[flighty]

Hi everybody. I joined a couple of days ago and I must say these questions and answers have made good reading. I'm going to be putting in a cv or two to Aussie companies soon and I got to wondering if there are any particular formats or layouts they prefer. I don't even know if they prefer a couple of pages or ten pages. Any and all tips welcome thanks.

Flighty (Ken)

[Sam66]

CV's/resume's in Australia are short, only two or three pages long in reverse date order - i.e. beginning with your most recent job. CV's would usually start with contact details - name, address, telephone, nationality and email address. Then it would list your work experience with start/leaving dates. A table format can look good if you have had several employers. Especially important are details of your skill/experience/achievements with each company and the position held. Education details would be listed again in reverse date order. Referee details would normally be at the end of your CV.

It can be difficult getting started and if you need a hand here are some template CV’s (http://www.timerecruitment.com.au/Time_Recruitment_CV_Center_Free_CV_Templates.html) that I found which I think are a good starting point.

[Cliff]

Australian employers are generally more interested in whether you are capable of doing the job rather than which university or school you attended. I suggest that your CV is written to be strong on achievements. A positive ‘can do’ frame of mind is very important to employers.

[Thongs of Praise]

I agree with Cliff.

Also, Looking through resumes is a process of elimination. If there are a lot of applicants, the people looking at the resumes are often looking to whittle them down with minimum effort. They look for quick reasons to put them in the reject pile. So keeping to the point with perfect spelling are absolute musts. Don't include information for the sake of it.

Tailor each resume to the individual job and employer. Show them the benefits/achievements you've brought to previous employers.

Here's some guidance for people who want to "Create the perfect resume for your midlife career change". :D

http://www.workplace.gov.au/workplace/individual/jobseeker/careers/careerjobsearchtips/all/createtheperfectresumeforyourmidlifecareerchange.h tm

[Gabriella8]

Hello, based from experience employers will not mind on the format. They look on the qualifications and some would require a 'Key Selection Criteria'. Reference is also very important so it's better that you have good relationship with your current/past employers :)

[OJulius]

Hi all.. I have experience working in the US & Asia. Will move to Aussie soon, so I also need some insights about expected resume format in Aussie.

In the US, resumes are normally limited to one page, unless you have significant experiences that justify longer pages. Because of EOE (equal opportunity employment), some details are NOT to be shown on resumes, such as sex, date of birth, race, marital status/no. of children, photo, etc., because it would be illegal for companies to base hiring decision on these information.

In Asia, CV's are EXPECTED to show these "profiling" details, which I still find ridiculous. Length of CV is not really limited to one page, although in my experience as a hiring manager, long CV's are particularly annoying to go through.

How is it in Australia? Should we or should we not include the following info:
- sex
- date of birth
- marital status & # of kids
- photo
- race

[PhillipaW]

CV's in Australia are better laid out in list format, rather than writing paragraphs. This makes it easier for the hirers to read and to extract the facts only.
Simple formats are the best, with 2 pages being the accepted length.
OJulius There is no need to put your DOB, sex, marital status, kids, photo or race into your CV. Hirers shouldn't need to know these details. You can tell them all this in the interview if it seems appropriate, but I suggest you not put it in your CV.
And as Pam said, it is best to tailor each CV to the company/job you are applying for, this goes for cover letters aswell.

[Gabriella8]

Ho OJulius,
Based from my exprience, none of the items in your list are in my CV. SOme companies would prefer a 'Key Selection Criteria' attached to the application.

[OJulius]

Thanks PhillipaW & Gabriella8!
That's good to know! OZ is more like US then. Sounds like I'm making the right move :)