To get your resume noticed by more and more Canadian recruiters it must be a Canadian-style resume. Although there are several Canadian-style resumes out there, they all share some common standards and that is what we shall be looking at today.
What's Covered in This Article
Don’ts for a Canada Style CV
The focus of your Canadian resume should be those factors related to the job at hand.
Therefore only showcase how your strengths, achievements and past experiences will help you deliver on the position you’re currently applying to.
Do not include any of the following details in your Canadian Style resume:
- your age
- your tribe, ethnic, or cultural background
- your physical features
- your marital status
- whether or not you have children
- your sexual orientation or preferences
Tailor your Canadian Resume for Each Position You Apply To
When trying to get a job in Canada, it is important that you tailor your resume for each position you are applying for, especially for your most recent work experience.
Carefully consider requirements of the job posting and let your Canada style resume speak to how your experience matches those specific to the requirements of the job.
Usually, the job description lists requirements in order of priority starting with the most important so start with the same order in your Canada CV. The higher up a requirement is on the list the more important a requirement of the job it is, and the lower down a requirement is on the list, lesser important it is.
Also, take advantage of your Canada job application cover letter to showcase how your strengths, achievements, and past experience match the job role requirement.
Let’s talk about the Length of your Canadian Canada Style Resume CV
HR experts swear by a shorter Canadian-style resumes over those with many pages.
Typically, a resume that is 2 pages long could easily fall on the higher side especially if you are a junior professional or fresh out of college.
If you can condense it all on a one-page resume, the better. However, if you have many years of experience and say applying for a Canadian Government job, a 3 page resume may also be an option.
However, if you had to err on one side, it is better to do so on the side of quality details, achievements and past relevant experiences instead of submitting a shorter resume.
Your Social Media
Some Canadian employers or HR recruiters may choose to cross-reference your resume with your online profiles and other other social media such as blogs, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram etc.
Therefore, if there’s anything you don’t want a potential employer to see, either never post it online or if you must, don’t make it publicly accessible.
Formatting your Canadian – Style Resume
Prepare an ATS Optimized Resume to Increase your Chances of Getting a Job in Canada.
Applicant tracking system (ATS) is a software used by HR recruiters to scan and score candidate resumes against certain preset criteria to determine the best fit candidates for an advertised position.
It is therefore paramount that your CV or resume is formatted in way that it will successfully parse through whatever ATS tool it is passed through.
For example, a given ATS system may be set for scoring candidate resumes against a particular keyword scoring for example a degree in Computer Science? If the answer is set to Computer Science/other related degrees, the system will either automatically reject a resume without Computer Science/other related degrees or lower the candidate score. In essence, therefore, for the tool to let your resume through to a human recruiter, it will need to have met a certain minimum score.
Take a good look at the job posting phrasing, and imitate the language used in the job advert to tailor your resume. For example, if the employer is looking for someone who pays attention to detail, describe yourself as one. If you use a synonym of attention to detail skills such as keen and do not include the pays attention to detail keyword completely, chances are the ATS resume tool will also not pick it. It is therefore important to make sure to include the original phrase used in the job posting at least once, just to be on the safe side.
Canada – Style Resume Fonts
The simpler, the better.
Use simple, professional-looking fonts for your Canadian-style resume.
is a document created in a way that lets the parse the application with ease. The formatting is simple and easy to scan. ATS-friendly resumes also contain keywords that match the job ad, highlight relevant work experience and professional skills.
Proof Read your Resume
Make sure to check your Canadian style résumé for any errors before you send it.
Here we’re talking about both grammatical errors as well as accuracy on other general matters such as the organization name, job titles, dates, spellings, etc.
In addition to using other spell checking tool such as MS Word, I prefer to also manually go through my work for other errors that a computer may not be able to pick. I urge you to try the same approach. Works like a charm all the time.
Stay tuned for the next article where we’ll look at sample examples of Canadian-style résumés.
