How long should an Australian resume be?

Two to three pages is the norm for someone with a few years of experience, and one to two pages for a recent graduate. The American one-page rule does not apply here, and squeezing a decade of work onto a single page usually costs you the detail that would have won the interview. Beyond about four pages you are asking a lot of a recruiter, so trim the oldest roles down to a line each.

Do I need referees on my resume?

Australian employers expect referees, usually two, and it is normal to list them at the end with their name, title, organisation and contact details. Always ask permission first. Writing that referees are available on request is perfectly acceptable and is the better option if you do not want their phone numbers circulating with every application you send.

Is it called a resume or a CV in Australia?

Both, and they mean the same thing. Australian job ads use the two words interchangeably for the same two to three page document. The academic sense of CV, meaning a long publication and research record, only applies when you are applying for university or research positions, and those ads make it obvious.

Should I use Australian spelling on my resume?

Yes, if you are applying for Australian roles. Use organise, specialise, recognise, programme where it means a scheme, and centre. It is a small thing that a local reader notices immediately, particularly if the rest of the resume looks like it was written for a different market. Pick one convention and stay consistent across the whole document.

Do I need to mention my visa or work rights?

If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, say so plainly and name the visa you hold and the work rights that come with it. Employers are required to verify that you can legally work here, and leaving it unsaid tends to raise the question rather than avoid it. Citizens and permanent residents do not need to state anything.

What are key selection criteria, and do I need them?

They are the specific requirements listed in government and some public sector job ads, and they are usually answered in a separate document rather than in the resume itself. Each response works well in STAR form, so describe the situation, the task, the action you took and the result. Your resume still needs to support what you claim there, but the criteria responses are typically what the selection panel scores.

Will Australian employers run my resume through software?

Larger employers and most recruitment agencies do, so the file needs to be readable by software as well as by a person. That means a clear single-column layout, standard section headings, no text trapped inside images, and a PDF with real selectable text rather than a scan. Our templates marked as ATS-friendly are the single-column ones built for exactly this.

Australian resume format

The Australian resume format

Most resume advice online is written for the American market, where the rules are different. Here is what Australian employers actually expect, section by section, including length, referees, work rights and the personal details to leave off.

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Two to three pages is normal

The one-page rule is American. Australian employers expect two to three pages from an experienced candidate, and one to two from a recent graduate. Cutting real achievements to force a single page works against you here, so give your work history the room it needs.

No photo, and no personal details

Leave off your photo, date of birth, marital status, nationality and gender. Australian employers work to anti-discrimination obligations, and many recruiters would rather not receive that information at all. Your name, phone, email and suburb are enough.

Referees belong at the end

Most Australian resumes finish with two referees, giving each one's name, title, organisation and contact details. Writing that referees are available on request is also accepted, and is the safer choice until you have asked their permission.

Resume and CV mean the same thing

In Australia the two words are used interchangeably for the same job-application document. Unless you are applying for an academic or research post, a job ad asking for a CV wants the same two to three page resume as everyone else.

Australian spelling and local terms

Use Australian spelling throughout, so organise rather than organize and specialised rather than specialized. Give your qualifications their Australian names, and write dates the way the rest of the country does.

Government roles ask for more

Federal, state and local government roles usually list key selection criteria and expect a separate written response to each one, often in STAR form. Your resume still matters, but on its own it is only half of that application.

How an Australian resume differs

Most resume advice you will find online was written for the United States, and a fair amount of it is wrong for Australia. The single-page rule, the polished headshot, the objective statement at the top: none of those are Australian conventions, and following them can make an experienced candidate look thin or naive to a local recruiter. The underlying craft is the same everywhere, so lead with results rather than duties and keep it readable. What changes is the shape of the document.

Four differences matter most. Length runs longer here, with two to three pages standard for anyone with a few years behind them. Photos and personal details are left off, both because of anti-discrimination practice and because recruiters simply do not want them. Referees are expected at the end, either named or offered on request. And if you are applying into government, the resume is only part of the application, because the key selection criteria are answered separately and are usually what the panel scores you against.

