Having a good resume is very crucial to find a job in Canada. This document is all they need to assess your suitability for the position they are hiring for.

Your main goal in writing a resume is to stimulate the reader’s interest to ensure you get a call for an interview.

Make sure to avoid simply listing your duties and focus on referring achievements that other candidates may not be able to match.

The resume format for Canada must contain (in this particular order):

1. Contact Information
2. Career Summary
3. Work Experience
4. Education/Professional Development

You must also ensure to add technical skills and volunteer experience, if applicable.

However, many people do not hear back from recruiters even after keeping the right format. To remedy this, you have to some changes to your resume to better attract the recruiter. Here are some of the changes you should make:

Resume Writing Tips

Adapt Your Resume

According to several career experts, you should tailor your resume for each job, especially for recent work experience.

Simply keeping a generic one-size-fits-all resume will not work in the current labour market. It is recommended to understand the job posting requirements make your resume speak to those specific requirements.

Generic resumes can only be used when you want to apply for a company that does not have active vacancies.

Moreover, remember that your cover letter should also showcase how your experience matches the job requirement.

Pay Attention to Style

In resumes for Canada, you must never have a photo attached or printed on the resume. Moreover, it would help if you never gave your age or other information that is not relevant to getting a job.

You must showcase only those details that can help you find a job in Canada.

Pay Attention to Length

Canadian employers prefer shorter resumes compare with the ones with many pages. If you are a fresher or junior-level professional, you must limit your resume to a single page.

However, if you are a senior professional, it is okay to have up to 3 pages of your resume as you have more years of experience. Keep in mind not to sacrifice important details to make your resume shorter.

Use Relevant Keywords

Keywords are very useful if you submit an online application. Many employers use some online software to screen resumes, and having relevant keywords will help you get through that stage.

Keywords can be found all over the job posting. Anything listed several times on the job description can and should be included.

Keywords can also be software important for the job or a particular skill set such as technological or interpersonal skills. Keywords are generally single words rather than long sentences.

Focus on Accomplishments

Often, applicants only mention activities they have completed and do not mention their accomplishments. Recruiters want to see that these activities led to some accomplishment.

These are an excellent way to grasp the recruiter’s attention on your resume. Instead of saying ‘I am a sales executive’ you can say ‘Increased sales by 12%’ and that will make all the difference.

Doing this shows that you have helped the current or previous organization increase their sales during your employment.

Proof Read

Scrutinize your resume to the tiniest detail. Make sure that all information provided is accurate. You can also print out the document or save it as a PDF to see how the formatting works out.

It is a good practice to email your resume in a PDF format as it will be easier for recruiters to go through them.