Resume & Cover Letter Writing

The Australian Resume Format

Australian resumes are different from CVs used in other countries. Keep it to 2–3 pages maximum. No photo, no date of birth, no marital status — Australian employers don't expect these and including them can actually work against you.

Start with your name and contact details (phone, email, LinkedIn, city — no full address needed). Follow with a short professional summary of 3–4 lines that explains who you are, what you bring, and what you're looking for. This is the first thing a recruiter reads, so make it count.

List your experience in reverse chronological order. For each role, include your job title, the company name, dates, and 3–5 bullet points describing what you achieved — not just what you did. 'Managed social media accounts' is weak. 'Grew Instagram following by 40% in 6 months through a content calendar and influencer partnerships' tells a story.

Quantify Everything You Can

Numbers make your resume stand out. Recruiters scan hundreds of resumes — concrete figures catch the eye. Think about revenue, percentages, time saved, team sizes, customer numbers, or project budgets.

Even if you're a recent graduate, you can quantify. 'Led a team of 4 students on a semester-long capstone project that was selected as the top presentation out of 12 teams.' 'Processed 50+ customer enquiries per shift with a 95% satisfaction rating during part-time retail work.'

If you genuinely can't quantify something, use strong action verbs instead: designed, launched, negotiated, streamlined, coordinated, mentored.

Tailoring for Each Application

Sending the same resume to every job is the most common mistake we see. Read the job ad carefully — pull out the key skills and requirements, then mirror that language in your resume. If they ask for 'stakeholder management', don't just write 'communication skills'.

Most large Australian employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that scan for keywords before a human ever sees your resume. Use the exact terms from the job description. If the ad says 'project management', write 'project management' — not 'managing projects'.

Keep a master resume with everything you've ever done, then cut it down for each application. It takes 20 minutes but dramatically improves your hit rate.

Cover Letters That Work

Many candidates skip the cover letter or write a generic one. In Australia, a good cover letter can be the difference between getting an interview and getting filtered out — especially for graduate programs and government roles.

Structure it simply: Paragraph 1 — why you're applying to this specific company and role. Paragraph 2 — your most relevant experience or skills with a concrete example. Paragraph 3 — what you'll bring to the team and a confident close.

Address it to a specific person if you can find their name on LinkedIn or the company website. 'Dear Hiring Manager' is acceptable if you can't. Never use 'To Whom It May Concern' — it signals you haven't made any effort.

Keep it under one page. No one wants to read a full-page essay about your life story. Be specific, be brief, be genuine.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Typos and grammar errors — get someone else to proofread. Australian employers notice these. Use Australian English spelling (organisation, not organization; programme is less common, program is fine).

Including a headshot — this isn't standard in Australia and can trigger unconscious bias concerns for employers.

Listing every job you've ever had — if your pizza delivery job from 2018 isn't relevant, leave it out (unless you have no other experience, in which case frame the transferable skills).

Using a creative/graphic resume for corporate roles — keep the design clean and simple. Save the creativity for design or marketing roles where it's expected.