Resume for Canada

Canada calls it a resume, wants no photograph, and is firm that personal details stay off the page.

Source. Job Bank (Government of Canada), "How to write a good resume", read on 12 November 2026: www.jobbank.gc.ca. This page summarises that official advice in our own words. It is careers advice, not law; employers differ, and the page may have changed since we read it.

What the official guidance says

Job Bank is the Government of Canada's job site. Its page "How to write a good resume" sets out do's and don'ts, summarised here in our own words.

Do

• Keep it clear and concise. The page says an employer takes on average about 30 seconds to skim a resume.
• Limit it to two pages, with the emphasis on recent experience. Jobs more than 15 years old should be cut or kept very short.
• Tailor it to the position, using the job description or the employer's website.
• Highlight what you accomplished, with examples, in the work experience section.
• Quantify achievements: people supervised, products sold, percentage increases.
• Use simple words and action verbs, because the first reader may be a recruiter who does not know your field.
• Include unpaid work that shows your skills, under work experience or a volunteer section.
• Proofread several times and have someone else read it.
• Be honest.
• Check your contact information: name, address, email and phone at the top of the first page.

Don't

• Don't include a picture of yourself. The page says that although a photo may be acceptable in some countries, it is not the norm in Canada, and that it can lower your chances and divert attention from your skills.
• Don't include unnecessary personal information: age, weight, height, marital status, religious preference, political views. The page says this prevents potential bias.
• Never include your Social Insurance Number.
• Don't include references. Keep them on a separate sheet and give them only when specifically asked.
• Don't give reasons for leaving earlier jobs.
• Don't use an inappropriate email address; base it on your name.
• Don't use personal pronouns such as "I", "my" or "me".
• Don't simply list responsibilities or make general statements; give specific examples.
• Don't use too many bullets: five to seven points per section.
• Don't include hobbies, unless they relate to the position.

What this means for an Indian applicant

Practical points

Explain Indian qualifications and employers in a few words for a reader who does not know them: the full name of a degree, what a company makes, the size of a team. Give dates with the month written out. Whether a foreign qualification is recognised for a regulated occupation, and whether you may work in Canada, are separate questions with their own official processes; a resume guide cannot answer them.

Job Bank also offers its own resume builder to people with a Job Bank account. For a plain single-column page without photo or personal details, the builder on resume.shareyourgroup.com also suits; add your street address if the employer expects it, since Job Bank lists address among the contact details.

Questions people ask

Other countries

CV guides

General guidance. This page gives general suggestions, reviewed in November 2026. If an institution, employer or country gives its own form, format or instruction, follow that. Every person, institution and publication in our examples is invented. Nothing here is legal, immigration or professional advice.