Before I give the 5 secret tips in a Canadian Style resume, first you should know the
2 most important points on how your resume goes to the desk of the recruiters.
- In Canada almost every company uses the Applicant Tracking System to filter out the resumes. When you apply for a job online, your resume is first processed by an ATS which matches the keywords in your resume with the job description.
Does this mean that you need to customize your resume for each job application so that it can pass the ATS.
The answer is YES!!!!!!!
- Then, after your resume passes the ATS test, it then goes in the hands of a human recruiter and research shows that a Canadian recruiter only scans your resume for 6-7 seconds before deciding whether they should read it or toss it in a trash.
So if you want your resume to stand out, beat your competition, wow the recruiters and hook them to call you for the interview then avoid these
5 common mistakes that newcomers often make in their resume.
- Unprofessional Email Address
Now you know that 80% companies in Canada use a software called Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to filter out the resumes.
And out of 100 resumes being sent for 1 job application,
80% of resumes are discarded because of an unprofessional email address.
While helping immigrants in writing their resume, I have come across so many funny and annoying email addresses that people were sharing on their resume which gives a wrong first impression and ATS discards it.
So, make sure your email address is PROFESSIONAL.
Try to create an email address just with your first and last name.
Eg: priyankadhall@gmail.com or dhallpriyanka@gmail.com
2) Too Many Personal Details
Do you have one or more out of the below list in your resume?
- Age or date of birth
- Marital Status
- Gender
- Hobbies
If yes, then please GET RID of it right now.
You should avoid giving too many personal details in your resume.
Canadian Recruiters are not at all concerned with
- what is your age or
- what is your date of birth or
- whether you are married or unmarried or
- what is your gender.
So, make sure to cut these out of your resume.
3) No Canadian Phone Number
If you want to apply for jobs in Canada before landing then you must include a Canadian phone number on your resume
Otherwise, ATS will not allow your resume to get passed to the hiring managers because it has an international phone number.
I have helped immigrants get the interview calls while they are still in their home country and are about to land in Canada.
Yes! This is possible.
You can get it too. There are many service provider companies from whom you can buy a virtual Canadian Phone Number like Callhippo.com
4) Objective Statement (is old school)
If you have an objective statement in your resume, DELETE IT right now.
I know in other countries, especially in Asian countries,the first section people have on their resume is the Objective statement but its’s all about me, me and me.
A Canadian resume opens with a
“Professional Summary” instead of the objective statement
that briefly summarizes your experience which is a combination of your hard skills and soft skills you possess and shows the value you bring to the table.
5) Typing and Formatting Errors
ATS easily catches these mistakes and doesn’t allow the resume to get passed to the hiring managers.
Always double check that you don’t have any typing errors in your resume.
Use tools like Grammarly to fix any typing or grammatical errors.
Also, to pass the ATS test, there should not be fancy formatting or tables or pictures in your resume as ATS algorithms cannot read these things.
Now that you know the Top 5 mistakes to avoid in your resume, its time for a makeover and start crafting your Canadian style resume.
I am giving away my Interview winning Canada Resume Format.
