Are you looking to apply for a job in China? If so, read on to find out exactly what you need in a Chinese resume and how Chinese resumes differ from western resumes. We also have a free template for you to download and adjust to your personal requirements. Scroll down for the download and watch the video on how to fill this out!
While resumes used in countries such as the USA and UK are colorful and creative, resumes in China are more standardized and look like the below. This is so Chinese employers can cut out the colorful fluff and assess the suitability and skills of each candidate on a more like-for-like basis. There is no opportunity to hide behind a funky font.
Let's go through the six sections you need in a Chinese resume.
Personal Information (个人信息 gè rén xìn xī)
Educational Background (教育背景 jiào yù bèi jǐng)
Work Experience (工作经验 gōng zuò jīng yàn)
Awards (奖惩情况 jiǎng chéng qíng kuàng)
Special Skills (技能特长 jì néng tè cháng)
Personal Statement (自我评价 zì wǒ píng jià)
SECTION 1: Personal Information (个人信息 gè rén xìn xī)
The first thing you may notice in this section is a need to have a profile photo. This should be something that looks formal and professional. Usually in China, the photographer that takes your photo will also provide some beauty retouching to make you look more aesthetically pleasing. This is completely normal so don't be surprised if your photo looks a bit different!
Aside from a good photo. You will need the following fields in this section:
Full name (姓名 xìng míng)
Gender (性别 xìng bié)
Month and year of birth (出生年月 chūshēng nián yue)
ID card number (身份证号码 shēnfèn zhèng hàomǎ) If you don’t have a Chinese ID card, you can normally put your passport number 护照号码 (hùzhào hàomǎ) here.
Nationality (国籍 guójí)
Marital status (婚姻状况 hūn yīn zhuàng kuàng)
Health status (健康状况 jiànkāng zhuàngkuàng)
Height (身高 shēngāo)
Level of education (学位 xué wèi)
Mailing address (通讯地址 tōngxùn dìzhǐ)
Email (邮箱 yóu xiāng)
Contact phone (联系电话 liánxì diànhuà).
Language ability (语言能力 yǔ yán néng lì)
You may be surprised about some of the fields that are required in this section. For example, marital status would be something that is illegal to ask in some countries. However, these are very common fields to include. Nevertheless, do feel free to remove any fields you are not comfortable with but be prepared to be questioned on these at a later stage such as a the interview stage.
SECTION 2: Educational Background (教育背景 jiào yù bèi jǐng)
It's usually perfectly fine to include any educational experience above college/university level here. You may include your middle school or high school information only if it is internationally renowned.
Start and end dates (起止年月 qǐzhǐ nián yue)
College/University attended (学校 xué xiào)
Major (专业 zhuān yè)
Level of education (学位 xué wèi)
SECTION 3: Work Experience (工作经验 gōng zuò jīng yàn)
Start and end dates (起止年月 qǐzhǐ nián yue)
Organization name (在何单位 zài hé dānwèi)
Job position and responsibilities (任何任职 rènhé rènzhí)
SECTION 4: Awards (奖惩情况 jiǎng chéng qíng kuàng)
Put down any notable awards that you have here. Make sure to put down the year and then month. Also, make sure to include the name of the award that you got.
SECTION 5: Special Skills (技能特长 jì néng tè cháng)
Put down any special skills that you have here. For example, you might be a proficient user of Adobe Photoshop or maybe Microsoft Excel etc.
SECTION 6: Personal Statement (自我评价 zì wǒ píng jià)
This is a self-appraisal section and is similar to a personal statement in western resumes. While personal statements there are business and career driven, in this section you should refrain from being too business-minded. Talk about your personal characteristics, such as being a social person who likes to interact with people. Do also include any notable personal experiences you have, such as traveling which demonstrates your capability of bringing in a more worldly and diverse perspective to the company.
Now that you know what you need in Chinese resume, start filling yours out using this free downloadable template here. Watch the video if you would like Teacher Lin to guide you through this.
See you next time!