Target Market · Australia
Resume, LinkedIn and Cover Letter Writing for Australia
An Australian resume runs longer than a UK CV and expects more evidence: referees named directly, plain achievement statements, and, for a large share of roles, a separate response to key selection criteria. Get the shape and the evidence right and the reader spends their attention on your fit for the job.
Quick answer
An Australian resume usually runs two to four pages, longer than a UK CV or US resume, because employers expect concrete evidence and, for government and many large-employer roles, a separate response to key selection criteria. Chanuka Jeewantha writes Australian resumes, LinkedIn profiles and cover letters personally, in Australian English, from $129 USD, with standard delivery in 5 to 7 days.
Format
Resume
Standard Length
Two to three pages for most professionals, extending to four when a role asks for a selection criteria response or for senior and government positions.
Photo Policy
Leave it off for corporate, government and most professional
Pricing Currency
USD ($) Standard
Local hiring landscape
How recruitment works in Australia.
Most Australian professional hiring happens through SEEK and similar job boards, with an applicant tracking system doing the first pass before a person reads anything. A second, distinct hiring track runs through government, health and many large or public-facing employers, where a resume alone is not the application: a separate statement addressing stated criteria or capabilities usually is, and it is often scored on its own. Skilled migration sits underneath a good share of the market too, so an accurate work rights or visa line, and a resume that lines up with the occupation an applicant is being assessed against, both matter. None of this makes an Australian resume harder to write than a UK or US one, only different: longer where detail earns its place, direct about referees, and explicit about criteria where a role sets them.
Crucial Australian Application Conventions
Two to three pages for most experienced professionals, and up to four pages once a key selection criteria response, a technical project history, or a senior or government application is involved. A padded three-page resume with nothing new on page three still reads as padding.
A large share of government, health, education and some large-employer roles ask for a separate written response to stated criteria or capabilities, usually with a STAR-style example for each. Where a role sets criteria, that response is often assessed as closely as the resume, or more closely.
Australian convention leans toward naming two referees, with role and current contact details, directly on the resume, once you have their permission. "References available on request" is accepted but reads as a small delay to an Australian hiring manager used to contacting referees quickly.
State your citizenship, permanent residency or visa position in one line. Job ads frequently ask directly, and leaving it out invites the reader to assume the harder case.
Australian English, close to British spelling (organise, analyse, labour, centre), and day/month/year dates. American spelling on an Australian resume is a quiet but noticeable mismatch.
Not standard on a corporate or government resume. Some customer-facing and hospitality roles see one occasionally, but it is never required and adds no weight to a professional application.
Direct and collaborative rather than superlative. Australian readers respond to plain claims backed by scope, dollar figures in AUD and team size, over words like "visionary" or "world-class".
Screening criteria
What Australian recruiters screen for.
- Outcomes stated with scope: budgets and figures in AUD, team size, project value, volumes
- The specific systems, tools, licences or regulatory frameworks a role touches, named directly
- A resume that answers the job ad's key selection criteria or capabilities where the ad sets them, not one that ignores them
- A clear citizenship, residency or visa position, stated once and early
- Two referees, ready to be contacted, from people who directly supervised the work
- Consistency between resume, LinkedIn and any occupation you are being assessed against for skilled migration
In-demand sectors
Active hiring industries.
Popular Roles in Australia
Australia services
Written for Australian employers.
Australian resume writing
Resume Writing Service for Australian Jobs
An Australian resume written personally by Chanuka Jeewantha: two to three pages, Australian English, referees named on request, and, where the role calls for it, a key selection criteria response that actually answers the criteria.
See the service →Australian LinkedIn optimisation
LinkedIn Profile Writing for the Australian Market
Your LinkedIn profile rewritten for how Australian recruiters and SEEK Talent Search actually find candidates: the job titles they search, a clear location and work rights line, and an About section that reads like a professional, not a slogan.
See the service →Australian cover letter writing
Cover Letter Writing for Australian Applications
A one-page Australian cover letter that makes a direct, evidence-led case for one specific role, and is kept clearly separate from any key selection criteria response the same application may need.
See the service →Australian career advice
FAQ
Frequently asked about applying in Australia.
How many pages should an Australian resume be?
Two to three pages suits most experienced professionals in Australia, longer than the two-page norm in the UK. Four pages is reasonable when a role asks for a key selection criteria response, for senior and executive applications, or for technical and government roles where project history carries real weight. What matters is that every page earns its place with specific, relevant evidence rather than repetition.
What are key selection criteria and do I always need to address them?
Key selection criteria are the specific capabilities a government, health, education or large-employer role states it needs, usually assessed with a written example for each, often written in the STAR structure. Not every Australian job sets them, but where a job ad lists criteria or capabilities, treat that response as a core part of the application, not an optional extra, because it is frequently scored separately from the resume.
Should I list my referees on an Australian resume?
Yes, Australian convention leans toward naming two referees directly on the resume, with their role and current phone or email, once you have their permission to be contacted. Writing "references available on request" is understood, but many Australian hiring managers prefer to move straight to a call, so a resume with referees ready removes one step from their process.
Do I need a photo on my Australian resume?
No, a photo is not expected on an Australian corporate, technical or government resume, and leaving it off is the safer default. It is not against the rules the way it is treated in some markets, but it uses space an Australian reader would rather see filled with evidence, and it adds nothing to how your application is assessed.
How much does resume writing cost in Australia and what currency is it billed in?
Resume writing costs $129, $189 or $279 USD depending on experience: under two years, three to nine years, or ten years and executive or senior level. All payment on chanukajeewantha.com is in USD, and your bank or card provider converts it at its own rate. Combining resume, LinkedIn and cover letter services saves 20 percent for two services and 30 percent for all three.
Can you help if I am applying for Australian jobs from overseas?
Yes, a significant part of this work is converting resumes from Sri Lanka, India and elsewhere into Australian conventions, stating occupation and work rights clearly, and aligning wording with the occupation a skilled migration applicant is being assessed against. Skills assessments and visa decisions themselves sit with the relevant assessing authority and the Department of Home Affairs, not with a resume writer; this service covers the documents.
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