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Resume Template Australia

Guide: Writing an Australian Resume, Fair Work and Anti-Discrimination Standards
Format, referees, visa status, length, and Australian hiring culture
Guide · not printed

Australian resume structure

  • An Australian resume includes: name and contact details, professional summary (3 to 5 lines), work experience (reverse chronological), education and qualifications, skills, and referees (2 to 3). Referees are included on the resume itself, a significant difference from US practice. Source: Workforce Australia, workforceaustralia.gov.au.
  • Length: 2 to 4 pages for most roles, depending on experience. Unlike the US one-page standard, Australian employers expect more detail. Senior professionals and executives may use up to 5 pages. Academic and government applications follow their own format requirements. This reflects common Australian hiring practice, not survey data.
  • No photo is required or expected on an Australian resume. Leaving it off keeps the focus on your experience, in line with anti-discrimination laws such as the Age Discrimination Act 2004, the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, and the Sex Discrimination Act 1984. Source: Australian Human Rights Commission, humanrights.gov.au.
  • Visa status: if you are not an Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, state your work rights clearly, e.g. "Full working rights (Temporary Graduate Visa, subclass 485)" or "Permanent Resident, unrestricted work rights." Most employers check work rights before hiring. Source: Department of Home Affairs, homeaffairs.gov.au.

Referees and professional culture

  • Two to three professional referees are standard on Australian resumes. Include: name, job title, organisation, phone number, and email. Always seek permission before listing someone as a referee. Former managers are strongly preferred over peers or personal contacts. Source: SEEK career advice, seek.com.au.
  • Cover letters: expected for most non-digital applications in Australia. Should be 3 to 4 paragraphs and address the key selection criteria listed in the job advertisement. Government and public sector roles often require formal written responses to Selection Criteria, a separate document entirely. Source: Australian Public Service Commission, apsc.gov.au.
  • Key Selection Criteria (KSC): many federal, state, and local government roles ask candidates to address selection criteria, while some agencies ask for a short statement instead. Follow the format in the job advertisement and support each criterion with specific examples, for instance using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Applications that do not address the requested criteria are often not shortlisted. Source: APSC, apsc.gov.au.
  • Quantify achievements wherever possible: Australian recruiters increasingly expect evidence-based resumes. Use specific metrics: revenue generated, cost saved, team size managed, percentage improvements. Source: SEEK Hiring Insights 2023, seek.com.au.

Legal rights and the Australian job market

  • Anti-discrimination law: it is unlawful for Australian employers to discriminate in hiring based on age, disability, race, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, religion, or political opinion. Relevant legislation: Age Discrimination Act 2004, Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Fair Work Act 2009. Source: Australian Human Rights Commission, humanrights.gov.au.
  • National Minimum Wage: as of 1 July 2026, the Australian National Minimum Wage is $26.44 per hour or $1,004.90 per week. Award and enterprise agreement rates may be higher. Always negotiate based on industry benchmarks. Source: Fair Work Commission, fwc.gov.au.
  • Salary negotiation: state salary expectations as an annual package in AUD. Confirm whether super (superannuation at 12% from 1 July 2025) is included or on top. "Package" vs "base" is a key distinction; always clarify. Source: ATO, ato.gov.au.
  • LinkedIn is widely used for professional networking in Australia, and SEEK is one of the main job boards. Ensure your LinkedIn is consistent with your resume. Source: SEEK, seek.com.au.

People also ask

How long should an Australian resume be?

2 to 4 pages for most roles. Graduate and entry-level candidates: 2 pages. Mid-career professionals: 3 pages. Senior professionals and executives: 4 to 5 pages. Australian employers expect more detail than US employers; do not artificially compress your resume to one page. Academic CVs for university positions have no set length limit. Government applications may require a separate statement addressing key selection criteria, which is not counted as part of the resume. This reflects common Australian hiring practice, not survey data.

Should I include a photo on my Australian resume?

