Finding a job and working in Canada

Canadian employers tend to ask applicants to send them a “resume.” The term “CV” (Curriculum Vitae) is often used for academic or research-oriented positions where a more detailed document is expected. Most employers will be happy with a basic one- or two-page resume.

Tips for your Canadian-style resume

• Leave off any personal info that could expose you to potential discrimination—age, marital status, number of children, religious beliefs, etc.
• Including a photo of yourself is a cultural faux pas. However, offering a link to your LinkedIn profile is fine.
• Don’t use the same resume you created for your Working Holiday permit application. In the resume you created for IRCC, you had to list all your work experience and education history from the age of 18, including all dates and locations of travel. When you apply for a specific job, it’s best to only focus on relevant work and education experience and training, not your travel history.
• If you don’t have a lot of work experience yet, explain what your studies taught you or trained you for. If you have any relevant intern or volunteer experience, list these.
• Your foreign degrees may not mean much to a Canadian employer. Even if you attended the best university or high school in your country, chances are a Canadian employer won’t be impressed (Oxford and Cambridge in the UK may be the exception!).
• State the level of any post-secondary education attained and make sure it’s clear to a Canadian, e.g. “level + name of degree + name of institution + length of time studying.”
• List your work experience before your education.
• If you work for a company that is famous in your country but unknown in Canada, give a bit of background. For example: “Woolworths Group (a major Australian retail company).”
• Format your resume to fit a sheet of A4 paper. Keep it to two pages maximum.
• Create an email address that ends in “.ca” or “.com”. Details matter!

Tailor your resume to the job description

It is important to highlight the skills and experiences your potential employer is looking for.

You have a number of “soft skills”, i.e. transferable skills that you developed in one situation, which can be transferred to another situation. Leadership, time management, prioritisation or delegation are common transferrable skills that can be developed in any industry and applied to many experiences. List and exemplify your transferrable skills.

A resume for a generic customer service position and a resume for a specific offer in your field should look very different. It’s probably not the best idea to highlight your post-secondary education for a fast-food job because the hiring manager will think you’re overqualified and unlikely to stick around. A better strategy would be to list soft skills that fit the work environment—able to multitask, good communication skills, etc.

What resume format should I use?

Include your contact information at the top of your resume: full name, address, phone number (Canadian!), email address and, if applicable, a link to your LinkedIn profile.

Unless a specific format is requested in the job advert, you can choose one of the three main resume formats:

1. Chronological resume

If you’re using this traditional format, you’re listing your work experience and education history in a reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent job titles and/or degrees.

This type of resume lays out your experience in a clear, orderly manner and makes it easy for a hiring manager to get a complete picture of your background.

It’s a good option if you want to stress career growth and if you’re applying for a job in your field. However, it’s probably not the best fit if you have gaps in your employment history or if your work experiences aren’t closely related.

If you choose to use this format, select your most relevant experience and describe your tasks and achievements for each position.

2. Functional resume

If you’re using this format, you’re grouping and listing your key skills and accomplishments, instead of listing each work experience in order.

You should still list your work history but without much detail—simply include your position, the name of the company and your dates of employment in another section below the skills.

This format is a good option for non-traditional career paths, job seekers trying to break into a new industry, or recent grads without much practical work experience.

3. Combination resume

This format is a combination of the chronological and functional resume formats. A section called “summary of qualifications” or “professional profile” highlights a series of skills and achievements, but you’re still including the reverse-chronological work history section below the list of skills.

This is a good format if you have the set of skills an employer is looking for, as well as a number of professional achievements.

Should my resume be in English or in French?

If you’re proficient in both of Canada’s official languages, you may have a French resume and an English resume. It’s best to send the French resume if the job ad was posted in French, and the English resume if the ad was posted in English. For bilingual positions, feel free to send whichever version you are more comfortable with.

How long should my resume be?

One to two pages is the recommended length. Three-page resumes should only be for those with an extensive (and relevant) work history or positions in academia.

Remember that it’s not ideal to have too long of a resume. Hiring managers receive dozens of applications, most of which won’t be read carefully. If your resume doesn’t clearly and quickly show why you’d be a good candidate, and doesn’t use the right keywords, your application won’t be considered.

Professional references

In Canada, professional references are very important. At the last stage of the hiring process, your future employers usually contact two or three people who know you personally and ask them about your professional skills, your character, and your strengths and weaknesses.

These are some of the golden rules of job reference etiquette:

• You should always ask people if they are willing to provide a favourable job reference on your behalf. Don’t list someone as a reference without asking for permission.
• You can list former bosses, managers, teachers or mentors. Friends, roommates and relatives aren’t acceptable references.
• Warn your reference when they may be called (if you can). Tell them about the position you applied for and give them the name of the hiring manager.
• A reference check is usually the last step of the hiring process. The hiring manager will ask for references if needed, so you don’t need to give out the info until you’re asked to.
• Always thank people for giving up their time to provide a reference, especially if you get the job!

Providing Canadian references will be a challenge at first, so it’s best to come prepared with contact details for your former employers. You can provide an email address if a Canadian hiring manager cannot call overseas.

Your references may have to answer a few questions or fill out a questionnaire. Typical questions asked revolve around confirming employment dates, your job title and responsibilities. Some employers will ask more personal questions about your work habits (punctuality, team spirit, etc.) to see if you’re reliable, successful, and if you’d fit into the work culture.

Resume and cover letter resources

Working Holiday permit holders and Canadian university graduates have one thing in common—they’re both entering into the Canadian job market for the first time. To help students navigating the workforce, most Canadian universities have a career section online with tips for finding employment, as well as resources for writing resumes and cover letters.

For example, the University of Toronto website features advice for writing a resume. The entire Career Centre is a goldmine of information to create an effective resume.

If you need a French version of your resume, look at resources from the University of Montreal.

Finally, the Government of Canada offers a resume builder on their Job Bank website.