Australia résumé guide

Australian résumé format and examples: what employers in Australia expect

Australian résumés run a little longer than US or Canadian ones and usually end with referees. This guide covers the format, what to leave out, how to handle selection criteria and visas, and résumé examples by role.

Updated 26 October 2026 · ResumeGyani editorial team · 8 min read

Quick answer

An Australian résumé is usually two to three A4 pages in reverse-chronological order: contact details, a career summary, key skills, work experience with achievement bullets, education, and referees. Leave out your photo, age and marital status, use Australian spelling, and state your work rights clearly if you are not a citizen or permanent resident.

Length: 2–3 pages is common; graduates can use 1–2.
Referees: two names with contact details, or “available on request”.
Government jobs often need a pitch or responses to key selection criteria.
Add a visa or work-rights line near the top.

What format does an Australian résumé follow?

Australian employers expect a reverse-chronological résumé — latest role first — with a short career summary, a skills section and achievement bullets under each job. Most job ads in Australia are posted on SEEK, LinkedIn and employer career sites, and the résumé is typically uploaded alongside a cover letter.

Australian résumé norms at a glance
Element	Australian norm
Length	2–3 pages common; 1–2 for graduates
Paper size	A4
Order	Reverse-chronological
Opening	Career summary or profile, 3–5 lines; optional key skills list
Photo, date of birth, marital status	Leave out
Work rights	State them if you are not a citizen or permanent resident
Address	Suburb and state is enough (e.g. “Parramatta, NSW”)
Spelling	Australian English (organise, colour, centre)
Referees	Two referees at the end, or “available on request”
Government roles	Pitch statement or key selection criteria responses as instructed

Why leave out a photo, age and marital status in Australia?

Federal and state anti-discrimination laws make it unlawful to discriminate in employment on grounds such as age, sex, marital or relationship status, race and religion, and the Fair Work Act protects similar attributes. Australian employers therefore avoid asking for this information, and including it can make a résumé look unfamiliar with local practice.

Photo: leave it off unless the role is acting, modelling or similar.
Date of birth / age, marital status, children: leave out.
Religion, nationality, passport number: leave out; a work-rights line covers what employers need.
Tax file number: never on a résumé — only after you are hired.

How do you list referees on an Australian résumé?

List two referees — ideally recent managers — with their name, job title, organisation, phone and email, and always ask their permission first. If you prefer not to share contact details up front, write “Referees available on request”; both are accepted. Australian employers commonly call referees before making an offer, so brief them on the role.

Before

References: Available

After

Referees: [Name] — Engineering Manager, [Company], Melbourne · [phone] · [email]; [Name] — Team Lead, [Company], Sydney · [phone] · [email]

Use real referees who have agreed to be contacted and who supervised your work.

Should you use Australian or American spelling?

Use Australian spelling, which mostly follows British forms: organise, analyse, colour, centre, licence (noun), travelled. One common difference from UK English is that Australians usually write program for both software and schemes. Set your spell-checker to English (Australia) and stay consistent.

How do you address key selection criteria for government jobs?

Read the job pack and do exactly what it asks. Australian Public Service and state government roles are assessed against capabilities or key selection criteria; some agencies ask for a one- to two-page pitch explaining why you suit the role, while others ask for a separate response to each criterion.

1
Map each criterion to an example
Pick one specific, recent situation per criterion from your work, study or volunteering.
2
Use STAR
Situation, Task, Action, Result — spend most words on what you did and the outcome.
3
Mirror the language
Use the criterion’s key words in your opening sentence so the panel can score you quickly.
4
Respect the word or page limit
Panels may stop reading after the limit. Cut background before you cut results.

Your résumé still matters: the panel checks that the examples in your pitch are backed up by the roles and dates on your résumé.

How do you state your visa or work rights?

Put one line under your contact details. Recruiters often filter applications on work rights, so be specific and accurate:

“Australian citizen” or “Australian permanent resident”.
“Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) — full work rights until [month year]”.
“Will require employer sponsorship”.

Sample Australian résumé outline

Australian résumé outline

[Full name]
[Suburb, State] · [mobile] · [email] · [LinkedIn URL]
Work rights: [citizen / PR / visa subclass and expiry]

CAREER SUMMARY
[3–5 lines: role, years of experience, strengths, target position]

KEY SKILLS
[6–9 skills that match the job ad]

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
[Job title] — [Employer], [City]   [Mon YYYY – present]
• [Action verb + task + measurable result]
• [Action verb + task + measurable result]

EDUCATION
[Degree] — [Institution], [Country], [Year]

CERTIFICATIONS / LICENCES
[Name, issuer, year]

REFEREES
[Name — Title, Organisation · phone · email] ×2, or “Available on request”

Before you upload, paste the job ad into the free ATS score checker to see which keywords your résumé still misses.

Applying to Australian jobs from India: practical tips

Work rights first: if you need sponsorship, say so. For skilled migration, many occupations need a skills assessment from the relevant authority (for example Engineers Australia or the ACS for ICT roles); mention it once you have a positive outcome.
Grades: write CGPA with its scale (“CGPA 8.1/10”) or your percentage and class; don’t convert to an Australian grade yourself.
Time zones: Sydney and Melbourne are 4.5 hours ahead of India (5.5 during daylight saving); Perth is 2.5 hours ahead. Offer interview times in the employer’s time zone.
Notice period: if you have a 60–90-day notice period, give a realistic start date in your cover letter or when asked.
Remove India-only details: photo, date of birth, father’s name, declaration and signature.

Résumé examples by role

Each example follows the Australian format above — A4, career summary, achievement bullets and a referees section — with role-specific skills.

See every role in the Australian résumé directory, or compare with the UK CV and Canadian résumé guides. Applying across the Tasman? See the New Zealand résumé builder.

Build an Australian-style résumé

Choose an ATS-friendly template, write each section with AI suggestions and preview it free.

Open the Australia résumé builder

Questions people ask

How long should a résumé be in Australia?

Two to three A4 pages is common for experienced candidates; graduates can keep to one or two. Longer is fine only if every page earns its place.

Do Australian résumés include referees?

Usually yes — two referees with contact details at the end, or “Referees available on request”. Always ask your referees’ permission before listing them.

Should I put a photo on my résumé in Australia?

No. Photos, age and marital status are left out because Australian anti-discrimination laws protect those characteristics in hiring.

What are key selection criteria?

They are the capabilities a government role is assessed against. Depending on the agency, you either address each criterion separately or write a short pitch; use specific STAR examples either way.

Should I mention my visa on my Australian résumé?

Yes, if you are not a citizen or permanent resident. A single line with your visa type and work-rights expiry answers a question recruiters screen on.

Is a résumé the same as a CV in Australia?

Mostly. Australians use both words for the same document; “CV” more often means a longer academic or medical document.

Write a résumé that fits Australian expectations

Start from an ATS-friendly template, add your career summary, achievements and referees, and check it against the job ad before you apply.

Build my Australian résumé