Australian resume format: what employers expect

The Australian resume format runs two to four pages, ends with referees and states your visa status. It leaves out your photo, date of birth and marital status. Australians use "resume" and "CV" for the same document, so either word in a job ad means this.

The layout

Put your name, phone, email and LinkedIn at the top of page one. Below that, Study Australia, the Australian Government's site for international students, lists these sections in order:

1. Personal statement: two or three sentences, or three or four bullets.
2. Work experience, most recent first.
3. Education and relevant study.
4. Visa status and work availability.
5. Technical skills.
6. Interests.

Referees go last. The University of Queensland's resume guide ends with them, and the next sections cover what to include.

How many pages

Two to four. UQ's careers guide says professional resumes in Australia are generally between two and four pages, and that many employers prefer two pages at most for internships and graduate programs. ASIC, the corporate regulator, caps resumes at four pages and says the last 10 years of your career is generally enough.

If the job ad states a length, follow it. UQ's checklist tells applicants to confirm the employer's preferred resume length before they send anything. For the reasoning behind page counts in general, see how long a resume should be.

Visa status and work rights

State it. Study Australia says to include your visa type, its expiry and any work restrictions, because it reassures the employer that you can legally work in Australia. For part-time roles, add the days and hours you are available.

One line does it, under its own heading or under your contact details: "Visa status: student visa, valid to March 2027. Available Monday, Wednesday and weekends."

What to leave out

UQ's guide lists four things to leave out: your age or date of birth, your marital status, your health status and your photo. ASIC's guide goes further and adds gender, family members, religious or political affiliations, illnesses and disabilities. It also asks for a resume that is not over-designed with colours, photos and unusual fonts.

Referees

Most employers will want at least two professional referees, according to UQ, and an academic can be one of them. For each, give their name, position, organisation, phone number and email. UQ notes that Australian employers prefer to call referees, so check the number is current and warn them a call may come.

If you need the space, or want to keep your search private, write "Referees available upon request" under the heading instead. UQ lists this as a common option. Some employers do not want references at the start anyway: ASIC asks for them only if you reach that stage.

Government jobs and selection criteria

Some applications ask for written responses to selection criteria alongside the resume. UQ's checklist tells applicants to confirm what the employer wants, whether a cover letter or criteria responses, and the length of each response. At ASIC the resume is the key document, and a cover letter is needed only when the ad asks for one. Read the ad twice and match its limits.

Example personal statement

"Business analyst with five years in banking, most recently mapping loan processes for a team of 40 in Sydney. Works daily in SQL and Power BI and runs requirements workshops with operations staff. Looking for a BA role in financial services."

Three sentences, inside Study Australia's range. Write without "I" or "me", as UQ's guide advises, and tailor the last sentence to each job. The guide to tailoring a resume shows how.

Build yours

Start an Australian resume with the Australia / NZ format: A4 paper, called a resume, with no photo or date of birth fields. It opens on Ledger; students can switch to Fresher. The business analyst and electrician examples are both written for Australia, with referees at the end.