It is becoming increasingly apparent that there are a lot of unique job opportunities abroad, so more people are turning toward international jobs for inspiration.

Unfortunately, what many people are not aware of during the job-seeking process is the fact that international jobs require a completely different type of resume than local jobs tend to, and if you do not submit the right resume to the international company you are seeking employment through, you may get the brush off.

This is a look at international resumes and how to put the best international resume together when seeking jobs abroad.

With increasing global prospects, more people are turning toward international jobs.

There are some pretty big differences that exist between resume expectations in North America and expectations for resumes from companies in other countries. For example, international employers tend to put much more emphasis on personality than domestic employers do. They also focus on your international IQ, because they want to make sure that you will be effective in a working environment abroad. In many cases, when international employers look at resumes, they are looking at international resumes less for technical skills and qualifications and more for interpersonal skills and qualifications.

There are three primary building blocks involved in creating international resumes. First you need to be able to build a resume that displays your personality and that is organized in a way that matches the needs of your employer's ideal candidate. Next you are going to need to emphasize any cross cultural skills that you possess, especially when it comes to working in a cross cultural working environment. Finally, there are a number of smaller and more intricate details and differences that need to be addressed in your international resumes.

The first part of your resume is the same - Your contact information. All potential employers need to be able to contact you, regardless of where they are from or where you are located in proximity. Make sure that you include your name, phone number, address, and personal or professional e-mail address. The rest of your international resume is going to be different in format however, because international resumes are designed to highlight your skills and group information so that the recruiter does not have to do any of the analytical work. Employers will see you in the way that you want them to see you, in other words.

Objective Statement

The first real section of your international resume is the career objective, which is the fundamental statement about what you are hoping to accomplish and what you enjoy doing. This is going to suggest what you will more than likely excel at within the new company. Your objective is the most vital part of international resumes and the entire remainder of the resume will simply be used to support this objective.

Here is an example of an international resume's objective statement or career objective: "Seeking either a managerial or a consulting position, sales support representative for a multinational company."

When using job descriptions, you should keep your job descriptions result-oriented because this reflects your personality. Rather than pushing your professional qualifications, skills and other traits like this, you should be showing that you are a results oriented individual with a specific employment goal in mind.

Personal Traits, Professional Traits, and Skills Summary

This section of your resume is going to help international employers know who you are, what you do and what makes you good at your work. Make sure each of your personal and professional traits is backed up with concrete examples relating to your past job descriptions. Use bullet points for ease of readability whenever possible.

Even when you are new to the job market, personal and professional traits can really spread out a resume to make it appear fuller and more detailed. The skills summary portion of international resumes offers a chance to tell employers who you are, and may involve a great deal of self analysis in the process. Work hard on using the right words and subtitles, and write efficiently when summarizing your skills for an international employer.

Education

If you are just graduating out of school and you do not have much work experience, then you need to focus on talking about your education as if it were your job. Tell employers who you are by talking about areas of interest, major projects, courses passed, extra curricular activities and so on. If you have international contacts or did any multicultural work, it absolutely has to appear here.

Professional Work Experience

Here you should separate non-professional work from professional work. You want to be able to highlight jobs that specifically support your objectives in your international resumes, which is something that most international employers are going to appreciate. At least one third of a resume page should be dedicated to work that specifically relates to the job for which you are applying.

International Qualifications

Do you have international contacts that will benefit your experience in an international job? Do you speak foreign languages in addition to your own language well enough to communicate in business? If you have qualifications that stand out more than others as benefits to an international workplace, make sure that they find a way into your resume because the better you are able to "fit in" with these international qualifications and skills, the more desirable you will be to potential employers.

Job Descriptions

Here you should define your past job descriptions including skills and other details that will show why you were successful, what you were known for, and why you were an asset to the company or the position. If you can group specific traits together under a single job, do so. And make sure to mention not only skills, but also communication traits and other personality details that will appeal to employers in an international setting.

Things to Keep in Mind

A 3 page to 4 page international resume is completely normal, because more information is expected here than in a traditional resume. Write efficiently, however, and format everything for ease of readability. Subtitle your inventory of skills, break down long job descriptions into functional categories, and use functional job titles for the best results.

Sell your cross cultural skills by showing employers that you are aware of the unique set of skills that is required in order for you to be successful in an environment that is cross cultural in nature.

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