How to write a resume for jobs in Canada

The Canadian resume at a glance

• Call it a resume. In Canada a “CV” usually means a longer academic or research document.
• Keep it to one or two pages. One page is common early in your career.
• List experience in reverse-chronological order, most recent first.
• Contact details: your name, phone number, email, city and province, and a LinkedIn link if you have one. A full street address isn’t needed.
• Use a simple, single-column layout with clear headings, so applicant tracking systems (ATS) can read it.

What to leave out

Most Canadian employers prefer not to see personal details, because hiring decisions shouldn’t be based on them. Leave these off:

• A photo.
• Your date of birth or age.
• Marital status, religion, nationality or other personal characteristics.
• Your Social Insurance Number (SIN). Never put it on a resume.
• “References available upon request”. Employers assume it and will ask when they need them.

Tailor it to each job

Sending the same resume everywhere is the most common reason applications go nowhere. For each job:

• Read the posting on Job Bank, Indeed or LinkedIn and note the skills it repeats.
• Mirror the posting’s wording for skills you genuinely have; Canadian employers widely screen with ATS software.
• Lead each role with the achievement closest to this job.
• If you’re new to Canada, put transferable results first so “no Canadian experience” isn’t the first thing a recruiter sees.

If you’re new to Canada

• Explain overseas experience in terms an employer here will recognise: the size of the company, the industry and what you achieved.
• If your qualifications are from abroad, consider getting them assessed (for example, with an educational credential assessment) and mention it.
• Include Canadian volunteering, courses or certifications. They show local experience and connections.
• Use Canadian spelling and date formats consistently.

Cover letter

Many Canadian employers still read cover letters, especially for office and public sector roles. Keep it to one page, address the hiring manager by name if you can, and connect two or three of your strongest results to the posting.

Common mistakes

• Sending a long international CV with a photo and personal details.
• Ignoring the screening questions on application forms, which often filter before the resume is read.
• Leaving overseas job titles unexplained when they don’t translate.
• Typos. Ask someone to proofread before you apply.

Sample resume

A fictional example in the local format. Use it as a pattern, not a script.

Why it works

• The overseas employer is explained: industry, size, and figures in Canadian dollars.
• The credential assessment is mentioned.
• Canadian volunteering shows local experience.
• No photo, date of birth, street address or SIN.

Example: turning a duty into a result

Customer support role

Same job, but the second version shows the result and uses words a support posting would list.

By career stage

Graduate or first job

One page. Education, co-op placements, part-time jobs and volunteering, each with a result.

Changing careers

A short summary naming your target role, then transferable results. Mention Canadian courses or certificates for the new field.

Experienced

Up to two pages. Lead with results that match the posting, and summarise roles older than about 15 years.

Resume keywords for ATS

Applicant tracking systems and recruiters search for the skills a posting names. Examples for common roles; use only the ones that are true for you, in the posting’s own words.

Staff accountant

account reconciliation, month-end close, IFRS or ASPE, QuickBooks, Excel

Customer service representative

customer satisfaction, CRM, problem resolution, bilingual (English/French) if true

Project coordinator

project scheduling, stakeholder communication, MS Project, budget tracking, risk logs

Questions