The Canadian résumé: no photo, no age, two pages

Updated 4 Nov 2026 · 3 min read

Canada attracts many newcomers, and many of them lose interviews because their CV follows the rules of their home country. A Canadian résumé is closer to the American style: clean, achievement-focused and free of personal details. Here is how to adapt yours.

Leave out personal details

Canadian human rights laws, at federal and provincial level, prohibit hiring decisions based on characteristics such as age, sex, marital or family status, religion, national or ethnic origin and disability. Employers don't want to receive this information, so a Canadian résumé does not include:

• a photo,
• date of birth or age,
• marital status or children,
• nationality, religion or place of birth,
• a full street address (city and province are enough).

What you should include is your status if it helps the employer: "Permanent resident", "Canadian citizen" or "Open work permit, valid until 2028". This line answers the first question recruiters ask about international candidates.

Format

• Letter size paper (8.5 × 11 in), not A4.
• Two pages is standard for experienced candidates; one page for students and recent graduates.
• One column. Many Canadian employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) that read simple layouts best. Avoid tables, text boxes and graphics for important content.
• Reverse chronological order: the most recent job first.

Sections in order

1. Name and contact: phone, e-mail, city and province, LinkedIn.
2. Summary (or Profile): three or four lines aimed at the job.
3. Skills: a short list of the skills named in the job posting that you really have.
4. Experience: job title, employer, city, dates, and three to five bullet points with results.
5. Education: degree, institution, country, year. For foreign degrees, mention an evaluation if you have one (for example a WES or ICAS credential assessment).
6. Certifications, volunteering, languages.

Canadian experience without Canadian jobs

Recruiters often ask for "Canadian experience". If you don't have it yet, show what transfers:

• Volunteering in Canada counts, even part-time.
• Name international clients, standards and tools that are used in Canada.
• Describe results in plain terms that don't depend on knowing your previous employer.

English and French

Canada is officially bilingual. If you speak both languages, say so clearly with levels: "English: fluent (CLB 9); French: advanced (NCLC 7)". In Quebec, most employers expect a résumé in French (curriculum vitae), and the vocabulary changes: courriel instead of e-mail, cellulaire for mobile.

References

Don't list references on the résumé. Have two or three ready and share them when the employer asks. A line such as "References available on request" is optional.

Checklist

1. No photo, no age, no marital status.
2. Work authorization stated in one line.
3. Letter size, one column, two pages maximum.
4. Skills that match the job posting.
5. Achievements with numbers.
6. Bilingual? Show both levels.

The Canada model in CV Passport uses Letter paper, a single ATS-friendly column, hides personal details automatically and switches to Quebec vocabulary when you write in French.