Also, how is the Canadian resume format different from that of other countries, like the USA? To help you answer these questions, compiled below is a Canadian-style resume guide, including resume templates, to help you succeed with a resume for Canadian jobs.
Whether you are a newcomer or already based in the country, following the right structure is crucial if you want your application to match the standard Canada resume format employers expect.
Follow this Canadian resume example to know the correct format to use.
Canadian Resume Format Templates (Free Download in Word & PDF)
In case you need to be provided with a Canadian resume template and use it to start off, Word and PDF resume versions are both accepted by most employers in Canada. A Word file is simple to make, customizable, and edit, whereas a PDF ensures that the design and layout will not be changed when uploaded on the web.
- Word files: Editable and easy to customize for future updates.
- PDF files: Keep your formatting intact when submitting online.
We also give you ATS-friendly Canadian resume templates to enable you to prepare an ATS resume that meets local hiring requirements. You may either opt to use a Word version in case you need flexibility in future edits or a PDF version in case you are willing to do so right now.
These Canadian-style free resume templates are created in such a way that they bring out the best of your attributes, qualifications, and work experience in a format that Canadian employers would desire. In either chronological, functional, or hybrid format, you will have one that will fit your career background.
How Do Canadian Resumes Differ From American Ones?
Unlike what many deem, a Canadian resume model does not differ from the American resume in terms of style and format. However, the two differ in the English variation in several aspects.
Therefore, you may want to use Canadian English when writing a Canadian resume. You also need to know what information to include and what to omit in your Canadian-style resume.
Canadian Resume vs Canadian CV (Curriculum Vitae Canada)
Many applicants are confused between a Canadian CV and a resume in Canada. In reality, a CV Canada (Curriculum Vitae Canada) is typically longer, more detailed, and used in academic, medical, or research-based applications. A Canadian resume, however, is usually no longer than two pages and focuses on practical work experience and skills.
If you are applying for jobs in Canada, recruiters expect a Canadian resume format, not a long CV.
How to Create a Canadian Resume? Create a Canadian-Styled Resume Step-by-Step
While there are different structures for writing a Canadian resume, there is a standard format. Below is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to write a Canadian-style resume.
Begin with The Resume Header
You need a resume header at the top of your resume. When writing it, we highly recommend keeping it simple and clear. In this part of the resume, ensure that you include your name, title, contact information, and LinkedIn profile URL.
A well-written resume header will quickly give the hiring manager information about the resume and how they reach out to them.
Create a Resume Profile
The next step is to create a brief introduction of the content in your resume. This includes writing a resume summary if you have more achievements and experience, and a resume objective to start your career. A summary of qualifications can be useful if you have more qualifications to showcase.
List Your Work Experience
You should pay attention to the professional experience section since most employers are most interested in it. We highly recommend using the reverse chronological order, where you first state your most recent work experience, down to your initial career experience.
Here are effective tips on how to list your work experience:
- Start with the basic information, including the company’s name, the job title, and the period of employment.
- Insert bullet points elaborating details of the role.
- Comprehensively describe your achievements using accomplishment statements rather than general words.
- Insert resume keywords when writing this part. This is crucial since the Application Tracking Systems (ATS) use resume keywords during the resume filtering process.
- Be specific and avoid vague language.
💡 How to Explain Non-Canadian Work Experience
Recruiters might not be acquainted with your former working experience, title or duties when you list international work experience. Here’s how to make it relevant:
- Provide context: Be descriptive of the company size, industry and place.
- Highlight transferable skills: Pay attention to such skills as leadership, project management, or customer service that will be universally appreciated.
- Quantify achievements: Measure success using numbers and other quantifiable outcomes.
- Relate to Canadian work culture: Discuss collaboration, collaboration or teamwork as expected in the Canadian workplace.
Example:
“Headed a department of 10 marketing experts in a multinational firm, and during the team-leadership, a 25% sales turnover, and I worked across different departments cross-functionally; direct experience in relating to the marketing team in Canada.”
List Your Education
Besides your experience, you also need to talk about your education when writing a Canadian resume. List your education and professional qualifications and the data obtained. Mention the degrees, name of institution, and the date attended. If you have yet to graduate, mention the expected graduation date and your Grade Point Average if it's 3.5 or above.