No. Photos are not standard on Australian resumes and most employers do not expect one. Australian anti-discrimination law makes it unlawful to make hiring decisions based on age, race, sex or disability, so many recruiters prefer resumes without personal details such as a photo. Roles where appearance is part of the work (e.g. acting, modelling) are a common exception. Source: Australian Human Rights Commission, humanrights.gov.au.

How many referees should I include?

Two to three referees is standard in Australia. Include their full name, job title, organisation, phone number, and email address. Always obtain permission before listing someone. Referees are typically contacted after an interview, not at the application stage, but including full contact details on the resume is expected. Former direct managers are the strongest referees. Personal references (family, friends) are generally not accepted. Source: SEEK career resources, seek.com.au.

Do I need to state my visa status on an Australian resume?

Yes, if you are not an Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident. Employers who allow a non-citizen to work without valid work rights can face penalties under the Migration Act 1958, so most check work rights (often through VEVO) before hiring. Include a brief statement: "Full working rights, Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate Visa, valid to [date]" or "Permanent Resident, unrestricted work rights." Australian citizens and PR holders do not need to mention citizenship. Source: Department of Home Affairs, homeaffairs.gov.au.

What is superannuation and how does it affect my salary negotiation?

Superannuation (super) is Australia's compulsory retirement savings system. Employers must contribute 12% of an employee's ordinary time earnings to a complying super fund (rate from 1 July 2025, ATO). When a salary is quoted as a "package," it typically includes super. When quoted as "base" or "exclusive of super," super is paid on top. Always clarify whether the quoted figure is inclusive or exclusive of super. Source: Australian Taxation Office, ato.gov.au.

Before you apply, read the Donezo Golden Rules · 10 honest rules for CVs, motivation letters and applications that get replies.

Sarah O'Brien

Senior UX Designer
Melbourne VIC 3000 +61 4 1234 5678 sarah.obrien@email.com.au linkedin.com/in/sarahobrien-ux
Australian Citizen, Full Working Rights
Professional Summary
Senior UX Designer with 10 years of experience in product design, design systems, and user research across fintech, e-commerce, and SaaS sectors. Proven track record of leading design for products used by more than 2 million Australians. Deep expertise in Figma, accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.2), and design-led product discovery. Seeking a lead design role in a mission-driven product company.
Work Experience
Senior UX DesignerFeb 2021 to Present
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA)  ·  Sydney, NSW
Led UX for CommBank app's savings and investments feature suite, used by 2.1M active users. Reduced task completion errors by 34% through research-led redesign of the term deposit flow. Managed a team of 3 junior designers and presented to C-suite stakeholders quarterly.
UX/UI DesignerMar 2018 to Jan 2021
SEEK Limited  ·  Melbourne, VIC
Designed core job seeker experience features across web and iOS. Improved application completion rate from 58% to 79% through iterative usability testing with 200+ participants. Contributed to SEEK's Design System (Braid) component library.
Product DesignerJan 2016 to Feb 2018
Atlassian  ·  Sydney, NSW
Designed Jira mobile onboarding and notification systems. Contributed to accessibility compliance across core Jira workflows, achieving WCAG 2.1 AA across 14 key user flows.
Education
Bachelor of Design (Communication Design)
RMIT University, Melbourne
2012 to 2015 · GPA 3.7/4.0
Referees
Michael Chen
Head of Design, CBA  ·  Former direct manager
m.chen@cba.com.au  |  +61 4 0000 1234
Priya Nair
Design Lead, SEEK  ·  Former manager
p.nair@seek.com.au  |  +61 4 0000 5678
Core Skills
Figma Design Systems User Research Prototyping Usability Testing WCAG 2.2 iOS / Android Miro Jira
Certifications
Nielsen Norman UX Cert  ·  2022
Google UX Design Certificate  ·  2021
Work Rights
Australian Citizen
Full working rights, no restrictions
Languages
English · Native
Mandarin · Conversational

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