Step-by-step guide
How to Write a Resume in Australia
A practical guide to writing a resume Australian employers can read quickly — from choosing a structure to tailoring each application. Useful whether or not you ever use JobCraft AU.
The eight steps
Step 1
Choose an appropriate resume structure
Most Australian applicants should use a reverse chronological resume: your most recent job first, working backwards. It is the format employers expect and the easiest for application systems to read.
If you have little work history, lead with education, skills and availability, then list casual, volunteer or placement experience. Keep to a single column of plain text with clear headings.
Step 2
Write a strong professional summary
Your summary is three or four lines at the top of the page. Say what you do (or want to do), your relevant experience or training, and one or two strengths that match the job.
Avoid clichés like “passionate team player”. Write the kind of sentence only you could write, using facts from your own history.
Step 3
Describe work experience with action verbs and specific results
Start each bullet with a verb — managed, prepared, trained, reduced, resolved — and describe what you did and, where you know it, what changed as a result.
Only include numbers you can genuinely stand behind. A specific, honest description beats an impressive figure you cannot explain in an interview.
Step 4
Highlight relevant skills
List the skills that matter for the role: software, equipment, licences, languages or specialist knowledge. Put the ones mentioned in the job advertisement first, if you have them.
Back up soft skills in your experience bullets instead of listing them on their own.
Step 5
Present qualifications and education
List your highest qualification first with the institution and year completed (or “in progress”). Add short courses, licences and tickets relevant to the job, such as a White Card, First Aid or Working with Children Check.
Once you have a few years of work, you can usually drop high school details.
Step 6
Address employment gaps and limited experience
Name a gap in one plain line — for example “Career break, 2023–2025: full-time parent” — rather than leaving an unexplained hole. Mention any study or volunteering you did during that time.
If you have limited experience, draw on school, sport, volunteering, caring responsibilities and casual work. These show reliability and skills employers value.
Step 7
Tailor your resume to a specific job advertisement
Underline the main duties and requirements in the advertisement. Reorder your bullets so the most relevant ones come first, adjust your summary, and use the employer's terms where they truthfully describe your experience.
Do not copy the advertisement or add requirements you do not meet. The worked example below shows the difference.
Step 8
Proofread and check formatting
Read your resume out loud, check dates line up, and confirm you have used Australian spelling (organise, licence, centre). Save it as a PDF unless the employer asks for Word.
Open the file on your phone to check it still reads cleanly — many hiring managers look at applications on mobile.
Weak versus strong bullet points
These show how to improve the wording of what you already did. The improved versions only add detail the writer actually knows — never invent results to fill a line.
Weak
Responsible for customer service.
Stronger
Served customers at a busy checkout and handled refunds and exchanges.
Why it works
Starts with a verb and shows the actual tasks instead of a vague duty.
Weak
Did admin work.
Stronger
Managed bookings and filed patient records for a three-practitioner clinic.
Why it works
Names the tasks and the setting, so an employer can picture the job.
Weak
Helped with stock.
Stronger
Received deliveries, checked them against invoices and rotated stock in the cool room.
Why it works
Specific steps show care and reliability without exaggeration.
Worked example: tailoring one bullet
Fictional job advertisement (extract)
Original bullet
Tailored bullet
The tailored version uses the advertisement's own terms — “pick and pack”, “RF scanner”, “safety procedures” — because the applicant genuinely did those things. It does not mention a forklift licence, because this fictional applicant doesn't hold one. Leaving out what you don't have is part of tailoring honestly.
JobCraft AU's job ad matcher compares your resume with an advertisement and points out where your existing experience lines up.
Australian resume checklist
- Contact details are current: name, phone, email and suburb.
- No photo, date of birth, marital status or full street address.
- Summary is written for this job, not copied from your last application.
- Most relevant experience appears on the first page.
- Each bullet starts with a verb and describes something you really did.
- Licences, tickets and qualifications the advertisement asks for are easy to find.
- Dates are consistent and any gaps are briefly explained.
- Australian spelling throughout, with no typos.
- Single-column layout saved as a PDF (unless Word is requested).
- Referees have agreed to be contacted.
Frequently asked questions
How long should my resume be?
Usually one to two pages for school leavers and early-career applicants, and two to three pages for experienced applicants. Senior roles can run slightly longer, but every line should earn its place.
How should I explain an employment gap?
Briefly and honestly. One line with the dates and reason (study, caring, travel, health, redundancy) is enough. You do not need to share private details, and you can talk more about it in an interview if asked.
What does ATS-readable mean?
Many employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to collect and search applications. A readable resume uses plain text, standard headings, a single column and no text inside images, so the system can pull out your details correctly.
How do I write a resume with no work experience?
Lead with a short summary, your education and your availability. Then add school projects, volunteering, sport, work experience placements and any informal paid work like babysitting or mowing. Focus on reliability, communication and willingness to learn.
Want to see finished examples? Read our Australian resume examples, then pair your resume with a tailored cover letter.