How To: Resume Building
A resume is a document that is required when applying for a job in Canada. Another name for a resume is a Curriculum Vitae (CV). A resume showcases your education, work experience, skills, and other qualifications. It is important to be detailed and provide information on each related work experience to the job you are applying for. However, a resume should not exceed two pages, if there are lots of spaces between text or an abundance of details, an employer will not be interested in reading it. A resume may be altered depending on what job is being applied to. There is no one way to format and organize a resume, but a resume MUST include:
- Candidate’s name, phone number, and email address
- Education
- Work Experience
- Certificates (if applicable to job)
In addition to these, it is common to see a Summary / Highlight of Qualifications, Objective, or a Skills section. These are not required, but it is nice to have in many circumstances. If you lack work experience, they are a good way to emphasize your skills and show what you can bring to the organization.
TOP OF RESUME
The top of the resume should have your First and Last Name with your phone number and email address. It is not necessary to include a picture or your home address. In addition, it is important to not include personal information such as religion, age, marital status, and so on.
SUMMARY / HIGHLIGHT OF QUALIFICATIONS OR OBJECTIVE
At the top of a resume after your name and contact information, it is optional to have a section to provide an overview of your skillsets. There are many names that are used but all are used for the same purpose. This section should be around 5 sentences and should make a nice block of text to introduce yourself before the rest of the resume. An important thing to note that is commonly done is never use I to describe your qualifications; it should not be direct. To help get you started, see a sample below:
Recent graduate looking for a job in computer science to apply knowledge and expertise. Strong knowledge of computer based languages like C++, HTML, Java Script.
EDUCATION
In the education section, it is vital that all relevant education is listed. Each education experience should include:
- Degree or Diploma received with Specialization
- ie. Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science
- Name of Institution
- Period of study including Month, Year for start and end
- Location (optional)
Education should be listed from most recent or current to oldest. Any education before secondary school does not need to be included. If you have multiple post-secondary education certificates, then you do not need to include your secondary school information.
WORK EXPERIENCE
In the work experience section, it is important to provide details on each relevant work experience. This means providing full details of the work done. Each work experience should contain the following information:
- Job Title
- Employer
- Period of employment including Month, Year for start and end
- Location (optional)
- Four to Five bullet points of detailed duties describing what you did in that job
This is the most important part of a resume. The detailed bullet points for each work experience showcases your abilities and experiences in a clear manner for employers to understand your qualifications. Work experience should be listed from most recent or current to oldest.
CERTIFICATES AND SKILLS
If you have any relevant certificates that can support you in the job that you are applying for, you will need to provide information. The certificate section should either be combined with education or be separate, immediately after education. There are different ways you can state the information regarding a certificate. You must include the name of the certificate such as Serving it Right Certificate. Here is where the options come in, there are three ways to mention dates and validity:
- One way is you can just mention when the certificate was issued. For example: Issued: May 2022.
- Another way is to do the opposite and only mention when it expires. Example: Expiry: November 2023.
- The third option is to combine the two. For example: Valid: May 2022 – November 2023.
A skills section is good to add if you have little to no relevant work experience. Or, if you have extra space and want to fill it then skills are a nice way to fill empty areas. In most circumstances, it is best to keep points to 1-3 words. For instances where that does not apply is mentioning languages or if you want to include Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) as a skill. Try to keep the skills section direct and related to the job you are applying for. Things such as hobbies or things you like to do in your spare time are not necessary to be included on your resume.