How Do I put the following on a resume?

Can someone give me some basic tips and advice for making a Resume for Vancouver?

• I'm heading out to Vancouver in three weeks and i just want to know what are some do's and don't on a Resume? I am Irish and i heard that there are a few differences, such as ye don't call them CVs like we do and such? So can you answer me on the following please? 1. What font should i use and what size? 2. Should i put down my age, date of birth and nationality (we do in Ireland but i read on the net that i shouldn't put these down for Canada)? 3. A4 size pages i presume? And should it just be one page, or two? And if two pages should it be back and front or two separate pages? 4. Should i put down the details of my references (and how many, 2, 3?) or should i just say 'available upon request'? 5. Im a university student, should i put down my exact college course and years and details or what? 6. If i'm sending these by email, what format should they be in (specifically)? 7. If theirs anything else im missing or anything else you can advise me on i would be much appreciated. *If it makes any difference, i will be sending most of these to employers on the net but i will also be hoping to hand them out once i get there if (and likely) i don't get a job before i head out). And i am asking this in the Vancouver travel section because it is the best place to get opinions off... Vancouver people! Thanks

• Answer:

  I don't know about in Vancouver, but here in Quebec we call them either: Curriculum Vitae (CV) or a resume. There is no right way to create a CV, but there certainly are some wrong ways. Most placement agencies and HR persons agree that you want to see a CV that is easy to read, contains no spelling errors, and kept to one page if you can. Keeping it to one page does not mean you choose the smallest font you can find. It must still be legible without having to be put under a microscope. For fonts, try not to use something to fancy. Arial, Courier, or Times New Roman are probably good choices. For size, anything 10pts to 14pts is probably good. You can adjust it to fit what you want to say on the page. If you have to get too small, go to two pages. If you don't have enough to fill a page, don't make the font humongous to compensate. Just use proper spacing techniques to make it look nice. You can put down your date of birth and nationality if you like, although it is not usually necessary, and usually not relevant to the position that you are applying for. You may simply want to mention in the cover page your nationality to explain your "visa status". Companies often want to know if they decide to hire you, whether there will be any work visa or immigration visa issues. In North America, our forms are generally printed on Letter or Legal size paper. A4 is a European standard and I believe is slightly narrower and longer than a Letter size page. However, I'm not sure I would change and use Letter. The different page size may actually make your resume stand out in the pile. Never print in duplex mode. A CV should always be printed only on one side of the page. It is a cleaner approach. For references, I would say that if you have the room, include two who are not your relatives but are reliable. If space is at a premium, just say "Available on Request". But be sure to get these people lined up before the prospective employer asks for them. You want to be able to fax or email them that list at a moment's notice, not have to say "Let me get back to you". As a university student, I would mention the program you are in or have complete, and perhaps any awards you've won. Perhaps mention any courses that are relevant to the job you are applying for, but don't mention every course taken. I would also mention any job that you had for the summer or part-time after school that may also be pertinent. That counts as actual job experience, which is important at your age when pretty much all the resume centers around the educational experience. Using "action" words are good to...."Managed..", "Responsible for...", "Coordinated..", etc. You can mention high school, especially if you graduated with honours or were valedictorian. Normally would be something like this: 2008: Northumberland High School, Graduated with honours. 2010-Present: University of Edinburgh, Civil Engineering program As for the delivery method, nothing beats a good ole fashioned mailed letter by post to be more effective in getting onto the HR person's desk. Hand delivered is okay too, if you are going to walk the beat and try to find something that way. Email of a CV is pretty much like spam, if the person doesnt want to read it or doesn't care, they may delete it and its gone forever. On the other hand, if the person you are sending to specifically asks you to email it, then you may want to ask them what format they prefer. If it were me, I would choose PDF document in that case. It is not that difficult to find a PDF convertor nowadays. Some are as little as £12 at the local computer store (CAD$25). Otherwise, I'd say use Word 97 format (not the new docx format as not everyone has it yet) or just plain text. If you have a chance to find this book, I would suggest picking up a copy of "What Colour is My Parachute?". I found it extremely useful to create my CV and cover letter, and how to prepare for the interview when I used it over 20 years ago, and the authors have been updating it each year with the various trends over time. http://www.amazon.com/What-Color-Your-Parachute-2009/dp/1580089305 Good luck with the job hunt.