For most newcomers in Canada, one of the top priorities is to find a job in the field of their choice. In this article, I will review my best practices for resume writing, which is one of the first steps in finding your dream job.
The objective is to help you create an impactful resume that aligns with the expectations of Canadian employers, makes you stand out from the crowd, and gets you noticed by hiring managers, thus landing yourself an interview. To accomplish this, I will guide you through my 5-step process to creating an impressive resume:
There are 3 well-known types of resume formats, namely,
Reverse Chronological Resume – A reverse chronological resume may be used if someone is fairly experienced, has no large employment gaps, and intends to continue working in the same field. This format is widely used and preferred by many recruiters and job sites.
Free chronological resumes: Chronological Resume Sample 1 [.docx],
Chronological Resume Sample 2 [.docx]
A Canadian Resume and Interview Trends survey conducted in 2010, had 54.7% of the respondents vouch for the chronological format, making it the most popular format. In this post, we are going to focus on this template style but I also wanted to provide you with a recap of the other two most commonly used formats (along with some sample templates that you can download).
Combination Resume – A combination resume a mix of chronological and functional. A combination resume template is ideal if the intention is to highlight transferable skills while also showcasing work experience. It is very commonly used and caters to a variety of job seekers ranging from mature workers to those with limited experience while even considering those with employment gaps or many short-term work stints.
Free combination resumes: Combination Resume Sample 1 [.docx], Combination Resume Sample 2 [.docx], Combination Resume Sample 3 [.docx]
Functional Resume – A functional resume focuses on abilities and skills, rather than career progression. A functional resume template is preferred when one is switching careers, just entering the workforce, has gaps in their work history, or has frequently changed jobs. It works best when candidates have limited work history and want to keep the focus on the skills they have to offer.
Free functional resumes: Functional Resume Sample 1 [.docx], Functional Resume Sample 2 [.docx]
Now getting back to the chronological format, the resume can be divided into 5 major parts/sections:
Now that you have an outline of your resume, it’s time to fill in the details. Be mindful that on average it is recommended that your resume is ideally only one page long. Best practices outlined by Employment Ontario, Canada Job Bank, Glassdoor, as well as the Career Professional of Canada, all suggest using one page for every 10 years of experience, not exceeding two pages.
1. Contact information
2. Resume summary
3. Work experience
4. Additional sections (such as Awards, Certifications, Publications, Skills, Volunteer Work etc.)
5. Education
Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence formation is an area where most newcomers need help, especially since their first language is not English. To help with this, if you’re using Google Docs to create your resume, there are tools such as Grammarly that can be leveraged. If you’re using MS Word, there’s an inbuilt tool for checking grammar, spellings, and sentence formation. Be sure to use that before you finalize your resume.
You can use horizontal lines to provide a visual segregation of various sections of your resume. Browse through the resume samples linked above to get a better understanding of how to format your resume.
Choose an easy to read, professional, and widely accepted font. Keep the font consistent throughout your resume; font sizes can vary for headers and bullet points. To maintain readability, it’s advisable to use a minimum font size of 10.
The importance of this step cannot be stressed enough. While you read through your resume and make revisions, it’s also worthwhile to have someone else proof-read your resume and provide feedback. Another set of eyes is always helpful to catch silly mistakes or rephrase a sentence in an impactful way.
Few pointers before ending this post: