Customer Reviews

The Global Resume and CV Guide

5 star:		(7)
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3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
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Imagine a single reference that describes in detail how to craft the perfect resume for employers around the world. This guide would explain the expectations of far-flung employers relative to the standard practices of your home country, indicating how to map your existing resume to the each target country's culture. This is not that book. Not that "The Global Resume and CV Guide" doesn't try -- and occasionally succeed, at least where certain countries are concerned. Ultimately, what is touted as one of the book's greatest strengths proves to be a disappointing weakness: each country section is written by a "local expert", meaning that the guide effectively has many authors. The first downside of this approach is that the information on any given country is not typically framed in terms that make sense to the reader, because the author is not necessarily familiar with the resume practices of the reader's country. A second downside of this approach is that there is significant variation in the quality and level of detail between country sections. For example, the section on the United States spans 18 pages, including two sample resumes. The section on the United Kingdom, in contrast, includes a mere 5 pages and no sample resumes. The UK section also leaves unanswered basic questions like whether "CV" or "resume" is the preferred term. Ultimately, though, the biggest disappointment is the lack of detail, understandable in a guide that attempts to cover nearly 40 countries in less than 300 pages. If you're looking for a high-level overview of the requirements of many different countries, you'll likely find this guide useful. But if you're looking for details and lots of sample resumes, you're probably better off purchasing a guide specific to your country of interest.

The book divides its attention to (1) basics of CV/Resume writing; (2) country-specific format and style of Resume, contributed by actual human resource specialist for each of the country listed; (3) interview guidelines for different regions of the globe. I found the format of the book itself helpful; its contents even more so. The guidelines are clear and concise, and works well for both young professionals and students alike. As a junior university student looking for an international job, the subtle nuances of the differences between writing a CV for, say, Europe and Japan, as written in this book allows me to do my "homework" before sending them, which hopefully may increase one's chances of landing a job interview. As the author has pointed out, international employers seek out employees who are willing to learn how other people do things, and one of the things that show that is how a CV/Resume has been styled for the destination intended.

I'm a professional resume writer who works globally. I found this book to be filled with outdated and simplistic templates rather than intelligent ideas.

This book is well written, and so comprehensive that anyone considering a business career overseas should seriously consider it. The fact that all of the chapters are written by professional recruiters from their own country is a double plus - they know what they're talking about, and they give good, clear advice on the cultural differences that are really so important, in both the application and in the interview. I find it particularly helpful in the area of job information sources within the specific country; it lists newspapers, directories, employment agencies, and regional newspapers, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc., etc.! I have already recommended it to a number of friends.

I'm looking for a job overseas right now, and Thompson's book has already been a tremendous help! It is so complete - with addresses, phone an fax numbers, Internet sites -- all kinds of information, and all up-to-date. I graduated in June and I just wish I had this book earlier.

When they call this a "Resume and CV Guide," they really mean it. I never realized that countries differed so much in what they expected in content, in format, and even in the cover letter (some expect you to hand write it!). This "Global" book is so detailed, and so packed full!

Hi.

I came to know of this book when I was reading thru a few magazines and browsing the net for some book like this. Its so great that I thought it would be more helpful if I let people know what experts in the filed had to say...

"What can I say about THE GLOBAL RESUME AND CV GUIDE but WOW! There is so little information about regarding the international job search and we are fortunate to now have such a great resource available!"

REVIEW BY: Margaret Riley Dikel Editor of The Riley Guide and Author of THE GUIDE TO INTERNET JOB SEARCHING

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"THE GLOBAL RESUME AND CV GUIDE is the new bible for wanna-be globe trotters. This resource should be the starting point for international job seekers and will help give you the leg-up when looking for work abroad. Thompson's guide works because it uses local experts to explain the key steps in a job search. I recommend this book as a must buy...

If you just want a guide that explains some of the unique cultural aspects of job hunting in a lot of different countries, this would be the right guide for you. It covers almost every region in the world and explains the visa process, interview practices and job hunting tips. On this aspect it is an excellent book for the international job hunter. However, if you are looking for a lot of sample CV's, this won't be very helpful. The sample CV's included are limited to a few countries and are mostly geared for a new graduate or young professional (most CV's here are 1 page long, whereas overseas CV's are generally supposed to be at least 2 pages if you have any level of experience). There should have been at least one example for each country, but if you read the country details, you can figure out how to adjust the CV to fit that country.

Great Book! Very helpful in understanding to which countries to focus ones resume as well as detailed information for sending submissions.

This is a great resource - especially for career centers! Very helpful - if you need to write or read a resume for or from another country, this is the book you need.