TL;DR: For most Australian jobs, aim for a resume of about two pages, three at most, in reverse-chronological order: contact details, a short summary, key skills, work experience, education, any licences or checks the role needs, and referees. State your work rights if you are on a visa, and leave off your photo, age and marital status. Australian Public Service roles usually also ask for a pitch statement or responses to selection criteria.
Most resume advice online is written for the US market, and some of it does not fit Australia. The one-page rule, the photo and the date of birth all trip people up. This guide covers the format Australian employers and recruiters expect, section by section, with the sources behind each point.
In Australia, "resume" and "CV" are used interchangeably. Even the Australian Public Service Commission's applicant guide asks for "a copy of your CV or resume", so one well-formatted document covers either request.
How Long Should an Australian Resume Be?
Aim for about two pages. SEEK's advice is to consolidate your best information into a 2-3 page snapshot, noting that employers usually have little time to read more than two pages. Three pages is reasonable if you have many years of relevant experience; recent graduates and people with one or two roles can stay at one to two.
Government roles can run longer. The APSC's Cracking the Code guide says most CVs it sees are between two and six pages, and that a selection panel may ask for a specific length. When a job pack sets a limit, follow it.
Length is not the goal, though. A recruiter's first scan takes seconds and focuses on the top of page one, so your summary, key skills and most recent role need to do the work.
The Section Order That Works
Use reverse-chronological order, most recent role first. The APSC guide asks for employment history in this order, with actual dates, and it parses cleanly in applicant tracking systems.
- Contact details
- Professional summary
- Key skills
- Work experience
- Education and qualifications
- Licences, certifications and checks (where relevant)
- Referees
If you are changing careers, a strong summary and a skills section that leads with transferable skills matter more than the order of your jobs.
Contact Details: Less Than You Think
At the top of page one, in the body of the document rather than a page header:
- Full name
- Mobile number
- Email address (a name-based one, not a nickname)
- LinkedIn URL
- City and state, for example "Geelong, VIC" or "Newcastle, NSW"
You do not need your full street address. City and state tell the employer whether you are local or would need to relocate.
What to Leave Off
- Your age or date of birth, gender, and marital status. The APSC guide says plainly that there is no need to include them. Age and marital status are also protected attributes under the Fair Work Act, and the Fair Work Ombudsman notes that the protection covers prospective employees, so most employers would rather not see them.
- A photo. SEEK's formatting advice says you don't need to include one. The exceptions are fields such as acting or modelling, where you might be asked for a photo.
- Hobbies that have nothing to do with the job. The APSC guide suggests including other activities only when they are relevant.
Leaving these out frees space at the top of the page for information that actually helps you get shortlisted.
Work Rights: Say It Up Front
It is illegal for an Australian employer to hire a non-citizen who does not hold a valid visa, or to give them work that breaches their visa conditions, and Home Affairs tells employers to check a potential employee's visa work conditions. Many ask about work rights in the application itself.
If you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, one line is enough, or you can leave it to the application form. If you are on a visa, state your work rights clearly, for example "Full working rights (Temporary Graduate visa, valid to 2028)". An unclear status can quietly move you down the pile.
Work Experience: Achievements, Not Duties
For each role, put the title, employer, location and dates on one line, in the same order every time:
Operations Coordinator | Coastline Logistics | Brisbane, QLD | Mar 2022 - Present
Then three to six bullets that open with an action verb and end with a result:
- "Rebuilt the weekly dispatch schedule, cutting late deliveries from 9% to 3% over six months."
- "Trained four new coordinators on the warehouse management system."
Use one date format throughout. The APSC guide also suggests explaining any gaps in employment; a single honest line, such as study, caring responsibilities or travel, is enough.
Licences, Certifications and Checks
Many Australian roles need specific checks or licences, and listing them saves the employer a question:
- Working with Children Check for education, childcare, health and community roles. Each state and territory runs its own scheme: Queensland's is called a blue card, and the ACT and Tasmania use a Working with Vulnerable People check.
- National Police Check
- Driver's licence, if the role involves driving
- Industry tickets, such as a White Card for construction sites, RSA for serving alcohol, or First Aid and CPR
Include the issuing state for a working with children check, since these checks generally do not transfer between states and territories.
Referees
Include a Referees section. The APSC guide asks for the name and contact details of referees who can support your application, and suggests noting any who should only be contacted if you are in contention for the job.
Choose two referees, ideally recent managers, and ask each of them first. For private-sector applications, some candidates write "Available on request" instead of listing details. If you do, have your referees ready before the interview, and for government roles follow the job pack, which usually asks for their contact details.
Australian English and Formatting
- Use Australian spelling: organise, optimise, centre, colour, and licence (noun) but license (verb).
- If you write dates as numbers, use day, month, year.
- Keep to a single column with standard headings such as Work Experience and Education. Multi-column templates and tables often scramble in applicant tracking systems.
- Send a text-based PDF unless the ad or portal asks for Word, and never a scanned image of your resume.
Our ATS resume tips cover layout and keywords in more depth.
Government and APS Applications Are Different
Applications for the Australian Public Service usually ask for more than a resume. The APSC guide lists what an information pack may request, including:
- A pitch statement about how your skills and experience meet the job requirements
- Responses to selection criteria, or answers to specific questions
- Referees' contact details
Stick to the limit the pack sets, whether that is a one or two page pitch or a word count. The APSC guide describes the STAR model as one way to set out evidence against selection criteria: what the situation was, your task, the actions you took, and the result. Our guide to behavioural interview questions and the STAR method shows how to structure those examples.
A Quick Australian Resume Checklist
| Section | Check |
|---|---|
| Length | About two pages, three at most, strongest material on page one |
| Contact | Name, mobile, email, LinkedIn, city and state |
| Personal details | No photo, age, gender or marital status |
| Work rights | Stated clearly if you are on a visa |
| Experience | Reverse-chronological, results in bullets, one date format, gaps explained |
| Checks and licences | Listed where the role needs them |
| Referees | Two listed, or "Available on request" for private-sector roles |
| Language | Australian spelling throughout |
| File | Text-based PDF, or Word if the ad asks |
When your resume passes this checklist, run it through our free resume checker against the job ad you are targeting, or rebuild an older CV with the AI resume builder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the standard resume format in Australia?
A: Reverse-chronological, about two pages, with contact details, a short summary, key skills, work experience, education, any relevant licences or checks, and referees. Leave off your photo, age and marital status.
Q: Is a CV the same as a resume in Australia?
A: Yes, the two words are used interchangeably, including in the Australian Public Service Commission's own applicant guide. Academic roles may expect a longer CV that lists publications, and the job ad will usually say so.
Q: Do I need to include referees on my Australian resume?
A: Include a Referees section with two referees' contact details, which is what the APSC guide asks for. In private-sector applications, "Available on request" is a common alternative.
Q: Should I put my visa status on my resume?
A: If you are on a visa, yes. Employers need to know that your visa lets you do the work, so state your work rights in one clear line near the top.
Q: How is an APS application different from a normal job application?
A: Most APS roles ask for a pitch statement or responses to selection criteria as well as a resume, within a set word or page limit. The APSC describes the STAR model as one way to structure that evidence.