Skills
Like U.S. employers, Canadian employers look for applicants' skills when going through a Canadian resume. Therefore, it helps to include your hard and soft skills and try as much as possible to keep this list simple and relevant. Teamwork skills show that you are a team player and are a plus in your Canadian resume.
Utilize Additional Sections
To create a creative resume that stands out from the rest, ensure that you use additional sections to include extra skills and achievements.
Some extra sections that you may want to include are such as:
- Volunteer experience
- Hobbies and interests
- Social media (professional ones)
- Achievements and awards
- Licenses and certifications
- Publications
- Foreign languages
- Mentoring programs
What Should I Omit in My Canadian-Style Resume?
Before you write a resume when searching for a job in the Canadian market, it is crucial to know what not to include. Here are things that are best left out in your Canadian-style resume.
- Your photo
- The words ‘resume’, ‘CV’, and ‘curriculum vitae’, especially in the title
- Third-person voice
- Unnecessary jargon words
- Irrelevant hobbies and interests
- An unimportant job from more than 15 years ago
- Current work email address or an inappropriate email
- References
Regional Uses: Ontario vs. BC
In Canada, the level of expectations of recruiters can be slightly diffused depending on the region. For example:
- Ontario: It is focused on a formal form and quantifiable outcomes. Recruiters are more attracted to the old chronological resumes and work experience.
- British Columbia (BC): Loves innovativeness and flexibility. To emphasize the sustainability activities, and community work done by volunteers can support your application.
These provincial subtleties could help you tailor your resume to the province that you are targeting.
Tips for Making a Canadian-Style Resume
To land your dream job in Canada, you need to know how to masterfully write a Canadian-style resume. Below are some tips to help you create a Canadian-style resume that will give you an edge over other candidates.
Choose the Right Canadian Resume Template
One of the easiest ways to follow the correct Canadian resume format is to start with a ready-made template. Many free Canadian resume templates are available online in Word and PDF formats.
Using the right template ensures your resume is professional, ATS-compatible, and aligned with employer expectations. Whether you prefer a functional, chronological, or hybrid format, you can find a Canadian-style template that suits your experience and career goals.
Choose the Proper Resume Format
There are three resume formats that you can use when writing a Canadian-style resume.
- Chronological Resume
This Canadian resume format highlights your resume experience in reverse chronological order, beginning from the most recent position to the previous ones. Generally, this traditional resume includes the last ten years of experience as they occurred.
It works best for job seekers with previous work experience and may not be ideal for those without relevant work experience in the industry. Besides, most hiring managers are more familiar with this resume format.
- Functional Resume
The functional resume format may work best for you if you have the skills and abilities relevant to the job you are applying for. Therefore, it can justify you if you have minimal work experience, are changing careers, or have gaps in your employment history.
To optimize this Canadian resume model, consider starting with your skills and abilities first. This should be followed by your work experience.
- Hybrid Resume
As the name may suggest, this is a combination of functional and hybrid resumes. With a combination resume, you can focus on your work experience and skills. Nevertheless, it puts more emphasis on your hard and soft skills.
Use Short Sentences and Write in an Active Voice
Most employers will not read a CV with more than two pages. Therefore, keep it short and simple and scrape off unnecessary details. Also, avoid the first person and instead use the active voice. For example, ‘Increased sales by 50%.’
Personalize your Resume
Your prospective employer has probably seen thousands of resumes from applicants before and is most likely looking for something different. To stand out from other applicants in the job search, it would be best to customize your resume based on the requirements of the job you are applying for. Review the employer’s website to know what is expected and tailor your resume to it.
Include Keywords
Try as much as possible to include keywords related to the employer's words on the job posting. This is important since some employers use automated software known as ATS to narrow down applicants, and the keywords are considered favourable during this process.
An Application Tracking System (ATS) is used in the scanning process to scan resumes and establish whether they are the right fit for the job at hand. This software automatically rejects resumes that are not optimized for the position.
By including key phrases in the work experience, skills, and professional experience sections, you will grab the attention of your prospective employer with ease. Nevertheless, you still want to write for humans since recruiters and hiring managers will be making the final hiring decision.
