# Resumes, Mexican Style



## AmberL27

Hola All! 

I recently made the (somewhat crazy) decision to leave my nice dependable job here in Puebla and move to Merida with some crazy friends of mine. As of now we don't have jobs, but the plan is to find them when we get there. We will see how easy that is soon I am sure....

Back to the reason for my post. I was looking at my resume and talking to my friends and I realized that while I have several very good resumes that work for the US the amount of information allowed/required here is different and I am probably going to need to change them around a little. From what I hear providing information like your age and marital status is fairly normal in Mexico and I am not sure how exactly to include that on a resume. 

Can anyone give me some pointers on how Mexican Resumes are usually formatted?


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## Isla Verde

AmberL27 said:


> Hola All!
> 
> I recently made the (somewhat crazy) decision to leave my nice dependable job here in Puebla and move to Merida with some crazy friends of mine. As of now we don't have jobs, but the plan is to find them when we get there. We will see how easy that is soon I am sure....
> 
> Back to the reason for my post. I was looking at my resume and talking to my friends and I realized that while I have several very good resumes that work for the US the amount of information allowed/required here is different and I am probably going to need to change them around a little. From what I hear providing information like your age and marital status is fairly normal in Mexico and I am not sure how exactly to include that on a resume.
> 
> Can anyone give me some pointers on how Mexican Resumes are usually formatted?


I can't help you with the format, but I know that Mexican resumes include a photograph. Let us know what kind of job you find in Mérida. What kind of work are you looking for?


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## maesonna

Yes, it is common to include your photograph, as well as personal and family information such as age, marital status, and not unusually even the names of your family members. 

But this is a question you should ask of Mexican job seekers: they will know much better than we do. In this forum there are very few people, if any, who have experience competing in the Mexican job market. I see you are in Cholula, do you have some friends who are UDLAP students or recent graduates? They are the ones who can guide you.


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## AmberL27

Thanks to both of you for the advice! 

I actually only know a couple people in Cholula and absolutely no people from the university. I do have a couple friends who are moving with me and will also be looking for work, but in different fields. I will probably end up having to find a job teaching English (I know veryyyyy little Spanish and have no other work experience) but really I am open to doing anything even if it means washing dishes. Lucky for me I already have my FM3 for a year so that should help. 

I wasn't sure if anyone here would know much, but i figured some information was better than none and even the information on marital status and the picture help me out a lot.  

I am moving to Merida with the intention of eventually opening up a center for people with special need with some friends. It will probably be a couple of years before I can get to that point though. We will see, life provides us with amazing opportunities sometimes! I will keep everyone updated!


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## maesonna

It occurred to me that you can probably find advice about Mexican resumés online, and indeed, here are some examples of tips and advice that I found with some searches online.

If you get a menial job (e.g. washing dishes), you would be depriving some person with less education of a chance to support her or his family. Better to concentrate on jobs (like teaching English) that your experience and education makes you well-suited for. You can find out much more information about teaching English in Mexico at Dave‘s ESL Mexico forum (google for url).


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## Isla Verde

AmberL27 said:


> Thanks to both of you for the advice!
> 
> I actually only know a couple people in Cholula and absolutely no people from the university. I do have a couple friends who are moving with me and will also be looking for work, but in different fields. I will probably end up having to find a job teaching English (I know veryyyyy little Spanish and have no other work experience) but really I am open to doing anything even if it means washing dishes. Lucky for me I already have my FM3 for a year so that should help.


Is your FM3 tied to the job you're leaving, or does it allow you to work free-lance in a particular field? Once you get to Merida and (hopefully) find a job, you may have to go to INM and change some of particulars of your visa or you could get into trouble with the authorities.


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## AmberL27

Isla Verde said:


> Is your FM3 tied to the job you're leaving, or does it allow you to work free-lance in a particular field? Once you get to Merida and (hopefully) find a job, you may have to go to INM and change some of particulars of your visa or you could get into trouble with the authorities.


My FM3 is not tied to any specific school, the school I am currently working at has to notify them that I am no longer employed there but I believe that is it until I find other employment. Once I find another position I will have to make sure everything is sorted out so I stay clean and clear for the next year. I believe I can work wherever they want to hire me, I am sure I will find out for sure soon.


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## AmberL27

maesonna said:


> It occurred to me that you can probably find advice about Mexican resumés online, and indeed, here are some examples of tips and advice that I found with some searches online.
> 
> If you get a menial job (e.g. washing dishes), you would be depriving some person with less education of a chance to support her or his family. Better to concentrate on jobs (like teaching English) that your experience and education makes you well-suited for. You can find out much more information about teaching English in Mexico at Dave‘s ESL Mexico forum (google for url).



I am sorry that misunderstood me, what I was trying to say is that I am not picky about the type of work I end up doing. Of course I am not really going to wash dishes and take a job that a Mexican could use to support their family. I simply mean I will do whatever work I find that helps support me and my family while saving money to open our center. 

Also thank you for the online resources. I saw some of them but I figured I would check all of my resources and make sure I wasn't missing anything, can't be too careful!


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## one4mandy

AmberL27 said:


> Hola All!
> 
> I recently made the (somewhat crazy) decision to leave my nice dependable job here in Puebla and move to Merida with some crazy friends of mine. As of now we don't have jobs, but the plan is to find them when we get there. We will see how easy that is soon I am sure....
> 
> Back to the reason for my post. I was looking at my resume and talking to my friends and I realized that while I have several very good resumes that work for the US the amount of information allowed/required here is different and I am probably going to need to change them around a little. From what I hear providing information like your age and marital status is fairly normal in Mexico and I am not sure how exactly to include that on a resume.
> 
> Can anyone give me some pointers on how Mexican Resumes are usually formatted?


