OZ CV Format

manlad

Heading to Melbourne now in three weeks and just want to have my cv prepared. Does anybody know if the Australian employers look for a certain format that's different to what we use over here?

Thanks.

hussey

pretty much exact same, but don't really need to know any hobbies/references/leaving cert results etc
if you are going through an agencies they will strip all this out.
Also make sure you have what type of visa you have

GiftofGab

Oz CV's are usually longer and a bit more detailed. Irish CV's (like the US method) tend to be 2 pages or less. While in Oz the are usually 3 or sometimes 4 pages long.

olearyj1

very different cv here in oz compared to at home.....my cv (with the help of recruitment agency) increased from 2 pages to 6! You have to spell out your duties and responsibilities from your previous employment, stating a title and time frame is not acceptable to them

manlad

Thanks for all the advice guys.

dRNk SAnTA

I worked in a recruitment agency in Melbourne and I can tell you some of the worst resumes I got were from Irish people.

Your resume only needs to be long if you're applying for jobs in a specialist area that you have experience in. If you're applying for casual work then it doesn't need to be more than 3 or 4 pages.

Here are my tips:
Provide a summary list of all employment experience on first page for the person to scan quickly. Then follow it with the usual employment history, listing SHORT bulletpoints of every single task and responsibility you had at each job.

No one cares about your subject by subject school results so leave it out.

Personal Interests can be cut too but a lot of people do include it so it's up to you. In Australia 6th year is called Year 12 and it's worth mentioning you've completed it's equivalent.

Always write a cover letter, even just a short paragraph. Always mention exactly why you should have the job, e.g. because you've previously worked doing X and Y. It helps direct the person to the relevant info in your resume.

Remember your resume is prob one of dozens so make it presentable. Avoid using fancy templates, keep it simple and pleasant to read.

Finally, be sneaky. Don't always say that you're Irish or a backpacker in the resume. A lot of places won't hire backpackers so your application will be binned as soon as they see that. Your aim with your resume should be to get a phone call or interview, then you have a much better chance of impressing them and making yourself stand out.

Best of luck!

manlad

dRNk SAnTA wrote: »

I worked in a recruitment agency in Melbourne and I can tell you some of the worst resumes I got were from Irish people.

Your resume only needs to be long if you're applying for jobs in a specialist area that you have experience in. If you're applying for casual work then it doesn't need to be more than 3 or 4 pages.

Here are my tips:
Provide a summary list of all employment experience on first page for the person to scan quickly. Then follow it with the usual employment history, listing SHORT bulletpoints of every single task and responsibility you had at each job.

No one cares about your subject by subject school results so leave it out.

Personal Interests can be cut too but a lot of people do include it so it's up to you. In Australia 6th year is called Year 12 and it's worth mentioning you've completed it's equivalent.

Always write a cover letter, even just a short paragraph. Always mention exactly why you should have the job, e.g. because you've previously worked doing X and Y. It helps direct the person to the relevant info in your resume.

Remember your resume is prob one of dozens so make it presentable. Avoid using fancy templates, keep it simple and pleasant to read.

Finally, be sneaky. Don't always say that you're Irish or a backpacker in the resume. A lot of places won't hire backpackers so your application will be binned as soon as they see that. Your aim with your resume should be to get a phone call or interview, then you have a much better chance of impressing them and making yourself stand out.

Best of luck!

Some great advice, thanks.

Charlie Haughy

Could anyone give me some tips or pointers on a CV if your looking for work in sales, just like working in a shop or cleaning etc. casual work im guessing. Im 19 btw and will be on a WHV. cheers

lou044

Charlie- Australians like CVs which highlight relevant experience. If you have bar experience and are going for a sales job- don't highlight the fact that you can make dozens of different cocktails- highlight the fact that you were dealing with customers, up-selling drinks and working with cash and balancing tills.

Jagera

It is worth your time to tailor the CV specifically for each job. Even discuss this with your agency who will be glad to help you do that, based on the job specs.

By this I mean to put more emphasis on the relevant experience you have which the role requires.

Over time, I've built up around 30 versions of my CV, which I've saved as JAGERA_CV_COMPANYNAME1, JAGERA_CV_COMPANYNAME2, etc. So I can re-use some of the stuff again.

On the front page of my CV, I have a "Profile" section, which is a bullet point list of my skills. I then have an "Employment Overview" which is a table showing Company name, Title and Industry. That is probably more relevant for IT where you might have worked in Pharma, Telco, Finance, etc solutions. But it's good to have some sort of shortened overview of where you've worked.

For direct applications (i.e. not through an agency) HR are normally the first people to look at your CV, and if your front page sings the same tune as the job spec, they'll be more inclined to go through it in detail.