Use Canadian English
In a Canadian resume, it is crucial to use the right variation. As we mentioned above, the language variations are slightly different, but a recruiter may take your American spelling as a misspelling, which is critical.
To make sure your resume is spot on, check the differences between the variations.
Also, include Canadian-acceptable terms. These may include words like internship, Grade Point Average (GPA), high school, and more.
Quantify Your Achievements
If you have handled, managed, led, or accomplished something, mention it in your Canadian resume using numbers. Generally, it is wise to be specific when mentioning your skills rather than generic. For instance, you can mention that you helped increase the sales of your current or previous company by 10%.
You can use the CAR approach to describe what the Challenge was, what Action you took, and the Results. This gives your prospective employer or recruiter better insight into who you are and what you can do. However, you should be honest when giving this or any other information lest the recruiter contacts your former employer to verify the information.
Include Unpaid Work Experience
Don’t pass up the opportunity to include unpaid work experiences, particularly in the position you are applying for. This includes volunteer work, which is always a plus when writing a Canadian resume and is a good way to showcase your Canadian experience.
You can include unpaid work experience under the “Work Experience” section or the “Additional” section.
Don’t Include Unnecessary Information
While you may have too much to write about yourself, it is best to avoid unnecessary personal information. Any information that you provide in your resume should be tailored to suit the job application.
Ideally, never include any personal information that shows bias, such as political views, marital status, height, nationality, or weight, unless required. Also, avoid including hobbies and interests unrelated to the job you are applying for.
Omit outdated skills, date of birth, nicknames, visa status, and nonessentials, and keep everything professional as much as possible.
If the employer asks about your immigration status during the interview, be honest. Also, let them know your commitment to becoming a permanent resident if you stay in Canada on a temporary permit.
Always Include a Cover Letter
It is necessary to include a cover letter to help elaborate on your skills, strengths, and experience. A well-written cover letter will help the hiring manager or the employer know you better and evaluate your suitability for the position.
Besides, you can leverage the cover letter to validate the gaps in your resume. Include it in the body of your email and limit it to one page only. Also, ensure that it is relevant and tailored to the job you are applying for. Don’t use any special effects like colour, bold, underline, or Italic, but keep it professional with fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri and font size of 10 or 12.
Don’t Include References
The Canadian resume format does not include references unless your potential employer asks for them. In most cases, Canadian employers will only require references if they consider hiring a candidate.
In this case, you should contact your references in advance and mention that you want to include them in your resume. Consequently, you can be assured that they will be available when contacted and speak positively about you.
Use a Good Resume Format and Double-Check Your Work
Use a nice Canadian-style resume format and ensure that you double-check your resume for grammatical errors before sending it. Generally, you want to ensure that nothing harms your first impression.
Ensure that the content is well-aligned and that the fonts and style of bullet points used throughout the document are uniform.
Before you submit, get someone else to proofread your work and check spelling, punctuation, grammar, and sentence formation. You may also want to pass your document through useful grammar and spelling tools like Grammarly to ensure that it is well-written.
Besides grammar and spelling, other things to double-check include:
- Length of the article
- Your contact details
- Clear and easy-to-read information
- Whether the content and design appear professional
- If the resume is well aligned with the job description
Carefully follow the Application Instructions
Different companies have varying instructions on how job applications should be made. Whether you are writing a substitute teacher resume or any other Canadian-style resume, ensure that you understand the company’s instructions and follow them to the letter when submitting your application.
This should include the Canadian resume format PDF to be followed, the deadline for submission, and the method for sending, whether through email, fax, etc.
Key Takeaways When Writing a Canadian Resume
While the Canadian job market is promising, landing the job of your dreams requires that you become familiar with the best practices of writing a winning resume to exceed the employer’s expectations. As aforementioned, the Canadian resume follows the same style and format as would resume in the U.S.
Nonetheless, there are specific items and information that Canadian employers look for in resumes.
Here are our key takeaways:
- Tailor your resume to match the job description.
- The resume should be clear and have easy-to-read information.
- It should not be longer than two pages.
- It should look professional and contain all the necessary information.
Besides, our website also contains a Canadian resume sample for each profession to guide you. For instance, our French resume template can come in handy when creating a French teacher resume.
