use reverse chronological format

This is the standard way resumes are formatted in North America, and it’s what recruiters will expect to see. If you aren’t familiar with reverse chronological formatting, it requires listing your newest experience first and your oldest experience last. Also make sure to include the date range with each job and educational program on your resume. You should include the month and year of your start and end dates.

get your education assessed for canadian equivalency

If you obtained your education outside of Canada, get an official assessment to compare your education against Canadian standards. Include this information on your resume to help Canadian hiring managers understand the knowledge and level of experience you bring to the role. In Canada, the official government educational assessment program is Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). There’s no official program to assess work experience, however, you can check the National Occupational Classification (NOC) list to see if your work experience is valid in Canada.

list accomplishments, not duties

In some countries, your resume is a simple list of your work experience with very little added detail. In North America, you’re expected to highlight your strengths and accomplishments and sell yourself on your resume. It’s not enough to list your day-to-day duties. Hiring managers expect you to show the impact you had, rather than simply list your responsibilities. For instance, instead of writing ‘created weekly reports for clients’ consider ‘created detailed weekly reports for our biggest client, finding ways to further optimize their budget.’ Though the underlying responsibility is the same, the second one sounds a lot more impressive!

keep your resume under 2 pages

Though some countries welcome or expect lengthy resumes, Canada isn’t one of them. Most Canadian recruiters will expect resumes to be 2 pages or less. In fact, some hiring managers refuse to read resumes that are longer. So do yourself a favour and limit yourself to 2 pages. If you’re a student or have limited experience 1 page is even better. Also, don’t try to pack in more text by shrinking the text size or margins. Play it safe and keep standard margins and a 12-point font.

proofread your resume carefully

Proofreading your resume is an absolute must, particularly if you’re writing it in a language that isn’t your first language. It’s easy enough for someone who speaks the language fluently to make spelling and grammar mistakes, so when you’re less familiar with the language you’re writing in, spellchecking and proofreading become even more essential. Don’t rely on your computer’s spellcheck, either, as these tools are not perfect. If you can, ask someone who’s fluent to proofread for you and ensure your resume is flawless. Typos or other mistakes can be a red flag to recruiters, and some hiring managers may even refuse to read a resume if they spot glaring mistakes. So it’s important that your resume is thoroughly checked over.

when in doubt, hire a professional resume writer

If you’re really lost when it comes to writing your resume for the Canadian market, hire a professional resume writer to do it for you. There’s no shame in needing a little help to perfect your resume! You can hire a professional for a relatively small fee, and it can quickly pay itself off if it helps you land a great job. However, beware of fraudsters, especially if you’re looking for a resume writer online. Verify their experience and look for reviews of their work on LinkedIn or other professional resources to ensure you find a legitimate writer or company. If paying someone isn’t an option for you, there are lots of not-for-profits that help new immigrants build essential career skills such as resume writing and interviewing. Look for organizations in your community.

If you’re having trouble breaking into the Canadian market, even if your resume follows all these guidelines, one option is to focus on temporary or contract roles. Whether it’s fair or not, some employers seek out workers with Canadian work history. Once you’ve built up your resume with a few jobs based in Canada, you might find that it becomes easier to connect with the roles you really want.

if you’re looking for work in canada, randstad has lots of jobs that are great for newcomers.

categories

topics