How to write a resume when you are new to Canada

Many newcomers find that a resume that worked well at home gets little response in Canada. Usually the experience is there, but the format, wording and details don’t match what Canadian employers expect. These changes make the biggest difference.

Show your work status

Add one line under your contact details so a recruiter doesn’t have to guess:

• “Permanent resident, based in Mississauga, ON”
• “Open work permit, valid until August 2028”
• “Post-graduation work permit, eligible to work full-time”

Switch to the Canadian format

• Remove your photo, date of birth, marital status, nationality and religion.
• Keep it to one or two pages on Letter-size paper.
• Use Canadian spelling: colour, centre, organize, program.
• Take references off the resume and keep them on a separate page.
• Use a summary at the top instead of an “objective”.

Explain your international experience

Canadian employers may not know your previous employers. Add one line under each to say what the organization does and how big it is, and use numbers to show the scale of your own work.

Foreign credentials

List your degree, the institution and the country. If you have an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), for example from WES, mention the Canadian equivalent it gives, such as “Bachelor’s degree (Canadian equivalent, WES)”. Regulated professions, such as nursing, engineering, teaching, medicine and many trades, need a licence from the provincial regulator before you can practise, so say where you are in that process.

Build Canadian experience

Employers often say they want “Canadian experience”. Some human rights bodies, such as the Ontario Human Rights Commission, have said a strict Canadian-experience requirement can be discriminatory, but local experience still helps. Volunteering, bridging programs, settlement agency job programs, contracts and temp work are good ways to get it, and each one can give you a Canadian reference.

Use transferable language

Swap job titles or terms that are specific to your home country for ones used in Canada, and describe your skills in the words used in Canadian job postings. The National Occupational Classification (NOC) on the Job Bank site shows the usual Canadian titles and duties for your occupation.

Checklist for newcomers

• Work status near the top.
• No photo, date of birth or personal details.
• One line describing each international employer.
• Credentials with Canadian equivalents (ECA) where you have them.
• Licensing status for regulated professions.
• Volunteer and Canadian experience given its own section.

The Classic · Nurse résumé template

A simple, widely accepted layout that works in every Canadian industry.

Use this template

The Modernist · Modern CV template

A modern option with your summary across the top of the page.

Use this template