Writing an Australian Resume as a New Migrant

Resume, Not CV

In Australia, 'resume' is the everyday term for the document you send with a job application; 'CV' (curriculum vitae) is generally reserved for academic and research roles, where a longer, publication-and-grant-heavy document is expected. If you're used to calling this document a CV, it's worth switching the word in your head — using 'CV' for a standard commercial job application isn't wrong exactly, but it's a small signal that reads as slightly off to a local recruiter.

Why the Format Is Genuinely Different, Not Just Stylistic

A resume built for the UK, India, much of Europe or parts of Asia often includes a photo, date of birth, marital status and sometimes nationality or religion as standard fields. Leaving those off an Australian resume isn't a style quirk — the Fair Work Act 2009 lists age, marital status, religion, pregnancy, family or carer's responsibilities and several other personal attributes as protected characteristics an employer should not be using to screen candidates on in the first place. A resume that volunteers this information doesn't help your application; at best it's ignored, and at worst it hands a recruiter information they're not supposed to be considering, and puts you in an awkward position if it's ever raised.

Practical rule: no photo, no date of birth, no marital status, no religion, no political affiliation. None of this is required, expected, or helpful on an Australian resume.

Length and Structure

Two to three pages is the norm for someone with real work experience; one page is fine early in a career. Recruiters typically spend well under a minute on a first pass, so a scannable structure with clear headings matters more than exhaustive detail. Standard section order: header (name and contact details), an optional short professional summary, work experience in reverse chronological order, education and qualifications, skills, and referees.

Use Australian English spelling throughout — organisation, colour, realise — since US spelling is a small but noticeable tell that the document wasn't tailored for this market.

The Header

Full name, a phone number (an Australian number once you have one; a clearly-marked country code if you're applying before you arrive), a professional email address, your city or suburb (not your full street address), and a LinkedIn URL if you keep that profile current. Nationality and visa type do not belong in the header.

Work Experience: Achievements, Not Duties

This is the section that actually gets read, and the section where 'what I did' and 'what I achieved' produce very different impressions. A line describing a duty — managing a team, running social media — tells a recruiter what your job was; a line describing an outcome, with a number where you genuinely have one, tells them what you're capable of. Neither needs to be exaggerated: a specific, honest number beats a vague superlative every time.

For each role, include the job title, employer name, dates (month and year), and two to four bullet points weighted toward outcomes rather than a list of responsibilities.

Education and Overseas Qualifications

List your qualification, institution and country, and completion year, in reverse chronological order. There's no need to formally establish equivalency to an Australian qualification on the resume itself — name the institution and country plainly, and let the employer ask if they need more detail. If your occupation is a regulated one requiring a formal skills assessment or professional registration to practise in Australia (nursing, teaching, engineering, trades and others), that's a separate process from your resume and belongs in your cover letter or interview conversation, not buried as a resume line item.

Skills Section

Group relevant professional and technical skills together, and be specific rather than generic — name the actual software, methodology or certification rather than writing 'strong computer skills'. A short languages line is worth including if you're genuinely multilingual, since it's a real point of difference in many Australian workplaces.

Referees, Not 'Available on Request'

Australian employers routinely check references before making an offer, and 'references available on request' is treated as a non-answer that just adds a delay. Include two to three referees by name, with their role, how they know you, and current phone and email contact details — after getting their permission first. A former manager or direct colleague who can speak specifically to your work is worth more here than a senior figure who barely knows you day-to-day.

Should You Mention Key Selection Criteria?

If you're applying for a government or public-sector role, the job ad may list formal 'key selection criteria' — specific capabilities the panel is required to assess against. Where these exist, address each one directly and separately, usually in a short statement or a dedicated response document rather than folding them awkwardly into your resume, since public-sector recruitment in Australia is often more formally structured than private-sector hiring.

Your Cover Letter

Most applications still expect a short cover letter — one page, three to four paragraphs: why this role and company, two or three specific examples matching your experience to what they're asking for, and a brief, genuine closing. Tailor it to the specific job every time; a generic letter reused across applications is easy for a recruiter to spot.

Disclosing Your Visa Status

Generally, leave it off the resume. If the role explicitly states no sponsorship is available and you would need it, that's worth knowing before you apply rather than after. If you already hold permanent residency or citizenship and the role specifically asks about work rights, a brief line stating that is fine. If you're on a visa that would require employer sponsorship for anything beyond its current term, a short, direct sentence in the cover letter — rather than the resume itself — is the more natural place to raise it.

LinkedIn

Keep your LinkedIn profile consistent with your resume — same job titles, same dates, same achievements — and treat it as a genuine second document rather than an afterthought, since many Australian recruiters check it before or instead of reading a full resume line by line.

Common Mistakes

Including a photo, date of birth or marital status out of habit from a different country's norms.

Writing a list of duties instead of outcomes — 'responsible for' is a weaker opening than a specific result.

Using US spelling throughout.

Writing 'references available on request' instead of naming referees.

Reusing one generic resume and cover letter for every application rather than tailoring both.

Burying a regulated-occupation registration or skills-assessment status where a recruiter has to hunt for it — put it in the cover letter plainly if it's relevant.

Next Steps

1. Strip the photo, date of birth, marital status and any other protected personal detail from your existing resume.
2. Rebuild your work experience section around outcomes, not duties.
3. Get permission from two or three referees and list them by name.
4. Match your LinkedIn profile to your resume.
5. Write a fresh cover letter for each specific application.

See our guide to finding your first job in Australia as a new migrant for the wider job-search process, and our myGov and TFN guides for what you'll need once an offer actually arrives.

Should I call it a CV or a resume in Australia?

Resume, for a standard job application. In Australia, CV is generally reserved for academic and research roles with a different, longer format expected.

Should I include a photo on my Australian resume?

No. Photos aren't expected, and personal details like a photo, date of birth or marital status sit close to the protected characteristics Australian anti-discrimination law says employers shouldn't be screening candidates on — leaving them off is standard practice, not just a style choice.

How long should an Australian resume be?

Two to three pages for someone with genuine work experience; one page is fine earlier in a career. Recruiters typically spend well under a minute on a first read, so a scannable structure matters more than length.

Should I put references or say 'available on request'?

List two to three referees by name with current contact details, after getting their permission. 'Available on request' is treated as a non-answer that just delays the process.

Should I mention my visa status on my resume?

Generally leave it off the resume itself. If it's genuinely relevant — for example the role states no sponsorship is available — a brief, direct line in the cover letter is the more natural place to raise it.

How do I list an overseas degree on an Australian resume?

Name the qualification, institution and country plainly, with your completion year, the same as any other qualification. If your occupation needs a formal skills assessment or registration to practise in Australia, that's a separate process to mention in your cover letter, not something to force onto the resume itself.