Yes, in Australia, it’s called a “résumé,” rather than CV. And no, there’s nothing like the Japanese rirekisho we discussed recently: when it comes to job searching in Oz, you’ll probably find that transitioning your résumé to an acceptable Australian format won’t take much at all! Depending on your work experience, it may need to be a bit longer than your American-style document, but the general principles are the same as an U.S. résumé. And, as in many other countries, the aim of an Australian résumé should be to get you an interview.

We’ve already mentioned that Australian résumés are very similar to American ones; the key difference is in length. With that in mind, here are the specifics to remember when adapting your résumé into an acceptable Australian format.

As always, begin with your contact information. In Australia, you need not include marital status, birth date, or gender information.

• Summary of Qualifications/Strengths: whether you call this a summary section, a profile, a list of key strengths, or something else, the key is to show your strong points up front. This also gives the reader a “snapshot” of what they can expect to learn about you in the rest of the document.
• Job history: reverse chronological format (most recent job first) is the way to go. In addition, the standard is to go back no more than about ten years, although you could mention that you have additional experience beyond that. (For example, a brief two- or three-line statement at the end of your work history could note: “Prior to 1998, held positions as X, Y, and Z….”)
• For each position, list your job title, the name of the employer, and when you worked there. 
• You may also wish to include a brief statement that describes the company so that the reader understands the scope of the business and company size.
• Job duties: you do not need a laundry list of every single thing you did. You want to highlight the key activities: what were the functions in your job description? These are good things to include.
• Achievements: just like in an American résumé, achievements will go a long way toward showing an employer how you can benefit them. Up to three achievements for at least your last two or three jobs will help you build a solid résumé.
• Education/training: highest degree first, and don’t mention high school unless you are a new college graduate.
• References (also called Referees): Include the names and contact information for your references. Do NOT simply write “References available upon request.”
• Length: Here is where the document gets a little different from its American counterpart. For Australian résumés, two pages is a minimum, unless you are a new graduate or have fewer than five years of experience. In those cases, more than two pages will be too much. However, if you have more than five years of experience, employers expect to see anywhere from two to five pages of résumé content.