None of this makes an Australian resume harder to write. It makes it a slightly different document, and knowing which rules to ignore saves you from trimming good work off the page. What follows is the section order Australian employers expect, then the questions that come up most often.

The section order, top to bottom

1
Contact details, kept minimal
Your name, phone number, email address, and your suburb and state. A full street address is no longer expected and a photo, date of birth and marital status should all be left off. Add a link to your professional profile if you keep one current.
2
A short professional summary
Three or four lines naming what you do, your years in it, and the two or three things you are strongest at. Write it for the specific role rather than as a general statement about yourself, and drop the old-style objective line entirely.
3
Work history, most recent first
For each role give your title, the organisation, the location and the dates. Then write bullets about what you achieved rather than what you were responsible for, with a number attached wherever the work produced one.
4
Education and qualifications
Your qualification, the institution and the year. Include any licences or tickets the job requires, such as a current driver's licence, a White Card, a Working with Children Check or professional registration, because Australian ads often screen on exactly those.
5
Skills, and work rights if they apply
A short, honest list of the skills the role actually asks for, rather than everything you have touched. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident, state your visa and your work rights plainly, since employers here have to verify them.
6
Referees
Two is the norm, with each one's name, title, organisation, phone and email. Ask them first. If you would rather not publish their details on a document you are sending to strangers, write that referees are available on request instead.
7
Check the length, then export a PDF
Two to three pages for an experienced candidate, one to two for a graduate. Read it once for Australian spelling, then send it as a PDF with selectable text so recruitment software can read it as easily as a person can.

Keep reading

Resume builder for Australia Browse all resume templates Free resume checker How to write a resume Resume examples by role Tailor your resume to a job

Australian resume format: FAQ

How long should an Australian resume be?: Two to three pages is the norm for someone with a few years of experience, and one to two pages for a recent graduate. The American one-page rule does not apply here, and squeezing a decade of work onto a single page usually costs you the detail that would have won the interview. Beyond about four pages you are asking a lot of a recruiter, so trim the oldest roles down to a line each.
Should I put a photo on my resume in Australia?: No. Australian resumes do not carry photos, and neither do they carry your date of birth, marital status, nationality or gender. Employers here work under anti-discrimination obligations and many recruiters prefer not to be given that information at all. The exception is performance work such as acting or modelling, where a headshot is part of the trade.
Do I need referees on my resume?: Australian employers expect referees, usually two, and it is normal to list them at the end with their name, title, organisation and contact details. Always ask permission first. Writing that referees are available on request is perfectly acceptable and is the better option if you do not want their phone numbers circulating with every application you send.
Is it called a resume or a CV in Australia?: Both, and they mean the same thing. Australian job ads use the two words interchangeably for the same two to three page document. The academic sense of CV, meaning a long publication and research record, only applies when you are applying for university or research positions, and those ads make it obvious.
Should I use Australian spelling on my resume?: Yes, if you are applying for Australian roles. Use organise, specialise, recognise, programme where it means a scheme, and centre. It is a small thing that a local reader notices immediately, particularly if the rest of the resume looks like it was written for a different market. Pick one convention and stay consistent across the whole document.
Do I need to mention my visa or work rights?: If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, say so plainly and name the visa you hold and the work rights that come with it. Employers are required to verify that you can legally work here, and leaving it unsaid tends to raise the question rather than avoid it. Citizens and permanent residents do not need to state anything.
What are key selection criteria, and do I need them?: They are the specific requirements listed in government and some public sector job ads, and they are usually answered in a separate document rather than in the resume itself. Each response works well in STAR form, so describe the situation, the task, the action you took and the result. Your resume still needs to support what you claim there, but the criteria responses are typically what the selection panel scores.
Will Australian employers run my resume through software?: Larger employers and most recruitment agencies do, so the file needs to be readable by software as well as by a person. That means a clear single-column layout, standard section headings, no text trapped inside images, and a PDF with real selectable text rather than a scan. Our templates marked as ATS-friendly are the single-column ones built for exactly this.

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