1. Misspelling a name

A person’s name is one of the most important belongings, so bloody well make sure to spell it right. This is doubly important in our situation when we’re dealing with many names that are undoubtedly, well, foreign to us. There really is nothing that signifies a lack a professionalism more than misspelling a person’s name. Here’s how to solve the problem: when in doubt, ask. Most people won’t find your query annoying. In fact, they’ll be flattered that you thought spelling their name was important enough to check with them directly. Also, misspelling need not involve only a personal name, either. It could even be a key term used in your organisation, profession, or industry, even a company’s name is among these.

2. Mispronouncing a name

The same reasoning regarding spelling applies to pronunciation, only more so as it is going to be difficult for you to pronounce foreign names correctly, especially if the language uses a different alphabet or phonemes. As before, when in doubt, ask the person directly. If you have to, to be frightened to make a phonetic representation of the name and even practice it with the person. For example, in Turkish the letter ‘c’ is pronounced like an English ‘j’ and a lot of names begin with a ‘c’. Again, people really won’t mind your taking up their time this way; they’ll be thrilled that you care about saying their name correctly, well, as long as they don’t have to have the same conversation with you more that once.

3. Referring improperly to your boss

Different cultures have different ways of perceiving formality and this is particularly an issue in the work environment. In Turkey, for example, you wouldn’t refer to your boss by using their surname; this would be considered a bit weird to say the least. Rather you say the Turkish equivalent of Mr. Dave or Mrs. Anne. Again, people won’t mind you asking what the conventions are, they’ll be glad that you’re considerate enough to find out.

4. Failing to reset your voicemail or e-mail auto-reply

When you return from time off work, undo any absence greeting or auto-replies you’ve setup. Few things make you look more idiotic than having a greeting that references your return to work date from three months ago. I’ve had colleagues who have failed to do this and you wouldn’t believe the amount of ill feeling it can generate. If you think you’re going to forget, try placing a note on your phone or computer monitor, or adding your email to outgoing mailing lists, that way you’ll also receive your outdated ‘on vacation’ message.

5. Leaving a ‘departed’ employee in the contacts list

When an employee leaves your school, remove that person from voicemail and any online directories or Web pages that you may have. Leaving a person in place can make the company look foolish. I have a colleague, who I’ve worked with since he left his last job seven years ago, who is still on the contacts page of the university’s English program website of his former employers. We were running a bet as to when they would get around to removing him, but the choice of year made by even the least optimistic among us has long since passed. Also, you might create the opportunity for an unaware caller to still leave a message for that departed employee, leaving the message to get missed.

6. Commenting on a personal or family photo

Don’t, just don’t, OK? If you really must, simply stick to, ‘that’s a nice photo.’ If you see a personal or family photo on a person’s desk, avoid commenting on relationships. That young boy you thought was a grandson may possibly just be a son. Similarly, if you know the photo is an earlier one of the person you’re meeting with, avoid comments like, ‘You looked great back then.’

7. Asking about pregnancy

The next two are just general all round good advice, not solely issues affecting teachers working abroad. This is just something that is going to end badly if you bring it up in conversation. Please, please, no matter how much a woman looks like she’s showing, keep your mouth shut until she actually brings the subject up herself. If you ask, and the answer is ‘no’, you will have no elegant retreat. What’s more, if you’re conducting an interview, you have also opened the door wide open to a discrimination lawsuit.

8. Asking about an unseen or absent spouse

Like pregnancy, this is not a good subject to broach. Suppose last year you were at a school social and saw your colleague and their spouse. This year, you only see the colleague. As with the pregnancy situation, just keep our mouth shut. Don’t be in the position; asking about the spouse only to be told, ‘we’re divorced.’

9. Correcting the boss

Doing this anywhere in the world is likely to incur wrath, but in some cultures this is absolutely unforgivable. Correcting your boss will rarely, if ever, endear you to that person. If he or she made a mistake, try to correct it in as low-profile a way as possible. Perhaps you can talk to your boss discretely in their office, away from prying ears? Tread very carefully on this subject as incidents will not be forgotten, or forgiven.

10. Displaying lack of unity in public

If you have disagreements with another teacher or member of the admin staff, resolve them privately. Don’t air dirty laundry to outsiders. Doing so makes your whole organisation look bad. If this happens in front of paying customers, it may cost the organisation money. Let’s face it, this is only going to end one way, and it won’t be in your favour.

None of these are particularly difficult to avoid but they could, singularly or collectively, cause you a world of suffering if you fail to consider them. If you’re interested in looking at how cultural differences can impact on the workplace, you could do a lot worse than reading up on the ideas of Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars.

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1. ‘Only send your resume via an online job ad or the school’s web site, anything else is a waste of time’

The job ad may ask you to do this, but that’s exactly why you shouldn’t leave it at this; everyone else will be doing the same thing. Successful job seekers use friends, contacts and anybody else in their network to make contact with a potential employer. Playing by the rules often gets your resume to exactly the same place as everyone else. Ask yourself, do you want the same odds as everyone else, or better? If you’ve got a way into the decision maker’s office, use it.

