Australian Resume Format — How to Write an Australian Resume
Australian resumes run two to three pages — longer than US resumes — carry no photo, and often include a short key-skills summary plus referees. In Australia the words resume and CV are used interchangeably for most jobs. This guide covers the Australian standard, ATS formatting, resumes for skilled migration and visa candidates, and role guidance for software engineers, data analysts, nurses, mining, marketing, managers, international students and tech.
Get your resume writtenThe Australian resume standard
Australia sits between the American and British conventions, and is more forgiving on length than either.
| Rule | Australian standard |
|---|---|
| Name | Resume and CV are used interchangeably for most industry roles |
| Length | Two to three pages — noticeably longer than a US resume |
| Photo | No |
| Personal details | No date of birth or marital status. Visa/work rights are commonly stated |
| Opening | A short professional summary, often followed by a Key Skills block |
| Referees | Commonly included by name, or "available on request" — more expected than in the US |
| Order | Summary → Key Skills → Experience → Education → Certifications → Referees |
| Spelling | Australian/British English — "organised", "specialised" |
ATS formatting for Australian employers
Large Australian employers and government departments commonly use Workday, PageUp, SmartRecruiters and Taleo.
- Single column, no text boxes or content tables
- Standard headings, consistent MM/YYYY dates
- Include licences and tickets where relevant — in Australia these are frequently screened for
- Text-based PDF or .docx
Visa, work rights and skilled migration
Australian employers screen on work rights early, so state yours explicitly.
- Put your status near your contact details: Australian Citizen, Permanent Resident, Temporary Graduate (485), Employer Sponsored (482), or Working Holiday (417/462) with expiry
- For skilled migration, a Skills Assessment by the relevant assessing authority (ACS for ICT, Engineers Australia, AHPRA for nursing) is usually required, and your resume is a supporting document — it must show dates, employer, hours per week and detailed duties that map to the ANZSCO code you are claiming
- A skills-assessment resume is deliberately more detailed than a job-application resume. Keep two versions: a detailed one for the assessment, and a tighter one for employers
Role-specific guidance
Software engineer — For ACS skills assessment, duties must map clearly to the ANZSCO occupation. For employers, lead with stack and impact.
Data analyst — SQL, Python/R and BI tooling; frame work as decisions supported. Government and finance roles often list specific platforms — match them.
Nurse — AHPRA registration status belongs at the very top. Include specialty, clinical settings, patient load, and any state-specific requirements. Clinical placements count for graduates.
Mining — Site experience, tickets and licences (White Card, HR licence, confined space), rosters worked (FIFO/DIDO), and safety record. Australian mining screening is licence-driven.
Marketing — Channel results with numbers plus the stack. Note Australian-market experience explicitly if you have it.
Manager — Team size, budget, scope, and any enterprise-agreement or union context in regulated industries.
International student — State your visa and work rights clearly, including hours permitted. Convert overseas qualifications to their Australian equivalent, and list any Australian placements or casual work — local experience carries weight.
Tech (general) — Keep referees available; Australian recruiters check them earlier in the process than US recruiters typically do.
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Frequently asked questions
For most industry jobs in Australia the two words are used interchangeably, and employers will accept either term for the same document — this is unlike the US, where a CV means a long academic document. The genuine distinction in Australia appears in academia and research, where a CV is longer and lists publications, grants and teaching. For a normal job application, a two-to-three page achievement-focused document is correct whichever it is called.
Two to three pages, which is noticeably longer than the US one-page convention. Australian recruiters expect enough detail to assess you properly, including a key skills block and reasonably detailed duty descriptions. A one-page resume can read as underdone. Resumes prepared for a skills assessment are longer still, because they must evidence dates, hours and detailed duties.
A skills assessment resume is a different document from a job-application resume and is deliberately more detailed. It must clearly evidence employment dates, employer details, hours worked per week, and duties written so they map to the ANZSCO code you are claiming, because the assessing authority — ACS for ICT, Engineers Australia for engineering, AHPRA for nursing — assesses against that code. Keep two versions: a detailed one for the assessment and a tighter one for employers.
Yes, more so than in the US. Australian recruiters check references earlier in the process, and including named referees with their title, organisation and contact details is normal and expected. 'Referees available on request' is acceptable if you would prefer to be asked first, but omitting the section entirely is unusual.
State it explicitly near your contact details — Australian Citizen, Permanent Resident, Temporary Graduate (485), Employer Sponsored (482), or Working Holiday (417/462) with the expiry date. Australian employers screen on work rights early and many ATS platforms ask directly. Being clear about your status and the hours you are permitted to work saves both sides a wasted screening call, and vagueness is filtered faster than an honest limitation.
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CV vs Resume — What's the Difference by Country
Whether you need a CV or a resume depends entirely on the country. In the US and Canada a resume is a concise one-to-two page industry document while a CV is a long academic one. In the UK and Ireland the everyday job-application document is called a CV. In Australia the two terms are used interchangeably. Across continental Europe conventions vary by country, and Europass is a separate standardised EU template. This guide explains the difference in each market and which document to send.
Last updated August 16, 2026