Resume Star › Resume builder for Canada

Free resume builder for jobs in Canada

A ready-written resume for your job, in the Canadian format, as a Letter-size PDF.

Canadian resumes follow North American conventions: one or two Letter-size pages, a short summary, your skills and your experience, and no photo or personal details. Newcomers often need to adjust a CV from home to fit this format.

Resume Star starts you with a resume already written for your job. Add your details and download a clean PDF to send or upload to Job Bank or Indeed.

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How to write a resume for Canada

  1. One or two pages. One page for students and first jobs, two for most experienced candidates.
  2. Leave out your photo, date of birth, marital status and SIN. Canadian human rights law limits what employers can ask, and recruiters don't expect these on a resume.
  3. Translate overseas experience. Newcomers: give the employer's industry and size, and Canadian equivalents for your qualifications (for example a WES evaluation) if you have them.
  4. Show your languages. English and French are both an asset, especially for federal, Quebec and customer-facing jobs.
  5. Use Canadian spelling. Canada mixes British and American: "colour" and "centre", but "organize" is common. Match the employer's job post.
  6. References on request. You don't need to list references on the resume. Have two or three ready.

What to include and what to leave out

Include
  • Summary
  • Skills
  • Work experience, most recent first
  • Education and Canadian equivalency, if relevant
  • Languages
Leave out
  • Photo
  • Date of birth or age
  • Marital status
  • Social Insurance Number (SIN)

Start from a resume written for your job

Each template comes with sample wording for the role. Replace it with your own details, and rename, reorder or remove any section.

Over 50 more templates to pick from after you sign up.

Frequently asked questions

How is a Canadian resume different from a CV?

A Canadian resume is shorter (one or two pages) and leaves out personal details such as photo, date of birth and marital status. Outside Quebec, "CV" in Canada usually means a longer academic document.

Should newcomers include overseas experience?

Yes. Describe it in terms Canadian employers understand: the type and size of employer, what you did and the results.

Is Resume Star free?

Yes. Build your resume and download unlimited PDFs for free. If it helps, pay a one-time fee on the honor system.

Hiring practices vary between employers and industries. When a job advert asks for something specific, follow the advert.

Build your resume with Resume Star

Start from a sample written for your job, replace the details with your own, and download a polished PDF in minutes.

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