Australian Resume Template Download: Free Format and 2026 Guide

You've got the visa sorted, or the move planned, or maybe you're an Aussie who hasn't touched a resume in years. Either way, you want a layout you can open, fill in and send. That's what this page is for: a free template, the rules behind it, and the traps that catch people who bring in a format from overseas.

A fair warning first. There is no official government standard for an Australian resume. What follows reflects what major job boards and university career services teach, and even they disagree on small things (length, objective versus summary). When an employer's ad gives instructions, follow the ad.

The Australian resume format at a glance

Download the free Australian resume template

The template is an editable Google Docs file with the sections already in place: summary, career history, education, key skills and referees. No sign-up, no form.

1. Open the template with the button below.
2. Make your own copy: File, then Make a copy. Or choose File, then Download, then Microsoft Word (.docx) or PDF Document (.pdf).
3. Add a header at the top. The template starts with the summary, so type your name as a large heading, then your phone, professional email and suburb or city and state.
4. Replace the placeholders with your own details, and delete any bullet you don't need. A short, sharp resume beats a padded one.
5. Save it as FirstName-LastName-Resume in the format the employer asks for. If the ad doesn't say, a PDF keeps your layout intact.

Don't fancy doing the formatting yourself? The adaptiT Pro Australian resume builder puts your details into this structure for you.

Australian resume layout, section by section

1. Contact details

Your name as a big, bold heading (no need to write the word "resume"), a phone number and a professional email address. A suburb and state is enough, and a full street address is optional. If your email still reads like a nickname from school, make a new one for job hunting. Seriously.

2. Summary (or objective)

Two to four lines that sell you: your field, your experience, one or two standout strengths, and the kind of role you want. Job boards such as SEEK now lean towards a summary statement over the old-school objective, though some university career centres still teach a short career objective, so choose whichever tells the recruiter more. Need ideas? See our guide to writing a professional summary.

3. Career history

Newest job first. For each role give the title, employer, location if helpful, and month-and-year dates, then a line or two on the role and 2 to 4 bullets with achievements. Use action verbs and numbers where you honestly have them. "Organised" and "achieved" are fine, but "Reduced stock errors by about a quarter" is better.

These numbers are illustrations. Use your own real ones, and be ready to explain them in an interview.

4. Education and training

Qualification, institution and the month and year you finished (or expect to). Straight out of study, put education above your experience. Otherwise, experience first. If you studied overseas, name the country so the reader understands the context.

5. Skills and certificates

Group them so they scan quickly: software, technical skills, licences (a driver licence or White Card, if relevant), languages. Take the keywords from the job ad, but list only what you can actually do. Our hard skills examples can help.

6. Referees

Always last. Give two or three people who can speak about your work: a manager, supervisor or lecturer. Include their name, title, organisation and contact details, and ask permission first. If you'd rather not list them yet, "available on request" is accepted, which is what the template uses.

A full Australian resume example

The person, employers and numbers below are fictional placeholders. Look at the shape: two clear sections of experience, a work-rights line for a visa holder, achievements instead of duties, Australian spelling and referees at the end.

Australia vs Canada vs UK vs USA: what changes?

If you're also applying elsewhere, see our guides for Canada, the UK, the USA and Europe. One resume per country is worth the effort.

New to Australia? Three things that help

• State your work rights. Employers have to know you're allowed to work. A single line near your contact details ("Full work rights" or the type of visa and expiry date) saves a recruiter a question and, honestly, a possible rejection.
• Explain overseas employers. A recruiter in Perth may not know your previous company. "Regional bank with branches across Vietnam" gives context in one line (only if it's true).
• Show local experience wherever you can. Placements, volunteering, short-term or casual work all count. Be honest about what's overseas and what's local, and let results speak.

Six mistakes that weaken an Australian resume

• Including a photo or personal details. Photo, date of birth and nationality aren't needed and can distract.
• Using American spelling and Letter paper. Small, but it signals you haven't adapted. Set your document to Australian English and A4.
• Listing duties, not results. Recruiters often skim in seconds; give them achievements to find.
• Fancy layouts. Tables, text boxes and headers or footers may not display properly on every system. Keep it a clean single column.
• Sending the same resume to every job. Mirror the wording of the ad. Our tailoring guide shows how.
• No cover letter when one is requested. Government and larger employers often ask for one, sometimes with a response to selection criteria. See how to write a cover letter.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• SEEK: How to write a resume in Australia
• University of Sydney Careers: Resume template and guidance