Canadian Resume

A lot of places around the world call it a Curriculum Vitae, in Canada it's a resume. This is definitely one of the most important tools that any jobseeker has at their disposal. You may be THE best candidate for a particular job by a long way, however, if you don't make it to the interview stages the company will never know.

Many companies (especially the larger corporations) will use computer software to "read" all the resume's and reject any that don't fit a particular template. This may seem unfair, but it's cost effective.

So, for some jobs you have to beat the computer and still read well enough for someone who may not have any knowledge of the position you are applying for. It is definitely worthwhile to adapt your resume for the position that is advertised. There may well be some of the "buzz" words the "filter" is looking for mentioned in the job description.

The accepted size for a resume is a maximum of 2 sheets - printed on one side only. Use top quality paper and even pay to have them professionally printed - it shouldn't cost too much and presents well. I've heard of people using different colours but to be honest I would stay with white paper and black ink.

Most experience should be listed chronologically with the most recent first. Remember, this document has to make anyone reading it WANT to meet you. They may have to sift through hundreds of applicants and yours has to grab them and leave them wanting to know more about you. Tailor each resume for the particular job posting and/or company - research is essential and demonstrates another strong characteristic.

It is very important that you can substantiate all the claims you make, preferably with physical examples or letters. By having your evidence of these professional claims at hand, your resume fulfills its purpose as a fantastic tool as it will help you show how YOU will benefit the employer! This will be essential in any interview. There is now a wealth of information available online, from books, local employment offices and with professional writing agencies. A great resource tailored to the search for employment as an immigrant is the downloadable version of Immigrating to Canada and Finding....

To begin with, Monster, Careerclick , Canjobs and Workopolis all have excellent resume writing sections. These will give you a good start. You can also access other peoples resume's that are posted online which will give some great idea's for style and content.

For some expert advice check out John Gates site Free Resume Help.com.

John is a corporate recruiter with many years experience and his site has some great content for the novice and expert alike.

There are some great books on the market as well. For my final Christmas in the UK I was given a book called Great Answers to Tough Interview... I found it a goldmine of top quality information that I based my resume and interview technique on. I would love to go into greater detail but would be in violation of the copyright!!!

When we arrived in Canada we discovered that there is plenty of assistance provided for jobseekers in the form of free workshops. Every town, city and province will be different, but I know from our local town's adult education program that assistance with resume's, interview techniques and jobsearching was available to anyone seeking it. So always check with the local authority where you land for more information. (In the future we hope to provide some links from the Provincial pages).

Professional writers may seem the answer, but, all the research I have done seems to lean away from them. I have never used one and feel that it will give a good impression if you have written it yourself (this will display literacy). Apparently, if they are professionally written, they are easy to spot, however, they may be worth the expense if you are stuck. You can always "customise" what has been written to make it your own work.

In my case, I had been in the military since I left school and had never written a resume or had an interview. I spent a lot of time writing, copying other peoples styles and changing things. I didn't realise how difficult it is to catch up on 16 years - I'll never allow mine to go out of date again! I found the hardest part was to actually start writing. The best advice I was given was to just write anything that you can think of and it will soon start to flow. With modern word processors it's relatively quick and easy to cut and paste so you can keep on changing it until you are happy.

Good Luck!!!!!