Australian Resume Format: What Employers in Australia Expect

Australian resumes are longer than American ones — two to three pages is entirely normal and brevity is not prized the way it is in the US. Two features catch international applicants out: referees are usually named up front rather than withheld, and public-sector roles require separate written responses to selection criteria that the resume does not replace.

Australia resume rules at a glance

• Name: Resume and CV are used interchangeably in Australia
• Length: Two to three pages. Three is unremarkable for experienced applicants
• Photo: No
• Personal details: No date of birth or marital status. State your work rights if you are not a citizen or PR
• Date format: DD/MM/YYYY or Month YYYY
• Spelling: Australian English — organise, specialise, centre, licence (noun)
• References: Two named referees with title, organisation and contact details are commonly expected
• Paper size: A4

What to include, in order

1. Contact details and work rights
2. Career summary
3. Key skills / capabilities
4. Employment history with achievements
5. Education and professional development
6. Referees — usually two, named with contact details

Mistakes that cost people interviews in Australia

• Compressing a decade of experience onto one page because of American advice — Australian reviewers expect the detail.
• Writing 'referees available on request' when the norm is to name two.
• Submitting only a resume for an APS or state government role that asked for selection criteria responses; those are assessed separately and a missing response usually means automatic rejection.
• Failing to state work rights as an overseas applicant, which leaves recruiters assuming sponsorship is required.
• Using US spelling, which is conspicuous to Australian readers.

Australia resume questions

How long should an Australian resume be?

Two to three pages. Australian recruiters expect enough detail to assess capability against the role, and a one-page resume from an experienced candidate typically reads as underdone rather than concise.

What are selection criteria and do I need to answer them?

Australian government and many university roles list specific criteria such as 'demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities'. You answer each one in a separate document, usually in STAR format — situation, task, action, result — in roughly 200 to 250 words each. Your resume does not substitute for them, and applications missing them are generally not assessed.

Do I need to include referees on an Australian resume?

Usually yes. Two referees with name, job title, organisation and phone or email is the Australian convention, and withholding them can slow your application. Always ask permission first.