From experience:

I already knew my current boss as she is a friend of my former boss. I’d met her at conferences and been to workshops she’d given. Although we have a ‘strict’ online application policy, I emailed her my resume and got an interview immediately, despite having not followed the accepted application process.

Ignore advice that instructs you to send one resume via the school’s web site and wait to hear from them. Do as they ask by filling in the form online but go beyond this. Even at this stage, extra effort to get you noticed.

2. ‘Wait for them to call you’

You can’t wait for schools to call you back. You just can’t, alright? You’ve got to call and follow up on the resumes you’ve sent and the applications you’ve made. If an ad says ‘no calls’, use your connections to put you in touch with someone who can put in a word with the hiring manager.

From experience:

When I was looking for my first job, I applied to several schools. A couple of years later, I happened to be sitting in a bar with someone who turned about to be the recruiter at one of the schools I’d applied to. I’d found a job fairly easily, so didn’t bear a grudge that he hadn’t at least called me, but I did ask why. He openly explained to me that either a) he’d filled up his desired number of interview slots before he’d gotten to my resume, or b) he’d called me but the phone was busy or he couldn’t get through, so moved on to the next applicant. Simple as that; no job for me.

Don’t sit and wait for the call to come. Your resume is in a stack with 100 others, and if you don’t take steps to push it up to the front of the line, no one else will.

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3. ‘Never send a paper resume, they never get read these days’

The response rate for sending snail mail letters is pretty high, and the approach is friendlier. A surface mail letter can increasingly often get you an interview in a case where an e-mail would get ignored or spam-filtered.

From experience:

One friend of mine sent her resume and cover letter via postal mail to a major university in the UAE and got a call a week later from a recruitment manager wanting to interview her in London, where she was living at the time. She showed up at the interview to see a fax copy of her actual, signed letter and resume sitting on his desk. An e-mail might have ended up in the spam folder to be forgotten forever. Don’t rule out the old-fashioned method.

What do you think recruiters do when they receive an e-mail resume? That’s right, by posting your CV, you are saving them the task of opening the email, downloading the attachment, opening it and then printing it. Whatever you do though, don’t use brightly coloured paper, stick to classic white.

4. ‘Bombard them with everything you have to make sure you get noticed’

Give them your CV, your cover letter, and your time in a phone call or face-to-face interview, but don’t give anyone your list of references or other documentation until it’s clear that mutual interest to move forward exists (usually after two interviews).

From experience:

A friend of mine decided to apply to a place I was working a few years ago, not a bad place and a definite step up from where he was working at the time. I arranged for an informal drop in meeting with the woman who did the hiring. A couple of days later, she came up to me and said, ‘I know he’s a friend of yours, but…’ He’d not only given his CV, but also practically a whole photo album of pics of him in the classroom and DVD with a video of one of his lessons. The HR lady told me that the pictures were total overkill and the lesson, which I was forced to watch as ‘punishment’ for some reason, really wasn’t very good: Too much too soon and my friend not only got noticed but had effectively applied his way out of consideration.

Let the employer know that you are happy to talk to see whether your interests and theirs crisscross. If there’s a good match and you want to take it further, you’ll feel better about sharing more time and energy on whatever measures they’ve constructed to weed out unsuitable candidates.

5. ‘Don’t bring up money’

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Do bring up money. In the first interview, make reference to expecting a salary that reflects your experience and skills. By the second interview, let the employers know what your salary requirements are before they start getting ideas that they can get away with paying you loose change for your hard work.

From experience:

I know a few recruiters and the thing that bugs them the most is going through an hour-long interview with someone, only for their final question to be about the money and then get up and walk out because it was unsuitable for their needs. Worse still, some candidates will accept positions despite having no intention of taking the job because they have already been offered a better compensation package elsewhere. Recruiters I’ve spoken to generally just wish that interviewees would be open about their expectations, for everyone’s sake.

If your requirements are beyond what they’re willing or able to pay, not mentioning it will be a huge waste of time, yours and theirs. Also, if you take the job without talking about money, you’ll have nothing to complain about when your first salary is nothing like as much as what you were expecting. You’ll be surprised how often this happens. Set them straight, professionally, at the first opportunity.

6. ‘Don’t write a personal mission statement, it looks pretentious’

The summary or objective at the top of your résumé is your own, personal mission statement; it tells whoever is reading it, ‘This person knows who they are, what they’ve done, and why it matters.’

From experience:

The same friend who blew it with the photo album and dodgy video lesson had actually gotten off to a great start. Although I no longer work at the university, I still know the HR lady and bump into her from time to time. She still brings up my friend, mainly because of his gross overdoing it, but also because she can practically remember his mission statement word for word after almost five years. It instantly made a great impression.

Your Summary shows off your writing skills, shows that you know what’s significant in your background, and it offers a focal point to your resume. Don’t skip it, no matter how many people tell you it’s not necessary or important.

Feedback on and additions to this list will be greatly appreciated, looking forward to your comments as ever.

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