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Hi, it’s Dozie!
Welcome to today’s From the Editor.
Thanks to everyone who responded to last week's survey. The midweek newsletter will undergo some experiments over the coming weeks. So, please bear with me. And don’t hesitate to share feedback or what you liked as I figure out what the next iteration will be.
In today’s newsletter: Ruairi Spillane of Outpost Recruitment on how to make your CV work in Canada.
Also: Shari Graydon joins me on the podcast to talk about the Alberta referendum.
Plus, in today’s French in Canada: Nishant Anand shares the evaluation criteria for Section A of the speaking section in the TEF Canada exam.
See past issues here.
So your CV worked back home. But how do you make it work in Canada?
You’ve got the experience. You’ve got the qualifications. You’ve sent out 50 applications. And you’ve heard nothing back. Sound familiar?
After 14 years of helping international professionals land jobs in Canada, I can tell you the problem is rarely the person. It’s usually the document. A CV that opened doors in Dublin, Manila, Lagos or Sydney can quietly close them here. Not because it’s bad, but because it was built for a different audience.
The good news? Of all the things on your settling-in list, this is one of the easiest to fix. Here’s how.
Step 1: What should you take out?
Start by removing what Canadian employers don’t want to see. Human rights laws prohibit hiring decisions based on personal characteristics, so many recruiters would rather not see that information at all. Delete:
Your photo
Date of birth or age
Marital status, children, religion and nationality
Your full street address (city and province is enough)
“References available upon request” (it’s assumed)
Long lists of hobbies that don’t support your application
This one change alone makes your resume look like it belongs here.
Step 2: What should you add?
Your work status. Put it right under your name: “Permanent Resident,” “Open Work Permit valid to June 2028,” or “Relocating to Calgary, March 2027.” Uncertainty about eligibility is one of the most common reasons employers hesitate on newcomer applications. Don’t make them guess. Avoid terms like “open to relocate to Canada”; they sound too non-committal.
Local contact details. A Canadian phone number and a professional email address. Even an inexpensive virtual number shows you’re reachable during local business hours.
A professional summary. Four or five sentences at the top covering who you are, the roles you’ve held, your years of experience, your key credentials and what you want next. Tailor it for every application. It’s often the only part read closely on the first pass.
Read the full thing for three other tips, an illustrative before-and-after rewrite, and a checklist you can work through tonight. ⬇️
Shari Graydon is an award-winning writer, speaker, and feminist activist who has woven words to achieve social justice through print and broadcast media commentary, kids’ books, speeches, and spoken-word poetry for three decades.
She’s worked as a newspaper columnist, TV producer and press secretary to a BC premier. Since creating Informed Perspectives in 2010, she has trained thousands of women and gender-diverse experts to share their subject-matter insights more accessibly and engagingly, amplifying their influence and making Canada more democratic.
French in Canada with Nishant Anand
Q: What are the evaluation criteria for Section A of the speaking section in the TEF Canada exam?
A: Follow the chart below for the B2 level, which will help you achieve Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 or higher.
Evaluated on | B1-Francophone visa extension | B2-Express Entry/PR | C1-Mastery level | C2-Bilingual level/Native speaker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Task completion | You can complete the task in 5 minutes without any major difficulty. Your questions are detailed and show no major lack of clarity. | You ask detailed questions. Your ideas are structured and clear overall. You can understand the examiner and react to the answers. | Your questions are detailed and very clear. | Your questions are on the theme and relevant, with almost no difficulty in comprehension. Your ideas are well developed and detailed, with no doubts. |
Connectors | A few connectors are used to structure the section—such as Tout d'abord, ensuite, etc. | Various connectors are used naturally—such as D'ailleurs, étant donné que, etc. | Your ideas are easy to understand, and you use numerous connectors. | Your ideas are articulated clearly, and you use various connectors. |
Grammar and structure | Syntax errors are not very frequent. Your questions are clear and easy to understand, though there is some repetition. Mostly simple sentences, with an attempt to construct complex sentences. | Your syntax is clear, and you use diverse structures, with minor errors and very rare repetition. You use a mix of simple and complex sentences. | Your ideas are very well structured, with various grammatical structures and no repetition. Your sentences are simple and complex, but major ideas use advanced structures. | Your ideas are clear and easy to understand, using simple and complex structures, with no difficulty in explaining the context. |
Vocabulary | Your vocabulary is easy to understand and relevant to the proposed theme. | Your vocabulary is well placed in context, making the idea easy to understand. | Advanced vocabulary and various synonyms avoid repetition. The text is very easy to understand. | Your vocabulary choice is pertinent to the theme, with no words from other languages. The language fits the context. |
Pronounciation | There is mother-tongue influence, with a little hindrance to understanding the vocabulary. You show some hesitation or a lack of confidence when speaking. | Presence of mother-tongue influence is minimal. Your intonation is good: your voice rises at the end of your questions. No lack of confidence or hesitation. | There is no accent in your voice, and your intonation is very clear, with no difficulty understanding. You pause as required. | — |
Newsletter writer: Dozie Anyaegbunam
Want to work with us? Check out The Newcomers Media Kit.
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