How to write a résumé

Video Transcript

The host, a young man in his twenties, appears on screen in front of an all-white backdrop and begins to speak.

So, let’s get started on building a great résumé to land you that job interview.

A sketch drawing of a piece of paper with the word “résumé” at the top appears on screen. An animated magnifying glass then appears over the résumé, revealing a name and address, centered at the top of the résumé. The person’s email address is circled in red, and a green check mark appears beside the résumé, indicating that everything should be double-checked for accuracy.

The first thing your future employer should see is your name. Put it at the top of the page, and make it stand out. Also, make sure that personal information, like your e-mail address and your phone number, are correct.

The host appears on screen once again and the words: “job goals,” “education,” and “work experience” appear beside him on screen.

When it comes to organizing your résumé, there are a lot of headings you can use—like “Job goals,” “Education,” “Work experience,” and so on.

The sketch résumé re-appears with the magnifying glass over the top, revealing a list of most relevant jobs.

The most important thing to do? Make sure you put the information that’s relevant to the job first.

Sketch résumé re-appears on the left side of the screen. The words “Tip 1: Make it readable” appear to the right, followed by the words “use clear simple language.” A sample résumé then appears with a fancy cursive font, and it is quickly replaced with a sample résumé that features a font that is easy to read—in this case, Times New Roman.

Here are a few more tips…

Tip 1: Make it readable. Use clear, simple language and action words. Also, use a font that’s easy to read, like Arial or Times New Roman.

The sketch résumé re-appears on the left side of the screen. The words “Tip 2: Keep it short” appear to the right. The single page résumé morphs into a two-page résumé.

Tip 2: Keep it short—a page or two at most.

The sketch résumé re-appears with a magnifying glass over the top. The words “Tip 3: Proofread” appear to the right.

Tip 3: Proofread. Make sure there are no spelling errors, and never rely on spell-check.

Host re-appears on screen.

And remember, you have unique skills and abilities that employers need. If you show them off on your résumé, you’ll land that interview.

The URL “youth.gc.ca/jobhunt” appears beside the host.

For examples and more tips on how to write a great résumé, go to youth.gc.ca/jobhunt.

Canada wordmark appears on screen and then fades to black.