Personal Advancement
Canadian resume book a first of its kindLike many other job seekers, you've likely picked up a book or searched online for resume samples -- trying to remember, of course, to change American spellings to Canadian. Finally, there's a resource that's distinctively our own: Best Canadian Resumes, a book that illustrates that our resumes are distinguished by much more than just spelling. LINDA WHITE, SPECIAL TO THE SUN |
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 [ 2007-07-11 ] |
Author and founder of Career Professionals of Canada
"Our resume-writing industry in Canada is progressing very quickly -- almost at the pace of technology," says author Sharon Graham, founder and director of Career Professionals of Canada (www.CareerProCanada.ca). "Our association grabbed a hold of our writers and has done a lot of training. Resume templates in Canada are used far less than even two years ago."
The result is resumes that are increasingly "value assertive," a term borrowed from the marketing industry.
"It's about creating a real sales pitch that distinguishes you from everyone else," says Graham, who is also principal consultant at Graham Management Group. "You have to figure out what you bring to the table that makes you different from competitors and worthy of filling a position."
Your value proposition, Graham explains in her book, is made up of three components: your employer's buying motivators (the reasons an employer will want to hire someone), your supporting qualifications (credentials that validate your claim to resolve the employer's buying motivator) and the added value (special talents and contributions) you bring.
Until very recently, the value proposition was one of the greatest differences between Canadian resumes and American resumes.
"Our resumes were low key and not value assertive," Graham says. "Resumes in Canada are now fairly assertive. They're accomplishment rich and talk about what someone has accomplished, rather than simply listing the duties or tasks of a job."
"MARKETING BROCHURES"
At the same time, our resumes are becoming leaders in design and style.
"Canadian resumes are becoming much more like marketing brochures. People are starting to distinguish themselves from other job seekers and are steering away from the templates you find online or in many books. They're using colour, charts, graphs, pictures, interesting bullets and lines. They're taking advantage of technology to create something upscale and sophisticated that reflects their unique sales position."
The book features 100 sample resumes and 17 cover letters -- all with a Canadian angle. You'll find, among other things, resumes related to careers in natural resources like mining, agriculture and forestry and editorial footnotes explaining the guiding strategies used by the 21 professional resume writers who contributed samples. A resume for an early childhood educator with no experience, for example, promotes the candidate's educational background and transferable skills.
You'll also find a list of 100 words commonly misspelled in Canadian resumes, 300 key words valued by employers and 300 action verbs that add impact to your resume. It also includes information on legislative requirements regarding such topics as personal information and bilingualism in certain provinces.
"Canadians are very, very careful about legislation, which is quite strong around protecting individuals," Graham says. "We tend to leave things off a resume that are culturally sensitive and would bias an employer. Unless perhaps you were an actor, you wouldn't put a picture on a resume."
Best Canadian Resumes is available in many bookstores and libraries across the country and, if not available, can be ordered directly from Sentor Media Inc. (www.sentormedia.com).
QUICK FACTS
Best Canadian Resumes caters to Canadian job seekers and is earning rave reviews.
"Seeing Canadian job applications is refreshing, especially when we glance at our bookshelves full of American resume guides," Jean-Marc Hachey, author of The BIG Guide to Living and Working Overseas, says in a book review. "It is also helpful to see a sometimes hard-to-find list of Canadian spellings included amongst the appendices. And unlike many resume-writing guides on the market, this book showcases a real multiplicity of resume styles and self-marketing strategies."
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