Canadian resume format: what employers expect

The Canadian resume format is short and impersonal: two pages at most, recent work first, and nothing about you beyond how to reach you. This guide follows two government sources, the Government of Canada's Job Bank and British Columbia's WorkBC, which agree on almost every rule.

The layout

• Name, address, email and phone number at the top of the first page. Job Bank also warns against email addresses with nicknames, numbers or special characters.
• Work experience, with the weight on your most recent jobs. Put achievements here, not just duties.
• Volunteer work, either inside work experience or under its own heading, when it shows skills the job needs.
• Education and skills, with the wording matched to the posting.
• Hobbies only if they relate to the position.

Chronological order is the default, and it is not the only option. WorkBC says not all resumes need to be in chronological order, and a strength-based resume may do a better job of highlighting your skills. That helps if you are changing fields; see chronological vs functional resumes for how to choose.

Two pages, recent jobs first

Job Bank says to limit your resume to two pages and to cut or shorten experience more than 15 years old. WorkBC puts the usual range at one to two pages, depending on the field. Within each section or sub-section, keep to five to seven bullets.

What to leave out

• Your Social Insurance Number. Job Bank is blunt: never include it.
• A photo. Job Bank says it is not the norm in Canada.
• Age or date of birth, height, weight, marital status, religion and political views.
• Reasons for leaving past jobs. Job Bank says they add no value.
• References. They go on a separate sheet.

References

Keep them off the resume. Job Bank says employers only need references when they are seriously considering hiring you, so keep a separate sheet and send it when asked. WorkBC agrees: unless the employer asks for references up front, you do not need them.

Writing style

Job Bank's rules here are specific:

• No "I", "my" or "me". Write as if someone else wrote it.
• Use numbers the employer will understand: "Cut invoice errors by 30% in six months", not "Improved accuracy".
• Plain words and action verbs such as handled, managed and led. The resume action verbs list has more.
• Achievements over duties. Your job title already tells the reader what the job involved.

Resume vs CV in Canada

Job Bank and WorkBC both call the document a resume, and so does this guide. If a posting asks for something else by name, follow its instructions on length and content. The resume vs CV post covers how the two words differ by country.

Tailoring and keywords

WorkBC tells you to use the same keywords and skills the job posting lists to describe your own, and to customize each resume to the job. Job Bank says the same and adds a source: the job description or the employer's website. Run your draft through the ATS checker with the posting to see which of its words you are missing.

Build yours

Start a Canadian resume with the US / Canada format, which sets US Letter paper, calls the document a resume and shows no personal details. It opens on Ledger; Switcher suits newcomers moving into a new field. The software engineer example uses the same format.