I have nothing to add except that I love this kind of crazy...good luck! Live it while you got it.

Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum


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## ABCinATL

In my position working here in Mexico I have had to interview candidates so I have seen several Mexican resumes. 

They tend to be more wordy with more white space (visually speaking) on the page. Do not worry if it ends up being 3-4-5 pages long, seemed typical for a mid-career person. 

Photo to include is called infantil (can get it done anywhere including Soriana, walmart, etc). 

They tend to include the years for a lot of things, for example degree x from university Y (start year - end year). 

In their work experience section they typically include a short brief on the company itself (have not seen this on US resumes) followed by their experience. 

I have seen the personal info included at the end, somthing like this (of course yours would be in Spanish, this is just an example):

General Information: 
Notice Period: 3 weeks	
Availability to Travel: Yes, 100% available.
Available to change residence: Yes
Nationality: Mexican
Marital Status: Single
Date of Birth: DD/MM/YYYY
E-mail: [email protected]

Hope this helps.


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## Uecker_seats

see next post oops


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## Uecker_seats

A rsume in Mexico is as rare as a French war hero. Post your employment information on a shared website like Linkedin, and print of copies, it's free. Remember your dealing with a much more laxidasical culture south of the border i.e.: Sending a email to a Mexican email adress and getting a response 6 months later, if your lucky enough to get a response at all.


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## circle110

Uecker_seats said:


> A rsume in Mexico is as rare as a French war hero.


I don't know where you got this impression.
Every single professional I know has one. They are called "CV" or "Curriculum Vitae" and they are used all the time.


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## Uecker_seats

Unless they have a degree, or have completed some sort of higher education, a resume is going to be pretty rare down there. I don't see a construction worker, or a maid at a AI resort being readilly able to produce this.........


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## Isla Verde

Uecker_seats said:


> Unless they have a degree, or have completed some sort of higher education, a resume is going to be pretty rare down there. I don't see a construction worker, or a maid at a AI resort being readilly able to produce this.........


And in what country do maids and construction workers have resumes?


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## maesonna

Another useful thing to know:

Jobs that fall in between professional and menial (e.g. salesperson in a store, a counter clerk in a shop, a delivery person, etc.) may ask candidates to submit a filled-out application.

The standard application can be obtained in almost any _papelería_.


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## one4mandy

Isla Verde said:


> And in what country do maids and construction workers have resumes?


I look at resumes every day for people who are looking for janitorial, valet driving and basic service jobs. Believe me, I was initially surprised by it. But it is the new norm. I on the other hand have been a professional for almost twenty years and can't remember the last time I had a résumé.

Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum


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## Isla Verde

one4mandy said:


> I look at resumes every day for people who are looking for janitorial, valet driving and basic service jobs. Believe me, I was initially surprised by it. But it is the new norm. I on the other hand have been a professional for almost twenty years and can't remember the last time I had a résumé.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum


That's news to me. Thanks for the information. It sounds like overkill to me. Do people applying for the jobs you mention still need to fill out an application form?


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## one4mandy

Isla Verde said:


> That's news to me. Thanks for the information. It sounds like overkill to me. Do people applying for the jobs you mention still need to fill out an application form?


Yes! I think it is overkill too. But it has become so normal that I almost feel like I'm just old and don't know how things work in the new world. Of course almost everything makes me feel that way anymore. I've clearly lost my swagger.

Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum


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## AmberL27

ABCinATL said:


> In my position working here in Mexico I have had to interview candidates so I have seen several Mexican resumes.
> 
> They tend to be more wordy with more white space (visually speaking) on the page. Do not worry if it ends up being 3-4-5 pages long, seemed typical for a mid-career person.
> 
> Photo to include is called infantil (can get it done anywhere including Soriana, walmart, etc).
> 
> They tend to include the years for a lot of things, for example degree x from university Y (start year - end year).
> 
> In their work experience section they typically include a short brief on the company itself (have not seen this on US resumes) followed by their experience.
> 
> I have seen the personal info included at the end, somthing like this (of course yours would be in Spanish, this is just an example):
> 
> General Information:
> Notice Period: 3 weeks
> Availability to Travel: Yes, 100% available.
> Available to change residence: Yes
> Nationality: Mexican
> Marital Status: Single
> Date of Birth: DD/MM/YYYY
> E-mail: [email protected]
> 
> Hope this helps.



Thanks! This helps a lot! It sounds like I need to give my US resume a complete makeover. 

Lots of white space, as many pages as you need and ample personal information...sounds like the opposite of what I have now. This could be fun


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## Isla Verde

AmberL27 said:


> Thanks! This helps a lot! It sounds like I need to give my US resume a complete makeover.
> 
> Lots of white space, as many pages as you need and ample personal information...sounds like the opposite of what I have now. This could be fun


And, of course, you'll have to write it in good bureaucratic Spanish!


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## AmberL27

Isla Verde said:


> And, of course, you'll have to write it in good bureaucratic Spanish!


That will be the fun part....good thing I have good friends to help me with it.


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## Isla Verde

AmberL27 said:


> That will be the fun part....good thing I have good friends to help me with it.


Be sure to have a native Spanish-speaker with excellent writing skills go over it with a linguistic fine-tooth comb before you submit it to prospective employers.


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## piaxlou

*replying: move to merida*

hello to the person moving to merida. there is a huge global expat community in merida. one resource i suggest is to check out the english library. there are many activities that bond the expats and mexican community in merida. if you don't speak maybe you can trade language time - there are many people who like to practice their english and would be happy to help you. but again i suggest visit the english library on calle 53. 
i arrived in merida and was looking for long term housing. i went to the library and they hooked me up with a nice u.s. woman with a new bed and breakfast. good luck i love merida!


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