Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Perfect English Resume

One day, the president of my emcee agent called me and said.
"One hotel wedding staff told me an American groom wants to read your resume before he asks you to be his wedding emcee. Would you write your resume in English?"

Oh oh, I see, I was a bilingual emcee who never wrote an English resume because I have had a job from a Japanese staff!
Referring to my mentor'(a very experienced professional emcee)s English resume, I started to write mine.
Then, I realized...writing my resume is looking back my life.

I found myself filled with a mixed feeling.
1) How inexperienced I am as a professional bilingual emcee!
I know I just started this job. But if I write honestly, "I'm sorry I just started this job, but I will try my best to your happiest day" on my resume, the American groom will never hire me!
On the other hand, I can't write a lie on my resume.
So, I appealed my experiences & skills with...a kind of "word magic."
I put my Japanese professional work experience forward, and my professional English emcee experience backward.
Don't blame me! It's not a sin. It's what people do to get a job! ...right?

However, the second feeling came to me was...
2)How experienced I am as an amateur bilingual emcee!
Because I had dreamed of doing that for several years, all of what I did in America was related to my current job(maybe.)
For example,
 Volunteer lecturer in Japanese culture and Japanese wedding practices at Purdue University, Purdue International Friendship Group, Purdue affiliated English school, while living in West Lafayette, Indiana, America, in 2003-2008
 Winner of the Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest in 2007, Division G (Indiana state)

I'm proud of myself having became bilingual.
But, there have been actually "five B" situation which I just named.
That is, "Being Bilingual Brings me Benefits and Burdens."
I should become a "go-between" of two cultures. That brings me joy, but sometimes, requires me to overcome the barrier or cultural differences.

For instance, I asked Seth, my American co-worker, to proofread my English resume.
He said, "where is the reference section? You should put the couple's names & dates of your wedding emceeing, and write "reference is available upon."

I know asking reference is very important in American business society...
But when it comes to international weddings here, most brides are Japanese, and many Japanese people don't want to reveal their personal information for unfamiliar people for them.

There were other issues Seth pointed out from his America view for my resume, but we needed to compromise at some point. I had to submit it (a Japanese-translated version) to hotel staff, so I should take in American ways and Japanese ways, too.

...I hope the American guy offers me a job! I took much time to appeal him!!
Oh, now I realize...He could read this article! When I searched two key words, "bilingual emcee, keiko" on the Internet, my blog appeared in the first section.
You! American guy who asked me to submit a resume!! (So sorry, I don't know your name, though,) I'm not inexperienced!! I'm capable of making your wedding party perfect, and I'll do my best for you! You don't have to worry at all!!

...A blog is personal? or public? So tricky! That's why I've told about my blog to my closest friends...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

ومن المثير للاهتمام جدا للقراءة. أريد أن أقتبس مشاركتك في بلدي بلوق. ويمكن أن؟ وأنت وآخرون حساب على التغريد؟

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