7 Easy Steps to Learn How to Write a Resume in Canada

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How to Write a Resume in Canada in 7 Easy Steps

Craft an exciting lead
Show impact
Include soft skills
Highlight tech skills
Be unique
Include keywords
Proofread!
FAQs

Looking for a job can be a grind. With so many details to address — researching prospective employers, lining up professional references, practicing interview skills and checking the salary range for your role — it’s tempting to recycle an old resume and quickly top it off with your latest work experience.

Resist the impulse.

Whether embarking on a job search in your local town or across the country, you’re going to need to add “how to write a resume in Canada” to your list of priorities when job searching.

That’s because the average hiring manager spends mere seconds reading most of the resumes that come across their inbox – and if you’re hoping to score an interview, you’ll need a freshly polished and customized document that’s going to grab their attention from the start.

The structure of a resume is as crucial as its content. Depending on the level and type of job opening, how you lay the key facts about yourself in a resume can make a big difference.

Step 1. Craft an exciting lead

Every other list of 2025 resume writing tips will tell you the same thing: Start with your contact information. That includes your name, phone number, email address, links to your website or portfolio, and LinkedIn profile. All in the header of your resume. A decade ago, resumes also had an objective statement just below the contact info that explained the type of job a candidate was seeking.

But the top of the resume is valuable real estate. If you want the reviewers to give your resume more than a quick scan, you need something up there that’s going to make them want to keep reading.

Today, many hiring managers and recruiters expect to see a short, snappy paragraph that’s more like a profile snapshot. Think this section as your 30-second elevator pitch to the hiring manager. It should quickly summarize your experience and training, highlight your relevant skills for the role you’re seeking, and contain keywords that match the job posting. Expand on your qualifications deeper in your resume and in your cover letter.

Step 2: Show impact

The bulk of your resume should focus on your work experience. List your past jobs in chronological order, from most recent to oldest, and take a results-driven approach to describe your duties and accomplishments. That means including meaningful information about how you benefited a project or the company (drove revenue growth, streamlined processes or developed new ones, improved YoY results etc.).

To show how you excelled in the position, use action verbs, give specific examples and add quantifiable results. Don’t simply say, “oversaw project management,” for instance. Instead, give a concise, specific project description, along with your role (“Project manager for a six-person team with impeccable deadline accuracy”) and concrete numbers to show impact — the costs you saved your employer, for example, or the percentage of sales revenue growth. If you don’t have that kind of data, report the solutions your team delivered or other project outcomes. The goal is to illustrate how you made a difference.

Step 3: Include soft skills

Remember how important interpersonal skills are to your career success. They’re worth emphasizing in a resume too. In fact, soft skills including effective writing and verbal communication, critical thinking, time management, creativity, and problem-solving abilities are all in-demand skills in today’s job market. That makes them crucial to include when you are thinking about how to write a resume that will land you a job. But how do you show, rather than simply list, these attributes?

A thoughtfully written resume and cover letter are themselves a start. Both documents, if carefully organized, free of grammatical and spelling errors (see tip No. 7), and tailored for the role you’re applying for, will be clear demonstrations of your writing skills. You can also frame your work history and accomplishments to show abilities such as collaboration, adaptability and leadership.

Other soft skills might be more difficult to showcase on a resume. Unfortunately, we all can’t link to a TED talk or other online video or podcast we did to prove our verbal and presentation skills, for example. But we do all have a LinkedIn profile. Use this as an extension of your resume. Ask a handful of your colleagues, former coworkers or others in your professional network to write recommendations that mention your creativity, leadership, teamwork and similar qualities. It’s also a place where you can upload samples of creative portfolio work or project case studies that demonstrate your soft skills.

Step 4: Highlight tech skills

Share your software skills and technical knowledge when writing your resume. As an example, job candidates for an administrative assistant position or similar role are expected to highlight Microsoft Office experience on their resume. Eager candidates should emphasize their proficiency with each of the suite’s applications, as well as any training or certification programs completed. Demonstrating how the software was leveraged under the past job experience section of your resume will give hiring managers a good sense of your capabilities.

Other jobs can require more advanced tech skills. Use the description of the job you’re applying to as a guide. Discuss your expertise with the software it says is required for the role in sections like your resume’s snapshot, education/certifications and work history.

Read this post for more tips on creating a compelling resume skills section.

Step 5: Be unique

Highlight talents that are relevant to the position or company. Fluency with other languages, for instance, could give you an edge in getting an interview if the employer has international operations. Your role as a volunteer or organizer for an external group related to your industry can show leadership skills. Whatever your passion, use your unique qualities and experiences to make yourself stand out.

Many hiring managers like to gain a more complete picture of potential employees so don't be afraid to mention some outside interests. Just don’t go overboard by providing a laundry list of hobbies and personal pursuits. Always keep in mind that your resume is a professional document.

Step 6: Include keywords

Many companies scan resumes and cover letters for the keywords used in their job postings. Knowing how to write a resume in Canada effectively comes down to matching the keywords in your resume to what the hiring manager is seeking.

Tailor your resume for every job you reply to — and that means sprinkling the document with as much of the same language each posting uses for its job description as possible. For example, if an employer is seeking an applicant with experience “maintaining executives’ calendars,” use that same wording in your resume instead of a more casual phrase like “keeping track of schedules.”

