Job Search for newcomers 101: How to write a Canadian-style Resume and LinkedIn Profile

Before coming to Canada I was part of a whatsapp group for future Canadians (found on a forum called Canada Visa) and some of the guys were talking about an organization called Acces Employment, that helps prepare newcomers with permanent residency for the challenges of their soon-to-be job market.

I attended one of their webinars and decided to enroll on a pre-landing course offered online. They also matched me with a consultant, who asked me to send her my resume for analysis.

Back in Brazil I had always received great feedback about my resume, so I was a little taken aback by the many changes I had to make after this first session with my Canadian consultant.

First, she told me I had a very "funky" resume with lots of graphics and colors (which, to start, I used to call "CV, a term not used here at all) and that I should go back to basics: format it in WORD and not PDF, using commonly found fonts such as Times New Roman (argh) and Arial (a little better).

Here are some of the most relevant recommendations to write what we will call a MASTER Resume: a resume that you will often refer to when you start applying to jobs.

By the way, this document, for most professionals (academic resumes, medical professionals and project engineers are some of the exceptions), is expected to have between one and two pages, so, keep it short and to the point.

Remember: the purpose of the resume is TO GET YOU AN INTERVIEW, so don't oversell or overexplain. Try and capture the attention of the recruiter so that he/she feels compelled to call you to get more details.

1. Header: In many countries it's normal to mention age and relationship status, or even if you do or do not have children on your personal information section or header. Here in Canada it's widely frowned upon, not to mention, illegal, to ask a prospective employee such information. Also it's up to you if you want to mention your residential address. If you feel, for instance, that you may be ruled out after applying, just because you would face a longer commute, just leave the complete information out. Tell which city you're in, leave out the street or neighbourhood.

2. Summary or Highlights: At Acces they told us that, on average, recruiters who are responsible for screening resumes spend less than 10 seconds looking at them. As a comparison, keep in mind that users spend around 1.6 seconds looking at the results of a search on Google... So, yes, you have a short time to sell yourself through a resume. That's how important it is to put a lot of thought in the way you built it. So, right after your heading, you should consider adding an introductory section called "Summary" or "Highlights" where you use 5 to 8 bullet points to talk about yourself, achievements and skills that you really want the potential recruiter to see when reading your resume.

3. Experience:

Again, keep things straightforward. Use 5 to 8 bullet points, starting the sentences with ACTION verbs in the past tense if you're talking about previous experiences. E.g. Managed, Developed, Increased, Oversaw...

a. No one cares what you were doing more than 10 years ago, so leave out that internship you took in Summer 2003. Unless it was on a NASA program for geniuses or something, okay?

b. In many countries, your Education would be the first thing that you mention, but here in Canada, experience counts more, so move the education section to the second page.

c. When talking about your previous work experience, focus less on duties and more on achievements, and ALWAYS substantiate your claims. This means that you should use figures and facts, following the SAR model:

• S = Situation (Context / Challenge / Problem)

• A = Action (What you did)

• R = Results

However, you will probably leave the explanation of the context to a later moment (e.g. the interview) and focus on the actions taken to achieve a certain result.

Example: Lowered consumer complaints by 10% in 2016 (result), by implementing new guidelines and training new team members (action).

d. Also, when people care about what your role was in a project. Take the "I", out of the "We", don't be scared to really sell yourself.

e. You should also use the SAR approach when addressing your soft skills. Don't mention you have "Great Leadership" skills if you can't prove that by mentioning situations where you had a chance to put it to test.

Now, moving on to LinkedIn, an online resume platform, right? WRONG. It's a networking tool, but we'll talk about that later on.

1. Use your BIO the same way you used on your resume: to showcase your highlights. Some people get more creative and actually write witty texts, but you can play it safe and adapt from the summary in your resume.

2. Don't make the mistake of writing on your HEADLINE that you're "looking for a job" or "seeking new opportunities". That we'll make you look like a desperate fool. Instead, write a more compelling title for yourself, carefully choosing keywords related to your abilities and interests. For example: Experienced Engineer with an MBA in Project Management or Experienced Mechanical Engineer | MBA | Project Management | Supply Chain | Maintenance

3. Ask for recommendations and endorsements from your connections, especially to the ones who you have managed or that you reported to. This will help boost your credibility.

Want to find out how I turned these recommendations into actions?

Check out my RESUME. On this public version I used PDF for protection and was careful not to disclose private and confidential information.

You can also check my LinkedIn profile.

Also, there are some places here in Canada, if you've already landed, where you can seek professional help to improve your resume. Besides Acces Employment, which is the organization that helped me, you can also go to the closest YMCA in your area. There, you can talk to a consultant and also attend some of their workshops on resume writing. Another agency is Career Foundation.

On the CIC website you can find more information on some of these programs.

Make sure to send me comments if you have any doubts or suggestions!

On my next post, coming soon, I will talk about other aspects of the job search: where to look and how to break down posts to tailor your Master Resume to the position.

See you soon!

#MasterResumes #jobhunting