If you are looking for a job in Canada, you will need to prepare your resume in a specific engaging way. We compiled this guide, because we are 100% aware that Canada’s way of preparing resume is different from CV’s writing in other countries.

Keep in mind that you really need to adhere to Canada’s way of presenting your skills and competencies. If you write your resume in a Canadian-style, it will be extremely easy for you to find jobs more quickly.

This blog post will be of immense benefits to those looking for employment in Canada. If your resume is well-written, there are chances you will get your dream job.

The main tips about resume format in Canada

A good resume is key to finding your dream job in Canada- you will have more chances of landing your dream job, if your resume is well-written. Employers will actually assess whether you are suitable for these roles or not based on the information in your resume writing.

The aim of resume writing is to get the attention of the prospective employer so that they can call you for an interview or selection process. You don’t need to bore the employer with details about yourself; instead you need to tell them things that will motivate them to believe you can help their organization grow. Your prospective employer is probably reading many resumes, so you need to stand out from the crowd.

Write it in this order:

Your resume should contain the following:

  • Contact details
  • Career / Professional summary
  • Work experience
  • Professional / educational development

Where applicable, you may add:

  • Community Development / Volunteer experience
  • Technical skills

Important Pointers for your resume building

  • Your resume is a tool that will help you to secure a job; it is not a comprehensive analysis of your work history. When you are writing a resume for a Canadian employer, present only the highlights. Don’t go into details. The interview stage is the perfect time to go into full details about yourself and work history.
  • Your resume should have an impressive outlook, so that the employer will not get bored reading it. You need to sell yourself to your employers. Take time to read through it, if you get bored reading it, it means that the employer will also get bored reading your resume. Prepare your resume in an interesting way, so that the reader will spend few minutes browsing your resume.
  • Do not use long paragraph or small fonts, instead you need to use readable font. Anything above size 10 is good. Make sure your resume format is consistent.
  • Don’t use first person. For example, ‘ I am Professional’ or ‘I am Technical’ or ‘I worked at ABC’ instead use short sentences like ‘ worked at ABC’
  • Your resume should not be more than two pages. If you don’t have enough work experience to highlight, then one page is the ideal. However, if you have over ten years of experience. You can share your experiences in maximum of three pages.
  • Do not waste valuable space talking about things that aren’t necessary. You need to list only the experience relavant to the position you are applying.
  • Don’t list your personal hobbies or interests unless they are relevant to the position you are applying for. Over 90% of employers don’t care if you know how to cook, can play piano, enjoy swimming, and enjoy the cinema and so on.
  • You must include relevant skills. For example, if you can speak a second language or you are proficient in computer literacy and applications. Please note that they must be relevant to the job you are applying for.

A lot of people have missed their opportunities to get employed, just because they presented a weak resume. They send their resumes to different organizations and job openings, and wonder why they are not being called for an interview.

Take time today to prepare your resume and write it in line with the job and company description. You need to make a good first impression- this is a document that shows that you have the skills and competencies potential employers are looking for.

Make sure you have a good resume, and allow an expert to proofread it for you. Spelling and grammatical errors means you are not professional, and it can also mean instant rejection.

Your resume may not be accepted, if companies know that you are on ‘one-year working visa’, because they will like to hire only committed employees, who are going to stay much longer with the company.

You stand a better chance to be hired, if you give the company the impression that you immigrated to Canada to build a lucrative career.

Other Common resume building errors to avoid:

  • Don’t include the word ‘CV or resume’ on top of the page.
  • Don’t include the date you prepared the resume.
  • Don’t sign on the resume
  • Don’t include references or ‘references available on request’. It is assumed that you have them ready, and they are ready to speak on your behalf. In this case, you need to have their names and contact details ready.
  • Don’t list your date of birth, gender, or marital status- they are not required in Canadian resume format.

Finally, make sure you have a Canadian address, a professional email address and Canadian cell phone number. Add your LinkedIn account URL- customize it in a beautiful way so that employer can easily access your profile. Simplify your resume, so that the employer can easily understand your goals and how you intend to help the organization grow.

Generally, Canadian style of writing resumes is unique, beautiful, interesting and straight to the point. You need to highlight your skills, and competencies to the prospective employer. This is not an opportunity to tell stories about your achievements. Write an engaging resume today!