What’s in a resume?

A Canadian resume is usually made up of a few basic sections — and yours should follow suit.

While preparing a resume is not the only or even the most important thing you must do to apply for jobs in Canada, you can’t really launch a career search without one.So what do you put in a Canadian resume?

A resume must begin with your contact details. Include your name, address, phone numbers and email address. Please drop the photograph, as it is definitely not required.

There is also no need at all to mention your age, marital status, residency, country of origin or religion. There are laws governing these issues in Canada and job applicants may not be discriminated against for these reasons.

Next comes your “Career Objective.” The clarity of your objective at the beginning of a resume can certainly help entice the employer to continue reading. Here is a good example:

Looking for an opportunity in the area of financial analysis and planning, within an organization that is value driven and customer oriented.

A “Personal Profile” often follows. This is an executive summary of your experience and skills. It could be a brief paragraph or a bulleted list. For example:

Personal Profile

·        More than 10 years of controllership experience in manufacturing.

·        Designated accounting and finance professional.

·        Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills; managed large groups of staff ranging from 10 to 15.

·        Have been exposed to public company reporting for more than five years.

·        Proficient in using computers and various word processing, spreadsheet and accounting softwares.

For most Canadian resumes, the “Work Experience” section will come next. This is a chronological list of past employers, beginning with the most current one. Important components to include here are the title of your position, length of employment with month and year, name of the company with possibly a brief note about the company. Then you may describe the role or functions you performed. For example:

Work Experience

General Manager                                  January 2004 to April 2009

ABC Ltd., a manufacturing organization with revenues of $100 million and 2,000 employees

·        Managed the entire operations of the manufacturing plant, from orders to delivery.

·        Oversaw the operational budget and staffing issues.

and so on …

However, newcomers without any paid Canadian experience may want to include relevant volunteer jobs under this section. Newcomers with only international experience may also want to put less emphasis on the “Work Experience” section overall, and precede it with an expanded list of “Skills and Achievements” with specific examples, such as:

Skills and Achievements

Software

·        Proficient in Word, Great Plains, Excel, Access and ACCPAC.

Leadership and Management

·        Successfully implemented a costing system that resulted in an annual savings of $2 million across the company.

The “Education” section of the resume is near the end of the resume, and is a basic listing of your degrees, certifications and so on, by date, with the most current one first.

Many people also end their resumes with a list of professional memberships or volunteer activities if they are significant to the job.

Writing a resume is just one small step toward getting a job, but if prepared well, it stands a good chance of helping, rather than hurting your chances.

Vikki Mungre is an employment consultant in Toronto known as the “Immigrant Coach” by those he has helped. Born in India, he has been in Canada for the last ten years.