CANADIAN RESUME FORMAT
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Your resume plays a vital role in helping you land the right job. Be it your dream job or the one you took up eventually in order to lay the path or stairs of your success, the importance of a resume can never be under-estimated. The resume very well portrays the renowned idiom “The first impression is the last impression.” Though it’s not necessarily true it is pivotal to make your resume stand out from the crowd - a piece of paper speaking about itself, speaking about your past, present and future.
The company recruiters or HR personnel after initiating the positive process of recruitment goes into a negative cycle of selection whereby they select only those candidates who complement the company’s job profiles, qualifications and most important skill sets and expertise. Here your resume acts as a bridge between you and the company talent manager. In this article, we’ll be solely concentrating on Canadian Resumes & Requirements.
In layman terms, a Canadian resume is the one that you’ll require if you’re looking for job opportunities in the North America region or are specifically targeting companies that are based out there. A Canadian Resume format is different from the one used India as the Canadian job market is quite different. Although the basic aim of every Resume is to tell about the candidate's experiences & relevant skills, the style & format also play an equally important part especially when you’re looking to find a job in Canada. This is simply because employers exercise different hiring practices according to culture, purpose, and also location. Now, let’s discuss the three formats that are being prominently used in Canada.
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The 3 main resume formats or types you can use in Canada
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Reverse Chronological Canadian Resume Format
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Hybrid or Functional Canadian Resume Format
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Balanced Hybrid Canadian Resume Format
These three Canadian style resume formats are notably used in Canada. The customary difference in style and format is based on the applicant's experience in years and the type of job he/she is choosing or seeking to be a part of. To fulfil your aspirations, you must choose the right type of resume. Organizations are shifting into Human Resource Information System (HRIS) practices and are using such practices accompanied by advance software like Applicant Tracking System (ATS) even in resume screening, which means half of the resumes automatically get rejected if the modern software fails to read or search the keywords or formats & styles set by the particular organizations. In this way, on average only 25% of resumes reach the potential recruiter which have been successfully optimized by these trackers and the rest are rejected, even when the candidate is well qualified and matches the company's skill requirements. Therefore, if you’re the one who’s probing for a job in Canada, then you should prepare the resume according to the Canadian style format accurately. Let’s see one by one when to use which style and format to increase your chances of getting selected.
“When to use a reverse chronological Canada resume format?”
It is considered one of the traditional types of resumes. In this type of resumes, as the name suggests, applicants' career progression is mentioned in reverse chronological order, which means the most recent positions are cited first and then it proceeds in a backward direction. This pattern is accompanied by personal details, skills and subsequent relevant information. This type of resume is ideal for job seekers with prior work experience.
“When should you choose a hybrid or functional resume format/layout for Canada?”
The amalgamated resume often called a combination resume is a unification of Hybrid and Functional resume styles. Although, the vastness of the resume in terms of the experience section in reverse chronological order is very well maintained it is not an extended portion rather, the expanded version of the skills, talents and competencies are highlighted. For recent college graduates, this is the most preferred CV format in Canada.
On the other hand, a functional style resume format is the one where the centre of attention is the applicant’s proficiencies & educational and other qualifications instead of experience like the other two formats. In this type of resumes, a person's skills and relevant qualifications are introduced first and then employment chronicles are mentioned. In this way, it acts as a powerful tool to flash out the pertinent skills required for a targeted job. A functional resume is considered to be very constructive for the people who are newcomers or who keep on changing their career paths.
“When to use a Balanced Hybrid Canada resume sample?”
A balanced Hybrid Resume format for Canada, as the name suggests, is meant to strike a nice balance when it comes to placing information in a way to make the resume look well-structured, precise and neat. Since resumes often reach recruiters before we meet them, it should very well highlight our personality factors too.
