Doc Summary
A professional Australian resume is concise (1–3 pages depending on experience), achievement-focused, and easy for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to parse. Use a clear reverse-chronological format, align your skills with the job ad, quantify outcomes, and avoid personal details like photos or date of birth.
Quick steps to tailor your resume for Australian employers #
- Choose a reverse-chronological layout with simple formatting.
- Show a targeted professional summary (3–5 lines) with keywords from the ad.
- List 8–12 role-aligned skills (hard + soft).
- Quantify achievements in each job using action verbs and metrics.
- Include education, licences, and certifications relevant to Australia.
- Localise titles/terminology and use Australian spelling.
- Save as PDF unless the employer requests Word.
- Keep it to 2 pages for most roles (3 for senior/technical).
- Exclude photo, DOB, marital status, or full address.
- Name the file professionally: Firstname-Lastname-JobTitle-Resume.pdf.
What Australian employers expect #
Hiring managers and recruiters favour clean, skimmable resumes that highlight recent achievements and relevant capability. Long personal statements, tables, graphics, and dense blocks of text reduce readability and may break ATS parsing. For authoritative local guidance, see SEEK Career Advice and the Australian Public Service Commission tips.
Essential sections and how to write them #
Contact header #
- Name, mobile, professional email, LinkedIn URL, city/state (e.g., Melbourne VIC).
- Optional: working rights (e.g., “Full Australian working rights”). Check visa conditions via Home Affairs.
- Do not include: photo, date of birth, marital status, or full street address. See Fair Work guidance.
Professional summary (tailored) #
Three to five lines that prove fit for the role. Mirror priority keywords from the job ad and Australian terminology.
Example: Customer-centric Retail Manager with 7+ years improving conversion (+18%) and shrinkage reduction (−12%). Expert in team coaching, planograms, and POS analytics. Certificate IV in Leadership & Management; current RSA. Available for weekend trading.
Key skills #
List 8–12 capabilities aligned to the ad. Mix technical and behavioural skills. Where relevant, use occupation language from ANZSCO to improve alignment (e.g., “stakeholder engagement”, “risk management”).
Experience (achievement-focused) #
- Company, role, city, dates (month/year).
- 1–2 line scope summary.
- 3–6 bullets of achievements. Lead with action verbs; quantify outcomes; apply STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
Example bullet: Led 8-person sales team to deliver +22% YoY revenue by launching weekly pipeline reviews and upsell scripts; ranked #1 of 12 stores in Q4.
Education, licences, certifications #
- Australian-recognised qualifications (e.g., Certificate IV, Diploma, Bachelor).
- Role-specific: White Card, Working With Children Check, RSA, AHPRA registration, vendor certs.
- Have overseas skills but no local qualification? Explore Skills Recognition/RPL via Your Career (Gov) or ask us about mapping your experience to Australian qualifications.
Optional sections #
- Projects (with measurable outcomes)
- Volunteering / placements (valuable for students and new migrants)
- Professional affiliations
- Referees available on request (or list 2 with permission)
Tailoring for the ad and passing ATS #
- Extract 10–15 keywords from the job ad and weave them naturally into your summary, skills, and experience.
- Use standard section headings (Summary, Skills, Experience, Education) and simple fonts (Calibri/Arial/Helvetica, 10.5–12pt).
- Avoid tables, text boxes, headers/footers, and graphics that can break ATS parsing.
- Use Australian spelling (organisation, licence, program/programme as applicable).
- Save as PDF unless the ad requests DOCX.
Common mistakes to avoid #
- Overlong resumes (keep most at 2 pages; senior/technical 3 max).
- Generic objectives like “seeking growth”. Replace with a targeted summary.
- No results or metrics. Always quantify where possible.
- Irrelevant personal details (photo, DOB, full address).
- Unexplained employment gaps. Briefly note context (e.g., study, relocation).
- Un-Australian terminology or jargon; localise job titles and tools.
Sample Australian resume outline #
- Contact: Name | Mobile | Email | LinkedIn | City, State | Working rights (optional)
- Professional Summary: 3–5 lines tailored to the role
- Key Skills: 8–12 targeted capabilities (hard + soft)
- Experience:
- Employer | Role | City | MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY
- Scope: brief context (team size, budget, product)
- Achievements: 3–6 bullets with metrics
- Education: highest recent first
- Licences & Certifications: Australian requirements first
- Projects / Volunteering / Affiliations (optional)
- Referees (on request or listed with permission)
New to Australia? Strengthen local relevance #
- Translate overseas job titles to common Australian equivalents (e.g., “Sales Associate” → “Retail Sales Assistant”).
- Convert results to local measures (AUD, km, %, metrics per week/quarter).
- Add any local training, micro-credentials, or volunteering to show Australian workplace familiarity.
- Consider RPL to align your experience to Australian qualifications—this can boost employer trust.
Helpful external resources #
- SEEK Resume Advice: https://www.seek.com.au/career-advice/resume
- APS Resume Tips: https://www.apsc.gov.au/working-aps/applying-for-aps-job/resume-writing-tips
- ANZSCO Occupation Language: ABS ANZSCO
- Visa Work Conditions: Home Affairs
- Skills Recognition (RPL): Your Career (Gov)
Get expert help #
Need a professional, ATS-friendly resume tailored to Australian employers? Skills Campus can craft and optimise your resume, map your overseas experience to local qualifications via RPL, and guide you on job-ready training so you stand out fast.
Explore more at https://skillscampus.com.au. To get started today, contact us: https://skillscampus.com.au/contact
