A free, ATS-friendly Australian resume builder used by candidates at Atlassian, Canva, Commonwealth Bank, Telstra, and the Australian Public Service. 2–4 pages, achievement-focused, and aligned with Australian hiring conventions.
Australian resumes are longer than US ones — typically 2–3 pages, sometimes up to 4 for senior or government roles. Australian recruiters want detail: full work history, achievements with numbers, and clear evidence of how you've performed.
For government and public service roles, you'll often need to write a separate "selection criteria response" addressing each requirement using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Private sector roles are more flexible but still favour detail over brevity.
Use our free builder to create an Australian-style resume that satisfies both private employers and APS (Australian Public Service) selection panels.
Six rules every Australia resume must follow.
2–3 pages standard private sector. Up to 4 pages for senior or government roles.
British-style spelling: "organisation", "colour", "realise". Set spellcheck to en-AU.
Australian anti-discrimination laws discourage photos, age, marital status, and nationality.
Situation–Task–Action–Result format for major achievements, especially for government roles.
Government roles need a separate document addressing each criterion in 250–500 words.
"March 2020 – June 2023" — written out, not numerical.
The exact structure recruiters in Australia expect.
Name, suburb + state, mobile (Australian format), email, LinkedIn URL.
4–6 sentence overview: years of experience, specialty, key strengths, target role.
10–15 hard and soft skills, keyword-rich for ATS.
Reverse chronological. Detailed bullets with STAR-format achievements.
Degree, institution, graduation year. Include relevant short courses, RPL credentials.
Industry bodies — CPA Australia, Engineers Australia, AHPRA, ACS.
Industry awards, employee-of-the-year, published work.
Two professional referees with name, role, employer, phone, email — usually included.
Quick reference of country-specific rules.
| Length | 2–3 pages standard; up to 4 for senior or APS roles |
| Photo | Never |
| Spelling | Australian English (British-style) |
| Referees | Typically included on the resume — 2 professional referees |
| Government Roles | Require selection criteria response (STAR method) |
| Visa Status | List if you're not a citizen — important for employers |
| Memberships | Professional body memberships heavily valued (ACS, CPA, etc.) |
| Cover Letter | Always required — 1 page |
| Salary Expectations | Sometimes asked upfront in the application |
Copy-ready opening lines and impact statements.
Typically 2–3 pages for private sector, up to 4 pages for senior or government (APS) roles. Australian recruiters want detail — too short looks underqualified.
Yes, usually — list 2 professional referees with their full name, role, employer, phone, and email at the bottom of your resume. Confirm with them first.
Situation, Task, Action, Result — a structured way to describe achievements. Particularly important for Australian Public Service (APS) selection criteria responses, where each criterion is answered in 250–500 words using STAR.
Yes, if you're not an Australian citizen. State "Australian Citizen", "Permanent Resident", "Working Holiday Visa", or "Temporary Skill Shortage 482 Visa" — employers want to know upfront.
Australian English — same as British. "Organisation", "colour", "realise", "specialise", "licence" (noun), "licensing" (verb). Set Word/Google Docs to en-AU.
Yes — APS and most state government roles require a separate document addressing each selection criterion using STAR. Some roles also require a 1-page "pitch" instead. Read the job ad carefully.
No. Australian anti-discrimination law discourages photos, and most recruiters reject resumes that include them.
Detail the last 10–15 years; summarise older roles in 1–2 lines if relevant. Drop part-time university jobs unless they're relevant.
Applying internationally? Each country has unique resume conventions — pick the right format for your destination.
Bilingual-ready, no photo, achievement-focused
Tabellarisch format with photo & signature
Kiwi-friendly, concise, results-driven
Photo, nationality, visa status included
2-page format, personal statement, hobbies
1-page, no photo, achievement bullets
Pick a Australia-friendly template, fill in your details, download a polished PDF in minutes — completely free.
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