Why a good CV and a good covering letter are important
簡歷和求職信的重要性

A CV gives you the chance to present your personal details in the best possible light. You can sell your skills, abilities and qualifications to a large number of employers, as it is the most flexible and convenient way to make applications.
一份好的簡歷是展示你個人信息的絕佳機會。你可以向大量的雇主推銷你的技能、能力和資格，這是最靈活便捷的方式投遞申請。

That being said, many large companies use their own application forms and will not accept CVs. They feel if they can design their own application form, it will bring out your essential qualities and weaknesses; in a CV you can avoid your weaker points. What’s more, because you have to spend quite a lot of time to fill out an application form, this, in itself, is an example of your commitment. Just sending the same generic CV to a variety of prospective employers doesn’t show this.
有人提出，很多大公司都使用自己的申請表格，而不接受求職信。雇主認為使用自己的申請表，可以很快地指導(dǎo)應(yīng)聘者是否具備必要地素質(zhì)和缺點；而在簡歷中應(yīng)聘者可以避免自己的劣勢。并且，因為你花了大量的時間填寫申請表，這是承諾的佐證。而只是單純地給潛在雇主發(fā)通用簡歷顯然是做不到這一點的。

Bearing this in mind, when should you use a CV? The first reason is, of course, when the employer asks you for one! Next, when the employer doesn’t specify the format and simply states to whom the application should be made. Finally if you are sending out applications that are purely speculative; the employer hasn’t actually advertised a vacancy but you hope there may be one.
請記住什么時候應(yīng)該使用簡歷。首先當然應(yīng)雇主的要求。其次雇主沒有規(guī)定格式，但是說明了收取申請表的對象。最后是你只是隨機地投遞簡歷，即雇主并沒有貼出廣告說有職位空缺但是你希望得到工作的機會。

Remember the person who has to read your CV. He or she may have a hundred from which to narrow down a handful of interviewees. This is a tedious task and if your CV is unclear, badly laid out and full irrelevant information he or she will move on to the next one. Use short paragraphs, bullet points and a clear, logical layout to make it easy to read. There is no single best way to write a CV, as it is your document, you can structure as you wish. In fact, for creative jobs you could try to be innovative, but remain within a basic framework that obeys the following rules. A CV should be informative, concise and carefully laid out, accurate in grammar and spelling and, finally, targeted on the job you are applying for.
清楚到底是誰看你的簡歷。或許他需要 從幾百名中的應(yīng)聘者中篩選出幾位。這是一項乏味的工作，如果你的簡歷陳述不清、布局紊亂、到處是無關(guān)信息，那么篩選者將會立刻看下一個應(yīng)聘者。故而要使用短句、標明要點并使用清晰合理的布局易于閱讀。制作簡歷并沒有固定最好的方法，你可以隨心所欲地編排你的文檔信息。事實上，作為一項創(chuàng)意性的任務(wù)你可以嘗試創(chuàng)新，但是要保留一定的基本框架并遵循以下幾點:簡歷內(nèi)容必須翔實，簡潔，布局精心，語法拼寫正確，最后還需是針對特定職位的申請。

Equally important is your covering letter; it is the first page and will most likely be read before your CV. It demonstrates your writing style and makes a specific statement to the employer that your generic CV lacks. It will point out the information in your CV that matches you for the job and gives you the chance to make a statement about yourself and your suitability. The CV is a rigid structure and the cover letter should give a personal touch. You might be tempted to think that the most personal letter would be handwritten but in fact, unless asked, it is better to use a word processor. These days, increasingly, recruiters ask applicants to email their details, so handwritten cover letters are a thing of the past. However there are some companies that many want a sample of your handwriting; it is possible they employ graphology, which is the study and analysis of handwriting. They should tell you if they are going to analyse your letter for clues into your personality and abilities, so don’t worry.
你的求職信同樣重要，因為它是雇主看你簡歷前最先看的資料。它可以展示你的寫作風格，并向雇主說明你的這份簡歷是有別于一般的通用簡歷的。它可以帶出你簡歷中與申請職位相匹配的信息，并且是你展示自我和現(xiàn)狀的好機會。簡歷是剛性結(jié)構(gòu)，而求職信更具個人特性。你可能會誤解個人信件應(yīng)該要手寫，其實勿需問，最好是使用下文字處理器?，F(xiàn)在越來越多的雇主要求應(yīng)聘者給他們發(fā)電子郵件，所以紙質(zhì)的申請書已成過去式。都是依舊有些公司需要保留一份你的手寫稿，可能是因為他們在雇傭中使用筆跡學(xué)，即需要通過研究和分析手寫稿。他們會告知你他們是否會通過你的筆跡研究你的個性和能力，所以你不用擔心。

Commitment (noun)???Sincerity, seriousness
Generic (adj)?????Applying to all the members of a group
Format (noun)????Layout, general appearance
Speculative (adj)????Showing curiosity, questioning
Narrow down (verb)???Define clearly
Interviewees (noun)???People who are to be interviewed
Tedious (adj)?????Boring
Bullet points (noun) ??Items printed in a list, after a centred dot
Innovative (adj)????Showing new methods or ideas
Rigid (adj)?????Not flexible, stiff
Handwritten (adj)???Written by hand, not typed or printed
Graphology (noun)?Study of handwriting as a means of analyzing character
Analysis (noun)????Investigation

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