CV formats / Canada
🇨🇦 Canada CV format
Like the US, with Canadian spelling and a French requirement in Quebec.
- CalledRésumé
- PhotoAvoid
- Length1–2 pages
- Personal detailsNone — no photo, age, marital status or nationality
- Paper sizeLetter
- DatesMonth YYYY
- ReferencesOmit; supplied separately when asked
- LanguageEnglish; French for Quebec roles.
Canada follows the American pattern with a few local differences that matter.
No photo, no personal details
Same reasoning as the US and UK. Human rights legislation across the provinces makes it problematic for an employer to hold information about your age, marital status or ethnicity before an interview.
One or two pages
Slightly more permissive than the US. Two pages is unremarkable for someone with a few years of experience.
Quebec
Roles in Quebec frequently require French, and applications are often expected in French. Provincial language legislation makes French capability a practical requirement for many customer-facing and public-sector roles. State your level honestly.
Credential recognition
Foreign degrees often need an assessment — WES is the most commonly named — for regulated professions and for many employers. If you have one, say so. If you are a nurse, engineer, doctor or accountant, the relevant provincial regulator matters more than your CV format.
Other conventions
- Letter paper, not A4
- Canadian spelling sits between British and American: "organized" but "centre", "colour" but "analyze"
- Include your city and province, not a full address
- Volunteering is genuinely valued and worth a section
Build a Canada CV
Opens with the photo off and the page size set to Letter — the settings this country expects. Change anything you like.
Conventions as generally reported; verify against a current local source. Last updated 29 August 2026.