CV and Cover Letter FAQ
簡歷和求職信的幾個常見問題
What is the difference between a Curriculum Vitae and a Résumé?
履歷和簡歷的區別?
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.
首先是語言上的不同。Curriculum Vitae是拉丁語，意為生命的歷程;Résumé是法語，意為綜述。Curriculum Vitae常用於英式英語，縮寫為CV;Résumé有時會被寫成resumé或resume，常用語美式英語。英式英語是指除了美國以外其他使用英語的國家。加拿大是個例外，因為它兩種英語都使用。
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.
英國英語我們只是用CV這個術語，即美式英語中的résumé。簡而言之，一般是一到兩張，內容有相關的工作經歷和教育背景。我們今天的話題就是圍繞著這個形式的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.
美式英語中的CV就是你個人成長歷史，包括你所有的工作經歷、學術技能和獲得的重大成就。也甚至可以包括你的具體工作內容，所以有時會有很多頁。
Is it necessary to send a cover letter with every CV?
有必要在每封簡歷上附上求職信?
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.
即使你花了好幾個小時在優化簡歷上，沒有一個好的求職信，你的工作也是算做了一半。求職信是一個自我介紹，可以很快地吸引僱主的眼球。求職信可以讓僱主更好地了解你，因為他們有時會懶得看你的簡歷。
Can a graduate CV be longer than one page?
一個畢業生的簡歷可以超過一頁嗎?
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.
一個應屆畢業生的簡歷最好不好要超過一頁。一個有很多年工齡的應聘者的簡歷要限制在兩頁以內。當然也有例外，一個做過很多實習、志願者活動和有其他相關工作經歷的學生可以使用兩頁。但是一般來說，職場新人和應屆畢業生最好是只用一頁的簡歷。
In the cover letter, is it necessary to address it to a specific person?
求職信中的收件人有必要是特定的嗎?
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。很有必要將收件人的名字和地址找出來。這可以表現你的主動性和對職位的巨大興趣。而且你要確保對方正確的性別。
Should the CV and the cover letter be sent together?
求職信和簡歷有必要同時發出嗎?
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。即使僱主對求職信沒有特別要求，或你甚至不知道這家公司是否重視求職信。謹慎起見，你還是隨附上求職信一封。
What are the most important things I should consider when writing a CV?
在寫簡歷時有什麼事是必須要注意的?
There is an acronym FAKTSA you might like to remember to help you. It stands for five things:
縮寫FAKTSA可以幫你有效記住，它代表了5件事：
Focus
重點
Appearance
外觀
Keywords
關鍵詞
Transferable Skills
可轉換的技能
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.
關注僱主的需求，而不是自己的需求。整體外觀需要清晰簡潔。關鍵字中必須包含職位和技能。這些關鍵字很重要，因為僱主會在資料庫中用程序對簡歷和關鍵詞進行配對。你的簡歷中有這些關鍵詞，你將會脫穎而出。你可以在他們的公司網站和你所在行業的相關招聘廣告上找到這些關鍵詞。可轉換技能是指你在先前工作中、學習中和生活中獲得的與現在新工作要求相符的技能。你的成就主要是指你的優點符合工作的需求;好的參照事件是非常重要的。
GLOSSARY
詞彙
Commonwealth (noun) Association of independent states, most of which were ruled by Britain in the past
聯邦(名詞)
Polishing (verb) Perfecting
優化(動詞)
Hook (noun) Device to get the attention of the reader
吸引(名詞)
Initiative (noun) Power to begin something
倡議(名詞)
Specifically (adv) Particularly
特別的(副詞)
Database (noun) Collection of data or records
資料庫(名詞)
Transferable skills (noun) Acquired skills relevant to a new situation
可轉換技能(名詞)
[en]Accomplishments (noun) Achievements, triumphs
[/en]
成就(名詞)