Experts often suggest candidates strictly follow the Canadian format and adhere to its style. One should not neglect the basic information that the hiring personnel look for in your resume:
● Your Name
● Educational Qualifications
● Experience
● Competencies & Skills
● Correct Contact information/details
No doubt, a good resume increases your chances and also gives the recruiter a chance to recapitulate your career plans. One thing that you should keep in mind while making a resume is to keep it simple and sober. Fancy designs and jargon running through words make it messy and difficult to read is only going to make matters worse. Such types of resumes tend to get rejected without much consideration. Now, let’s take a glance at the top five things that Canadian employers or HR managers want to see in your resumes.
Top 5 things Canadian employers and recruiters want to see on your resume
The task of resume preparation is never easy even though there are thousands of resume templates available on Google and other search engines. It is very important to know what the recruiter or more precisely an organization is looking for. If you have a prior idea about hiring managers’ expectations and their outlook, it will be easy for you to land your dream job. Here are 5 prominent things to be careful of when creating a resume format for Canada jobs:
1. Mind the Length: Long resumes often get ignored as recruiters do not have much time to read them in detail. A resume should be such that it contains all the important information about the qualifications, experience, skills etc. It should not contain gratuitous or unnecessary information. Depending on the level of seniority and achievements, a suitable length should be chosen. However, quality should not at all be compromised for minding the length.
2. Include Professional Qualifications: You should always include your relevant professional and volunteering skills if it’s matching the job profile. Canadian recruiters look to these skills highly and prefer candidates having some basic knowledge of the field. It does not matter if the work you have done is good only if it is paid, one should include all paid, unpaid, volunteer and social works that increases his/her application chances of being seen by the recruiter.
3. Incorporate Technical Skills: One of the salient features of the Canadian resume is that it should always include had skills. These skills could be related to computer proficiency, data interpretation-analysis, dialect abilities, etc.
4. Mention Soft Skills: Applicant’s soft skills give insight into their emotional intelligence and inherent abilities’ that help recruiters understand their nature and interaction process. Such skills are beneficial across all industries and workforce jobs. Team-work, leadership’s skills, communication skills, work ethics, adaptability, etc. are some of the eminent and well-known skills that Canadian recruiters look into the persons resumes.
5. Keep it Simple & Sober: The resume should be very precise, simple and sober. Heavy words and difficult text including jargons and fancy designs often lose the recruiter's interest. Canadian hiring managers always prefer resumes that are noble and effortless.
As mentioned earlier, a lot of recruiters and firms are now moving towards using modernized tools to screen applications. Certain keywords are embedded into these software tools and accordingly, applications are screened out of them. It is very important to highlight and use keywords that have been mentioned by a recruiter in a job description. While using keywords, one should pay attention to subtle mistakes that are common to make as these reduce the chances. A good LinkedIn profile will also go a long way.
Working hard to build your resume and still not landing at desired positions is stressful and sometimes reduces self-confidence too! Here, we are going to tell you some key do’s and don’ts while preparing a Canadian resume.
Canadian style resume Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s:
1. A Canadian recruiter expects an applicant to do beforehand research. Such researches are not only for the job profiles but also append general rules and regulations, company information, cultures, etc.
2. Always include relevant and precise information about yourself, your experiences, qualifications, skills, etc. Make sure to tailor your resume to the company’s job description & openings. Include apposite details and information in such a way it looks fresh and learnt.
3. Take some time to make a fresh cover letter every-time you apply for an opportunity. It acts as a convincing tool with your resume and gives the impression of you as a polite and concerned person applying to the position.
Don’ts:
1. Do not give generic information about yourself and your expertise. Canadian Human resources department usually sees resumes through a formula of STAR (Situation, Task, Action, and Result) which should be followed when writing about experiences, accomplishments, etc. concisely and crisply. Try to sell the skills you have acquired over the years by impactful writing.
2. Do not write long paragraphs or sentences. Get straight to the point. Employers have a lot of applications to skim and screen. Heavy & difficult to understand texts resumes are mostly rejected. Canadian recruiters do not wish to see information like your date of birth, parents name, personal numbers used for identification purposes, your spouse name or marital status.