For more tips on how to get your CV past commonly used applicant tracking systems, read this article.

Step 7: Proofread!

An employer sorting through a dozen or more resumes doesn’t need much reason to remove you from consideration. Meticulously proofread your resume for spelling and grammatical errors. In addition to running spell-check, read your document aloud slowly so you can focus on each word. Finally, ask a friend to double-check your work. One simple typo can kill your chances of landing an interview. As an added tip, don’t overuse adjectives and extra words to prop up your experience. Hiring managers value brevity and being concise when reviewing resumes.

Want to know how to write a good resume in Canada? Don’t use words and phrases like this:

“Education: Earned a diploma from a very repudiated college.”

“Experience: Academic tudor.”

“Skills: Excel at working within a tea-oriented culture.”

“Work history: My last employer fried me for no reason.”

“Qualifications: I ooze mangnetism.”

“Salary requirements: Looking for a bass salary of $40,000.”

“Referees available by request.”

FAQs

What is the best resume format to use in Canada?

There are three primary resume formats. Which is the “best”, however, depends on your work experience and the type of job you’re applying for:

Chronological: This is the classic resume format listing your work experience in reverse chronological order. Useful if applying in a field in which you have a track record of success culminating with your current role.

Functional: This resume format is organized around skills, experiences and accomplishments. Useful for entry-level job seekers and those re-entering the workforce.

Hybrid: This format showcases a candidate’s skills and accomplishments, followed by a brief outline of their work history. Useful if there is a weak link between your recent experience and the position you’re applying for.

For most Canadian job seekers, the hybrid format is ideal. Blending chronological work experience with a functional explanation of what the candidate brings to the table, this resume showcases both career progression and key skills and is easily adapted to all job levels and industries.

By providing a compelling narrative of their professional journey while addressing how they can meet a position’s specific needs, the hybrid resume is an excellent way for candidates to capture the attention of hiring managers and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) alike.

What structure should my Canadian resume follow?

A well-structured Canadian resume should follow a clear and concise format that begins with your contact information at the top, followed by a compelling summary that you can think of as your 30-second elevator pitch.

If following a hybrid resume format, this pitch should be followed by a list of skills highlighting your most relevant qualifications for the role you’re applying to, followed by your work experience in reverse chronological order, emphasizing achievements and quantifiable results. Finally, include your education details and any certifications that set you apart.

For most job seekers a hybrid resume is best, but industry veterans might consider a chronological format, since most of their work experience is likely to be relevant to the position they’re applying for, while recent graduates or career changers might consider a functional approach that emphasizes transferable skills.

Regardless of the structure you choose, make sure you tailor your resume to the specific industry and position you’re applying for, ensuring that it speaks directly to the employer's needs.

What skills should I include on my resume?

When deciding what skills to include on your resume, it's crucial to tailor your selection to the specific job and industry you're targeting, ideally highlighting a mix of technical skills relevant to your field and transferable soft skills that showcase your adaptability. For technical roles, list programming languages or software proficiencies. In fields like marketing or HR, highlight communication and analytical skills. Financial positions might require proficiency in specific accounting software or regulations.

Most importantly, carefully review the job description and mirror the key skills requested by the employer. Whether an entry-level candidate or a seasoned professional, your goal is to showcase your potential value for hiring managers, the best way to do that is by demonstrating your expertise in the skills they’re looking for.

Need some ideas for what skills to include on your resume? Check out our list of good skills to put on a resume – with examples!

What is the difference between Canadian and American resume formats?

While similar, Canadian and American resume formats have some notable differences that job seekers should be aware of when applying across borders. One key distinction is length and detail, with Canadian resumes typically more concise (1 – 2 pages) than their often longer American counterparts.

Another difference is objective statements, which remain more common in American resumes, especially in industries like tech and finance, whereas Canadian employers often prefer a brief professional summary.

Formatting preferences can also vary, with American resumes often more creatively laid out, especially in creative industries, whereas Canadian resumes typically adhere to a more conservative format.

Understanding these nuances is crucial for job seekers targeting opportunities in either country, as tailoring your resume to meet these expectations can significantly impact your job search success.

What is the best file format for a Canadian Resume?

The best file format for a Canadian resume is PDF (Portable Document Format). Like a Word document, this format allows for interactive elements like hyperlinks while being more secure, preventing hiring managers from making accidental changes. It also ensures your resume looks consistent across different devices and operating systems.

Perhaps most importantly, PDFs are highly compatible with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which is crucial for job seekers in today's competitive market. Just remember to make the right first impression by saving it with a clear, professional file name (e.g., "John_Doe_Resume.pdf").

The last word on how to write a resume in Canada

Every job, every industry and every candidate will require some adjustments of these resume writing tips. Creative professionals, for example, will want to include links to their portfolios. New college or university grads won’t have much work experience to highlight, but they can still draw from class projects, labs and seminars to demonstrate their technical and soft skills.

When you consider how to write a Canadian resume that will resonate with a target hiring manager or company, your target guideline should be this: Employers want to hire people who can make an impact. Be strategic with the tips offered in this article by Robert Half Canada, and write a tailored resume that shows a distinctive, results-driven professional, and before long you will find yourself preparing for a job interview.

Looking for a job? We can help! Send us your resume today.

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