Guide · Build your resume · Australia
Australian Resume Format: Rules, Template and Example
What Australian employers expect from a resume, what to leave off, how referees and selection criteria work, a labelled template, and how to show your visa and work rights.
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The Australian resume format is a reverse-chronological resume, usually two to four pages depending on your experience: contact details, a short career summary, your employment history with achievements, education and qualifications, skills, and two or three referees or a note that they are available on request. Leave off a photo, your date of birth, marital status, gender and religion, use Australian spelling (which follows British English), and if you hold a visa, say which one and any work limits. Some employers, especially in the public sector, will also ask you to address selection criteria.
A note on terms: Australians usually say resume, but SEEK notes that job ads use CV and resume interchangeably. Only an academic or research CV is a longer, different document.
Australian resume format at a glance
Two guides cover the basics well: the Victorian Government’s Live in Melbourne guide to applying for a job, written for people moving to Australia, and SEEK’s guide to writing a resume.
| Element | Australian convention |
|---|---|
| Length | Live in Melbourne says employers want a detailed picture of your experience and generally prefer two to four pages. SEEK says two pages or fewer can work for many people, depending on experience and the role. |
| Order | Reverse-chronological, most recent first. SEEK suggests a skills-based or combination layout for career changers or people returning after a break. |
| Opening | A short summary of your main qualifications and experience. SEEK calls an objective no longer necessary; Live in Melbourne treats it as optional. |
| Employment history | Job title, some context about each organisation, several verifiable accomplishments, gaps accounted for and older roles condensed at the bottom (Live in Melbourne). |
| Professional memberships | A section of its own if your industry expects them. |
| Referees | Two or three if the application asks, otherwise “available upon request”. |
| Spelling | An Australian dictionary; Live in Melbourne notes it follows British, not American, spelling. |
| Layout | Clear headings, bullet points and white space; SEEK advises avoiding headers, footers and tables. |
| File | The format the employer asks for; otherwise a PDF keeps your layout (SEEK). |
| Supporting documents | Take letters of commendation to the interview rather than attaching them. |
What to leave off an Australian resume
Live in Melbourne says there is no need to include personal details such as your age, marital status or religious beliefs, and lists marital status, gender, date of birth and driver’s licence as unnecessary personal information. SEEK adds nationality to that list and warns against bank details and other sensitive information.
| Detail | What to do |
|---|---|
| Photo | Leave it off; the suggested Australian layouts start with your name and contact details |
| Date of birth, age, gender | Leave them off |
| Marital status, religion | Leave them off |
| Nationality | Not needed; a visa or work-rights line tells the employer what they need to know |
| Driver’s licence | Only if the job needs one |
| Bank details, tax file number | Never on a resume |
An Australian resume template
Copy this labelled layout and fill in only what is true and relevant to the job.
[First name Last name]
[Suburb, state] · [Mobile with +61 or your country code] · [Email] · [LinkedIn URL]
Work rights: [for example: Australian citizen; or: Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485), full work rights until MM/YYYY]
Career summary: [Three or four lines: your role, years of experience, two strengths the job ad asks for and one result that proves them]
Employment history
[Job title], [Organisation], [City, country] | [Month YYYY] – present
[One line of context: what the organisation does and how big it is]
- [Accomplishment you can verify, with a number where you have one]
- [Accomplishment]
- [Accomplishment]
Education and qualifications
[Most important qualification first], [Institution], [Country], [Years] [plus “assessed as equivalent to an Australian bachelor’s degree”, if it has been]
Skills: [Software, tools, certifications and languages the ad names that you really have]
Professional memberships [if relevant]: [Body, membership level]
Referees: [Name, job title, organisation, phone, email] · [Name, job title, organisation, phone, email] [or: Available upon request]
Referees: an Australian custom
Referees are a normal part of an Australian application, so plan them as carefully as the resume itself. Live in Melbourne suggests:
- Speak to each referee before you list them, and tell them about each job you apply for.
- List an Australia-based referee if you can, for example someone you met through networking, unpaid work experience or volunteering.
- Refer to Australia wherever you honestly can, for example by noting that your qualifications have been assessed as equivalent to an Australian degree.
Your visa and work rights
The Department of Home Affairs says that to come to Australia to work you need a visa that suits the work you intend to do. Study Australia, run by Austrade, advises writing your visa type, its expiry and any work restrictions on your resume, so employers can see you are allowed to work. Visas you may see in job ads:
| Visa | What Home Affairs says it is for |
|---|---|
| Skills in Demand (subclass 482) | Lets an employer sponsor a suitably skilled worker for a position it can’t fill with a suitably skilled Australian |
| Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) | Lets international students live, study and work after they finish their studies |
| Working Holiday (subclass 417) | For young adults who want an extended holiday and to work to fund it |
| Special Category (subclass 444) | Lets New Zealand citizens visit, study, stay and work in Australia |
Employers can check your conditions themselves through VEVO, the Visa Entitlement Verification Online system, so make sure your resume line matches your actual visa. This is general information, not legal advice; check Home Affairs for your own case.
