobs only (except for internships)
include job type (temporary/part-time/full-time/probationary), date range,
position, company name, supervisors name and contact info
list major responsibilities and accomplishments
be specific (e.g., supervise 10 staff or install 100 computers)
Working experiences problematic samples
Achievements: highly appreciated by the supervisor for the
professionalism and accuracy of the sub-project.
Comment: only list specific facts (e.g., give specific numbers).
Otherwise, talk about it in your SOP/LORs.
Relevant experiences
working experiences or employment history
include internships, administrative work and part-time/summer jobs
include paid jobs only (except for internships)
include job type (temporary/part-time/full-time/probationary), date range,
position, company name, supervisors name and contact info
list major responsibilities and accomplishments
be specific (e.g., supervise 10 staff or install 100 computers)
Working experiences problematic samples
Achievements: highly appreciated by the supervisor for the
professionalism and accuracy of the sub-project.
Comment: only list specific facts (e.g., give specific numbers).
Otherwise, talk about it in your SOP/LORs.
26
FUN ACTIVITY
27
RESUME STRUCTURE
Working experiences
Examples
Oversee | supervise ...
Support | assist with...
(be) responsible for | ensure ...
Collaborate with | partner with... | report to...
04/01 06/04 Quality Assurance person, Accellion Pte Ltd, Singapore
[Supervisors name and contact info]
- design and implement test plans for in-house
applications
- inspect codes submitted by programming teams and
ensure integrity
- develop test agents to automate various testing tasks
Fun question: (major responsibilities) Talk in other peoples sleep. So I am
College Professor
Working experiences
Examples
Oversee | supervise ...
Support | assist with...
(be) responsible for | ensure ...
Collaborate with | partner with... | report to...
04/01 06/04 Quality Assurance person, Accellion Pte Ltd, Singapore
[Supervisors name and contact info]
- design and implement test plans for in-house
applications
- inspect codes submitted by programming teams and
ensure integrity
- develop test agents to automate various testing tasks
Fun question: (major responsibilities) Talk in other peoples sleep. So I am
College Professor
28
RESUME STRUCTURE
Honors, awards and grants
include the date awarded, awards title and granting institution.
give a brief description of the awards nature (if necessary)
explain how difficult/rare for one to receive this honor (if possible)
mention frequency (annually, monthly, etc.)
Award types
graduation honor
research grant: why this is important?
watch a sample video
talk about this in both awards and research experience sections. Also
mention the amount of fund.
Tips: How can you get a research grant?
scholarship/fellowship
competition/contest prize
work performance
community contribution
Honors, awards and grants
include the date awarded, awards title and granting institution.
give a brief description of the awards nature (if necessary)
explain how difficult/rare for one to receive this honor (if possible)
mention frequency (annually, monthly, etc.)
Award types
graduation honor
research grant: why this is important?
watch a sample video
talk about this in both awards and research experience sections. Also
mention the amount of fund.
Tips: How can you get a research grant?
scholarship/fellowship
competition/contest prize
work performance
community contribution
29
RESUME STRUCTURE
Honors, awards and grants
Examples (cont.):
06 - 11 Graduate School Fellowship granted by Georgetown University
1997 Annual Award for Excellent Services granted by Ministry of Finance
of Vietnam. Awarded to the top two individuals per department.
or Awarded to the two top-performing staffs in a department of hundreds
90 - 95 Government-sponsored Scholarship granted annually by Ministry of
Education and Training. 1st year based on entrance exam results,
subsequent years on academic performance
2005 Second place in the National Mathematic Contest for High School
Students organized by Ministry of Education and Training of
Vietnam
Honors, awards and grants
Examples (cont.):
06 - 11 Graduate School Fellowship granted by Georgetown University
1997 Annual Award for Excellent Services granted by Ministry of Finance
of Vietnam. Awarded to the top two individuals per department.
or Awarded to the two top-performing staffs in a department of hundreds
90 - 95 Government-sponsored Scholarship granted annually by Ministry of
Education and Training. 1st year based on entrance exam results,
subsequent years on academic performance
2005 Second place in the National Mathematic Contest for High School
Students organized by Ministry of Education and Training of
Vietnam
30
RESUME STRUCTURE
Honors, awards and grants problematic examples
Received an award for excellent students
for students with outstanding/excellent scholastic/academic
achievement/performance/community services
2004 Award from The Peoples Committee of Hanoi
what kind of award?
for what achievement?
selection criteria?
number of awardees
Honors, awards and grants problematic examples
Received an award for excellent students
for students with outstanding/excellent scholastic/academic
achievement/performance/community services
2004 Award from The Peoples Committee of Hanoi
what kind of award?
for what achievement?
selection criteria?
number of awardees
31
HOMEWORK
For session 10:
Create a new or revise your current CV based on what you learned in
class today. Print out a copy and bring it to class for a peer review.
review the sample rsum on the hand-out, focusing on
organization
content
sufficiency and redundancy
appropriateness
language use
For session 10:
Create a new or revise your current CV based on what you learned in
class today. Print out a copy and bring it to class for a peer review.
review the sample rsum on the hand-out, focusing on
organization
content
sufficiency and redundancy
appropriateness
language use
32
LAST LAUGH
Should you lie on your rsum?
Watch a comedy in which the guy lied about having a solid dance
background.
33