Five Tips for Customizing Your Resume for Canada’s Private Sector

As discussed in the first article of this series, the hiring process in the private sector is more flexible and typically puts a higher value on soft skills that are more difficult to document. For this reason, the role of the resume in the private sector is to get you the interview, at which point you will be able to elaborate on why you are the perfect candidate. Your resume should, therefore, excite the employer about your potential to contribute to the team and to grow in your role.

The following are five tips for customizing your resume for a private sector opportunity. If you have questions about this process, we are always ready to help.

1. Highlight vertical-relevant experience
   Private sector employers want to see experience that is directly relevant to their industry. If you are applying for a contract with a financial services firm, highlight your project experience working in that vertical.
2. Detail project size, scope and success.
   Describe the size and scope of the projects on which you have worked. Most important, detail your successes. How was the project a success? What was your personal contribution to its success?  Whereas the public sector looks for lists of tasks performed, the private sector looks for specific accomplishments.
3. Demonstrate your career growth as specialist.
   Private sector employers like to see that you have had a career plan and followed it, moving to increasingly senior and/or specialized positions. Organize your experience chronologically by position and employer to show your career growth.
4. Use current technical language.
   Show you are up-to-date with the latest industry trends by using current buzzwords. Of course, you will need to back it up in the interview. So make sure that the currency of your skills matches the currency of your language.
5. Keep it concise.
   Your resume is your foot in the door. It should compel the employer to call you, but not provide so much detail as to be overwhelming. Whereas a public sector resume might be 30-40 pages, a comparable private sector resume might be 3-5 pages. 
    

We are here to help
At Veritaaq, we understand the hiring practices of the public and private sectors and have 28 years of experience providing IT professional services to departments and firms within those sectors. We work with you to ensure you make the strongest possible submission for each engagement opportunity. We are committed to your success. 

If you are an IT consultant looking for employment opportunities, please contact us for more information about how we can help you find your ideal contract opportunity and work with you to win the contract.