Australian job ads often spell out work rights, with lines such as “must have full working rights” or “sponsorship available”. Leepo’s “Can you apply?” check reads those lines along with the years of experience asked, where the company hires and degree requirements, and tells you in words whether you qualify before you spend an evening on the application.
Cover letters and selection criteria
Live in Melbourne says a typical application is a cover letter plus your resume, both tailored to the job, and that the cover letter should be no more than one page. Some applications also ask you to address key selection criteria, usually on a separate page, with specific examples of your skills and experience for each one. It stresses that when criteria are required, you need to answer them to be seriously considered.
Our guide on how to address selection criteria covers the STAR method, worked examples and the one- or two-page pitch many Australian Public Service agencies now ask for instead.
How to tailor your resume to an Australian job ad
Both SEEK and Live in Melbourne say to tailor your resume to each job. Our guide on how to tailor your resume to a job description has the full method; in short, list what the ad asks for, match each item to real evidence, put the strongest matches at the top and use the ad’s own words for skills you really have. To check the result, Leepo’s free resume checker compares your resume with one job ad and shows matched and missing keywords.
Worked example
A shortened, fictional job ad:
Marketing Coordinator, Melbourne. Coordinate email and social campaigns, manage our HubSpot database, report on campaign results and support events. You will have 2+ years in a marketing role, HubSpot or similar, strong writing skills and experience with Google Analytics. Must have full working rights in Australia.
Mei, a fictional marketer, spent three years at a consumer brand in Singapore, then completed a master’s degree in Melbourne and now holds a Temporary Graduate visa:
| The ad asks for | Mei’s evidence | Her change |
|---|---|---|
| 2+ years in marketing | Three years as marketing executive | Years in the career summary |
| Email and social campaigns | Ran monthly email campaigns to 80,000 subscribers | Lead with it, using the ad’s word “coordinate” |
| HubSpot | Used Mailchimp, not HubSpot | Name Mailchimp honestly; “or similar” covers it |
| Reporting, Google Analytics | Built a monthly campaign report in Google Analytics | Add a bullet and list it in Skills |
| Events | Volunteered at a Melbourne festival during her degree | Add it as local experience, with a local referee |
| Full working rights | Subclass 485 visa | Work-rights line with the expiry date |
Before: Marketing Executive, [Company], 2021–2024. Handled email marketing and social media.
After: Marketing Executive, [Company], Singapore | March 2021 – February 2024
Consumer skincare brand with about 150 staff, selling in Singapore and Malaysia.
- Coordinated monthly email campaigns to 80,000 subscribers in Mailchimp, lifting open rates from 18% to 24%
- Planned and scheduled social campaigns across Instagram and Facebook for three product launches
- Built a monthly campaign report in Google Analytics for the marketing manager
Every figure is Mei’s own, and the HubSpot gap is handled honestly.
Australian resume checklist
- Reverse-chronological, two to four pages, most relevant achievements near the top
- No photo, date of birth, gender, marital status or religion
- A work-rights line if you hold a visa, matching what VEVO shows
- Context for each overseas employer and any assessment of your qualifications
- Two or three referees, ideally one in Australia, or “available upon request”
- Australian spelling, a one-page cover letter, and selection criteria answered when asked
- Applying in other countries too? See our Canadian resume format and English CV for Germany guides.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a resume be in Australia?
Usually two to four pages, depending on your experience. The Victorian Government’s Live in Melbourne guide says Australian employers want a detailed picture of your experience and generally prefer two to four pages, while SEEK says two pages or fewer can work for many people. Recent graduates can often keep it to two.
Do Australians say CV or resume?
Mostly resume, but SEEK notes that Australian job ads use CV and resume interchangeably. Both mean the same job-focused document. The exception is an academic or research CV, which is longer and more detailed.
Should I put a photo on my resume in Australia?
No. A photo is not part of the usual Australian layout, and government guidance says there is no need to include personal details such as your age, marital status or religion. Keep the page about your experience and skills.
Do I need referees on an Australian resume?
Referees are a normal part of an Australian application. If the job asks for them, list two or three; otherwise write that they are available on request. Ask each referee first, and if you are new to Australia try to include one based in Australia, for example from volunteering or work experience.
Should I put my visa status on my resume in Australia?
Yes, if you are not an Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident. Study Australia, run by Austrade, advises stating your visa type, its expiry and any work restrictions, so employers can see you are allowed to work. One line under your contact details is enough.