🗂️ What Australian Employers Look for in a Resume

Companies like Qantas, BHP, Telstra, and the Australian Government use ATS platforms to manage recruitment at scale. This means your resume needs to be both machine-readable and strategically written for human recruiters.

Formatting, wording, spelling (Australian English), and keyword alignment matter. Resumes that are overly designed or missing specific role terms often get skipped—even if the candidate is capable. Don’t just list duties; highlight your impact.

Here’s how to align your resume with expectations in Australia’s top cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide:

• 📝 Write with Australian English

  Use terms like “organisation” instead of “organization” and “licence” instead of “license.” Consistency is key in resumes targeting Aussie roles.

• 📊 Include Quantified Achievements

  Australian recruiters want results. Instead of “responsible for managing a team,” write “Led a team of 10 to deliver a $1.2M project ahead of schedule.”

• 📆 Use the Correct Date Format

  Australia uses DD/MM/YYYY or MM/YYYY formats. Be consistent and avoid confusion—ATS tools can misinterpret American formats.

• 📎 Omit Personal Details

  No need to include your photo, date of birth, religion, or marital status—modern Australian resumes avoid this to reduce bias.

• 🔍 Focus on Role Alignment

  Each resume should be customised for the job ad. Use keywords like “compliance reporting,” “occupational safety,” or “cloud architecture” based on your field.

🧭 Explore Role-Based Resume Guides for Australian Careers

Each industry in Australia—from mining to marketing, or IT to education—has its own hiring language. Recruiters in Sydney expect different competencies than those in Brisbane or Perth. Tailoring your resume to the role improves both ATS ranking and interview potential.

We’ve prepared detailed, AI-powered guides for common job titles in Australia, showing how to format, what keywords to include, and how to quantify achievements in a way that fits both local standards and ATS scoring models. Explore them below for your career path.