How to write a strong Canadian resume
Canadian employers spend an average of 30 seconds skimming a resume. Here's what to get right, and the most common mistakes to avoid.
Best practices
- Keep your resume to 1–2 pages, focused on your most recent and relevant experience.
- List your work history in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent role.
- Tailor your resume to each job posting, reusing the employer's own wording.
- Lead with strong action verbs: "led," "managed," "developed," "increased."
- Quantify your achievements wherever possible: percentages, dollar amounts, people supervised.
- Emphasize accomplishments, not just a list of duties.
- Include volunteer or unpaid experience if it demonstrates relevant skills.
- Use a professional, name-based email address.
- Have someone else proofread your resume before you send it.
- Avoid columns, tables, and complex graphics if your resume needs to pass through an applicant tracking system (ATS).
- In Quebec, prepare your resume in French by default: it's the norm, and often a legal requirement.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Sending the same generic resume to every job without tailoring it.
- Listing job duties instead of measurable accomplishments.
- Including details expected in other countries (photo, age, marital status, religion, nationality) that don't belong on a Canadian resume.
- Including your Social Insurance Number on your resume.
- Explaining why you left or were let go from a previous job.
- Listing references or their contact details directly on the resume instead of providing them separately if asked.
- Using vague phrasing like "responsible for improving efficiency" with nothing to back it up.
- Going over 5–7 bullet points per section.
- Writing in the first person ("I," "my") instead of a clean, direct style.
- Leaving out the Canadian equivalent of foreign credentials or job titles.
- Adding hobbies that have nothing to do with the role you're applying for.
- Writing "Curriculum Vitae" as a heading: it wastes space and the recruiter already knows it's a resume.
- Detailing experience older than 15 years in full: summarize it or leave it out to make room for what's most relevant.
Quebec specifics
In Quebec, it's called a "CV," not a "résumé." The Charter of the French Language governs the use of French in employment-related communication. Prepare your CV in French by default unless the employer asks otherwise.
Take stock before writing your resume — Many people struggle to name more than one or two of their own qualities, especially after immigrating. This exercise helps you trace the events of your personal, educational and professional background so you can draw out the skills and qualities to put on your resume.
This guidance draws on the official recommendations of the Government of Canada's Job Bank.