The Canadian resume follows many of the rules outlined in our general CV section. However, there are some key differences and you will need to adapt to the Canadian way of presenting your experiences and skills on the resume. On this page you can read advice about the best way to write and structure a Canadian resume that will help you find a job in Canada.
How to structure a Canadian resume
Personal information
Open your Canadian resume with essential contact information – your full name, home address, phone number, email and date of birth.
Professional/Career objective
The professional/career objective is an opening statement on your resume that is expected in Canada. It defines your ambition within the sector or job position for which you are applying. If you would like to learn more, read our resume objective page.
Academic history
Detail your entire education career, starting with the most recent academic institution that you have attended. For University qualifications on Canadian resumes you should start with the university or college, followed by the degree title and graduation date.
Work experience
The next section, probably the most important for potential employers, is your professional work experience. Just like your academic history, begin with your most recent experience. Make a list and on each line include the name of your employer, the job title that you held, a brief explanation of your responsibilities during this work experience and the dates that you gained each experience.
If you have little or no work experience then write any part-time jobs you have had or any roles of substantial responsibility that you have held previously.
Qualifications and skills
In this section write down any other qualifications and skills that you have achieved. For example, if you are a highly qualified web developer or you can competently use Microsoft Office. Language skills can also be included in this section.
Achievements and activities
Here you should list any extracurricular activities and achievements that you have gained. Examples include running a marathon, being part of a book club or tutoring.
References
You can choose to include some references on your resume but it is advisable to save space and include the sentence ‘References available upon request‘ or something similar at the end of your Canadian resume.
Tips for writing a Canadian resume
There are several tips and tricks to ensure your resume is effective in finding a job in Canada.
Check spelling and grammar
It is imperative that you check your spelling and grammar several times to make sure there are no mistakes. Resumes with grammatical errors will be disregarded by potential employers before any of the information has been properly read!
Write a good accompanying cover letter
An effective resume must be accompanied by a good cover letter for the job application to be a success. Read how to write a good cover letter in our general section or, for more Canada-specific advice, consult our Canadian cover letter section.
Keep the resume concise and clear
Remember that potential employers have a lot of job applications to get through and so they will not spend long reading each resume. Therefore make sure to be clear and concise when writing your resume. Avoid long sentences and try to keep the document as short as possible. Similarly, don’t use fancy fonts or colours.
Save the resume as a pdf. document
By saving your Canadian resume as a pdf. document you will avoid any problems that can arise from sending your resume to a potential employer in a format such as Word that is liable to change depending on the version someone has.
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