The resume should be looked at as such that it should appeal to the prospective employer. Playing your strength with the correct resume should be the sole responsibility of you as an applicant. You can even avail of our services, for we promise you to build a resume that will help you target the most perfect and desirable job.
10 Tips for writing a Canadian Resume
To conclude this article for you, here we are providing 10 tips for writing a Canadian Resume:
1. Exhibit your unique value skills or propositions. It is imperative to gain the attention of your recruiter. The resume should look appealing to potential recruiters.
2. While preparing a resume for Canada, Canadian style and Canadian format should be kept in mind. Generic resumes or resumes outside the Canadian Format & Style are inevitably disapproved.
3. A touch of diplomacy for minding the length is very important while preparing the Canadian resume. Information should be portrayed in such a way that it looks alluring and not be flaunting. Using your discretion gives you the upper hand.
4. Showcase your achievements and procurements relevant to your job profile. It gives the recruiter an idea about your personality as a person and your competent skills.
5. Do not forget to mention basic details like name, Contact details, Experience and Skills in the international resume format for Canada. Unnecessary information like parents name, date of birth, marital status, etc. are highly restricted and Canadian HR do not look for personal information.
6. Remember to place keywords matching your job profile as nowadays recruiters use an applicant tracking system whereby resumes highlighting keywords have good chances of getting screened up.
7. Incorporate simple and sober designs. Here the rule – less is more work wonders. Over-boarded designs and text does not look good and difficult to read which further reduces your chances.
8. Customizing your resume according to different job profiles is imperative. Maintaining the Canadian style format along with tailoring your resume using appropriate words increases the chances of being screened.
9. Avoid using overused words and action verbs in the Canadian CV format. Words and sentence structure should be coordinated. Try to evade the temptation of using abbreviations as much as you can. If you must use abbreviations (abbreviations that are common and generally used in industries and groups), try to combine it with the expanded form of the term.
10. Proofreading is key. Sometimes, spelling or grammar errors tend to occur. Even the slightest of mistakes gives the wrong impression, so it is always advisable to proofread your document.
So, these were some short tips and suggestions for making a Canadian Style format resume for job seekers in Canada. You can always write to us in case of any help. We’ll be more than happy to be a part of your journey.
Why hire CV Guys for Professional Resume Writing for Canada
By now, you must be very well aware of the fact that what importance a Professional Resume plays for people like you who are seeking jobs in Canada. Canadian style format differs widely from the ones used by other countries. It is considered one of the most crucial elements for people planning to get jobs in Canada. But, you need not worry as we are here to assist you, for we promise to provide you with the best resume available in markets through which you’ll surely be getting an edge over your competitors.
We appreciably value your time and understand that a lot of you are already working and do not have enough time to create an effective resume. Or you could be a fresh graduates who lacks the knowhow about how to prepare the prefect fresher resume. Don’t Worry! We have your back! You can avail of our professional resume writing services. Just contact us.
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Why are Canadian resumes different from other countries' resumes?It goes for all countries, not just Canada. The systems, processes and standards vary from one country to another. If you are looking for a sample Canadian Style Resume Format, please click on the link.
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What elements should I include in my resume for Canada and what to exclude?Your basic details along with relevant educational qualifications, skills and expertise should be primarily placed. Apart from that, one can include hobbies/interests depending upon the requirements.
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I’ll be graduating this year and looking for a job in Canada. Which format is suitable?You should go for a Hybrid or Functional resume. You can check about these resume style formats for Canada.
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What are your charges for resume writing for Canada?The best part about our pricing is that we don't have different pricing for different countries. So whether you are from Canada or USA or UK or Australia or UAE, the pricing is simple. Plus, our resume writing services are quite affordable and give maximum mileage to every rupee you spend. Check our the price for your resume.
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What can be the worst mistake on resumes when applying for Canada jobs?Sloppy or disorganized resumes give a negative impression to recruiters. In Canadian resume style, generic resumes too don't get much mileage. The resume should be simple, organized and nicely structured.