As a new migrant in Australia, one of the first things you’ll probably do is to look for a job.
Once you begin your job search in Australia, you might find that you’re not receiving calls or job offers.
This may be because your resume is not adapted to the Australian resume template or because it has grammatical, spelling, or syntax errors.
In this article, we’ve discussed some of the key points about how to present your resume for the Australian job market to maximise your chances of being called for a job interview.
Do I need a resume or CV?
Australian resumes could be quite different from many other resumes or CVs.
Technically speaking, there’s a difference between a CV (curriculum vitae) and a resume. A CV is usually used when applying for research, education or academic positions. It is usually longer as it includes publications, research, conferences and other key information.
A resume is used is to show your employment history to a possible employer. It’s a summary of your work experience and achievements.
In Australia, the word commonly used to refer to either a CV or a resume is simply ‘resume.’
What contact information should I include?
Provide your contact details, including your first and last names. If you have an English name, use open and close parenthesis, and place this in between your first and family names. For example: Zhang (Amber) Li
You should also include your email address and one phone number you can be reached at throughout the day.
With regard to your home address, you can mention the city/suburb you’re relocating in and your planned relocation date (month and year) if you’re not yet in Australia. You can also add your Skype address or other online communication tools where you can be contacted at.
Do I need to include a career objective section?
Replace your career objective with a professional summary section. This section is usually between 3-5 sentences. This should be compelling enough to draw the HR Manager or recruiter’s attention. It should give them a clear idea of why you’re applying for the job and what you can bring to the table.
How do I list my professional experience?
List your job titles, company names, and location (country only as the city does not matter at this point). You can also write a short company description.
Don’t forget to provide your dates of employment. All dates should be provided in the following format: month/year – month year.
Write 4-6 bullet points about your responsibilities and another 2-3 dot points to list your key achievements.
Give examples and provide numbers, whenever possible.
How do I list my education, licences, and registrations?
Similar to professional experience, you need to list the dates of your education as these are crucial to determine eligibility for many skill-based visas.
For example, in some certain countries, a ‘Diploma’ is a two-year qualification that is equivalent to a Bachelor’s Degree. But in others, a ’Diploma’ is a three-year qualification that is comparable to a Bachelor’s Degree.
If you have a skills assessment result for migration purposes, list all details. These include the name of occupation assessed, ANZSCO code of occupation assessed, name of assessing authority, outcome (positive or negative) and date of result.
You can also include your licences and registrations, date awarded, whether they are current, and the country in which they were awarded.
English test results are crucial for many jobs in Australia. If you have any English test outcomes, list them in detail including the name of the test (IELTS or OET), date of the test, and results for each part of the test (Speaking, Reading, Writing, Listening) and not just an overall score.
If you are still quite unsure of where to begin writing your Australian resume, read our article on five easy ways to format your resume. Make sure your resume pass the Australian resume checklist before you send this to employers.
Or you can always get in touch with local Australian resume experts. Amp-Up Your Resume has assisted numerous migrants to Australia with getting their foot in the door through high-impact resumes, making them overcome critical barriers in their job search.
