Can anyone recommend a Canadian company that will write your CV professionally for a fee, I got mine done in the UK about 18 months ago but there have been a lot of posts on here about 'differences' between the style of UK and Canadian resumes?

Any pointers greatly appreciated

I don't know your circumstances, but if you are thinking about posting your resume in Canada in the hopes of getting a job, I can only say...best of luck.

It seems that door-to-door is the way to go, and obviously this only works if you are actually over there.

Unless you have exceptional qualifications, it seems like you may have to wait until you actually land in order to find that "perfect" job!

My sister worked for a company and her job was helping people prepare resumes. If you would like some help with one - you can pm me - or else let me know and I will give you her email address. She was doing this last year so she knows the proper way to prepare one.

IMHO from applying for jobs, working with an outplacement agency and recruiting, Canadian resumes are not a million miles different from a British CV. A well written British resume 'Canadianised' should serve. You can get resume writing tips from Monster.ca or workopolis.ca or google resume writing and restrict results to in Canada only.

If you want to pay a fee then fine there are companies here that will do that. If you want an opinion on your resume for free then email me a copy and I'll take a look. Not holding myself to be any kind of expert but having secured a job, worked for a year, been made redundant, applied for and got a second job and in both positions recruited for my new employer I know a little bit. Anyway, the offers there. PM me for contact details if interested.

AX

Yeah - know what you mean, I've been in touch with recruitment consultants over there who specialise in what I do [Finance / Consultancy] who say I need to get my ass over there in order to get a job.

Hopefully heading across shortly, hence the CV idea was basically forward planning.

Been told it could take me 2 or 3 months to get something equivalent to what I have in the UK in Vancouver, hear Calgary is really booming 'though, but I've never been - heard some good reports 'though.

Never mind - something will turn up somewhere

I think it would be best to take a stab at re-writing the resume yourself, as Atlantic Xpat suggested. Then, if you want to run it by folks like lizwil98's sister and Atlantic Xpat so that they can critique it, so much the better. If someone wrote your resume for you, it would be like giving you a fish. If they taught you how to write it yourself, it would be like teaching you how to fish.

Another reason why you should learn how to write your own resume is that you should customise it for each application you send out. You should have a basic resume, what you might call a template. But, depending on what a given employer is looking for, you should emphasize a different aspect of your skills or experience.

While you're on the relevant websites learning how to write resumes, also find out about covering letters and thank you letters. They are very important in Canada.

Cute PDF Writer is free software that converts documents into PDF format. It's useful for creating attachments to e-mails.

Further to an earlier post by Atlantic Xpat, combine your covering letter and your resume into a single PDF document if you send them as an attachment to an e-mail.

Format the paper size to North American letter sized paper (8.5 inches x 11 inches or 21.59 cm x 27.94 cm).

Naturally your resume must be top notch, but that's only the starting point.

Since many vacancies exist in an underground (un-advertised) market, you need to network. Tell everyone that you're looking for a job. You will leverage your networking efforts if you attend functions of relevant professional organisations.

Ask people in your field for informational interviews. They are not job interviews. Rather they are informal meetings in which people share with you the state of their industry, etc. Several people are willing to meet on that basis, and those kinds of meetings can be sources of a surprising amount of information.

All the best.

Iain had a really informative thread regarding CVs. It might be worth your while to do a search for it!

I'm a bit wary of 'how to' books on this subject but I have come across what seems like a useful tome....

http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASI...930099-6324863

'Its your move - A personal and practical guide to career transition and job search for Canadian Managers, Professionals and Executives' by Marge Watters.

I got a copy of this from the outplacement agency after being made redundant before Christmas. Much of the contents were stuff I'd already done/been through but there is some useful info on letters, networking, resumes etc etc.

AX

Hi, I just butchered mine to look like a sample on the internet By applying for jobs and sending it in I had no luck whatsoever (probably 'cause I didn't butcher it very well - but the interviews I did have I asked them about my Resume and they all said it looked fine to them )But by talking to people I met here, I was set up with an interview and got the job! Also when we were here on a fact finding mission, by talking to a realtor, who knew somebody who knew somebody who worked in my husbands trade, got my hubby a interview and he got the job that led to our work permits - so I think it's best to get out here and get to know as many people in as short space of time as possible and get networking! Good luck!

Thanks for your detailed feedback - much appreciated.

Networking seems to be important, I belong to a UK accountancy body which is affiliated with one in Canada, they have fairly regular events which I will definitely attend, also alumni contacts from Uni days.

Last question - if you send an e-mail with a Pdf attachment combining covering letter and CV when should you send a thank you letter - I assume straight after an interview if you get one; would it be crass to send this by e-mail too or should it go by post?

Thx

Yes.

E-mail is fine.

Also, if a person gives you an informational interview, or indeed even if he/she simply gives you a tip, e.g., try contacting John Smith at XYZ Corporation about the widget manufacturing job, let them know that you followed up. Send an e-mail or whatever, and say, "Thank you for letting me know about the widget manufacturing vacancy at XYZ. I've sent John Smith my resume as you suggested."

Still another point, once you're in a job, continue to nurture your network. Attend your professional organisation's functions. Have lunch with colleagues in your industry from time to time. Always assume that you're in a low key job hunting mode. Always keep your exit strategy at the back of your mind.

If a person requests an informational interview when you yourself are employed, try to grant that interview, or at least give the person a few tips over the phone or by e-mail.

I believe there are a couple of valid reasons for helping people. One, it feels good, at least it does to me. Two, you never know, a person whom you help today may give you a job five years from now. Or else a person whom you help today may help your kid in his/her job hunt ten or twenty years from now. That may sound fanciful, but I've seen such things happen.