Fema Employment

Help with making a resume in Canada? Helpful Canadians, are you out there?

I need to make a resume for a government job and I have no sweet clue how. I'm in university and have a really great contact for a government job but I need a resume tailored to this job. I really need help. Anyone with a template or a helpful site or some suggestions thanks so much! PS I am in Canada so any Canadians that are feeling helpful I would appreciate it!

Public Comments

1. If you go to www.jobbank.gc.ca the Canadian government job bank has lots of good tips. However, be warned that government jobs must be posted and there will be lots of other applicants. Make sure you specify in your cover letter and resume exactly how you qualify, specifically mentioning anything in the job posting. They will want to know by actual example what experience you have in that area. If they say in the posting they need someone with experience dealing with the public in a stressful situation, you must tell them when you have done this and give an example. That might not come up until the interview, but it's possible if you are short listed, that you will be asked by email. This allows them to get their list down to a manageable size for interviews.
2. I am a recruiter in Canada, and in university I worked with the federal government teaching students how to write good resumes. Here are a few tips that I always suggest following when creating a good resume: -Make your resume clear and concise. When you look over it, you should be able to identify the key points in less than 5 minutes. -Highlight your key accomplishments. -Use the job description/ad that you are applying to in order to find your key skills for the position. Tailor your resume to the ad. -Don't go back more than 10 years in your prior work experience unless the position is relevant to the position you are applying for. -If you have more than 3-4 positions in the last 10 years, pick which ones are most relevant to the position you are applying for. -In your cover letter, identify who you are, why you are applying, your educational background in the first paragraph. In the second paragraph, outline your key skills and experience (you can do this in point or paragraph form), and in the third, provide the reader with your contact information, time to be contacted, and thank them for reviewing your application. -Be sure to include any education that you have had, be it a 1-hour course or a degree that you have received. -If it is a technical job, include a technical skills section with any hardware, software, applications, and other relevant skills. Some things that I have seen on resumes that aren't really relevant are things like hobbies/interests and awards (unless applicable). Regarding the format in which to create your resume, MS Word has different styles in their software. Pick the one that you are most comfortable using. Good luck!
3. Brianna's mom gave you some good advice. Definitely look at the job you are applying for, see what the responsibilities are in the job criteria, and try to match those to job or life experience you already have. Only thing I would add is that you can make your resume clearer and more interesting to the employer by using keywords that give a good impression. Here is an example: Badly worded: Aug 2000- Jul 2004: McDonald's in Kanata - took care of handing out food and cleaning the counters Better: Aug 2000 - Jul 2004: McDonald's franchise, Kanata, ON - Managed retail sales - Performed customer relations activities - Maintained a safe and clean environment Another thing to note...Make sure to note any languages you are fluent in (French, English, etc), as that is sometimes handy to them in any position that may deal with the public.