CV and BiodataResume for Australia
Australia uses "resume" and "CV" for the same document, allows it to run to two or three pages, and expects no personal particulars.
Source. Youth Central (Victorian Government, Australia), "How to write a resume", read on 12 November 2026: www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au. This page summarises that official advice in our own words. It is careers advice, not law; employers differ, and the page may have changed since we read it.
The source
Youth Central is a Victorian Government website for young people. Its page "How to write a resume" is written for people starting out, and its advice is summarised here in our own words. It is a state government page, not a national rule, and practice varies between employers.
Name and length
The page says a resume is "sometimes called your CV": in Australia the two words are used for the same job document. It also says there is no set length. If you have not worked much, one or two pages is best, and three pages is acceptable if you have a lot of study and work behind you. It warns against padding: a well-presented one-page resume may do better than two pages of unnecessary information.
Order of sections
The page suggests this general order, adding that not everything must appear every time and the order can change between applications:
- Contact details
- Opening statement
- List of key skills
- List of technical or software skills
- Personal attributes or career overview
- Educational qualifications
- Employment history, volunteering and work placements
- References or referees
The guiding rule it gives is to get the most useful information across first; education that is not related to the job goes towards the end.
What each part contains
- Contact details: name, email address and a contact phone number. The page says you do not have to include your home address. It also advises against putting contact details only in the document's header, because recruitment software sometimes has difficulty reading headers and footers.
- Opening statement: about six lines on who you are, where you have studied or worked and what you bring, written without "I".
- Key skills and strengths: a list of between 10 and 15 skills that link your experience to the job, answering the "essential" and as many "desirable" items in the advertisement as you can.
- Technical and software skills: a short list of software or technology you can use.
- Personal attributes: three to five, useful if you have little work experience, but not in place of key skills.
- Educational history: the page says this only needs to show your highest level of education.
Personal details to leave out
The page says you do not have to provide any personal or private information, and lists what a resume does not have to include: your birthdate, gender, address, any ailments or disabilities, and health status. It allows an exception where giving such information would clearly strengthen a particular application. A photograph is not among the contents the page lists.
Tailoring
The page is firm that the resume should be tailored to every application: link the opening statement to the organisation and job, put the most relevant skills first, include achievements that meet the advertised requirements, and use relevant key words. It also stresses checking for typing and factual errors and having someone else read the resume.
What this means for an Indian applicant
| Indian habit | For an Australian resume |
|---|---|
| One page for everyone | One or two pages early on; three is acceptable with long study and work |
| Date of birth, gender, full address | Not needed |
| Short skills line near the end | A list of 10 to 15 key skills near the top, matched to the advertisement |
| All school and college marks | Highest level of education is enough, per this page |
| Referees left out | A references or referees section is part of the suggested order |
Practical points
Use Australian spelling, which mostly follows British. Many Australian public-sector and larger employers also ask applicants to respond to selection criteria in a separate statement; read each advertisement for its own instructions. Recognition of overseas qualifications and work rights are separate official matters.
For a single-column page to start from, see the builder on resume.shareyourgroup.com; for a two or three page document, follow our length and layout guidance.
Questions people ask
Is it a CV or a resume in Australia?
Both words are used for the same job document. The Victorian Government page says a resume is sometimes called a CV.
How long can an Australian resume be?
The Victorian Government page says there is no set length: one or two pages if you have not worked much, and three is acceptable with a lot of study and work.
Do I include my date of birth on an Australian resume?
No. The page lists birthdate, gender, address and health details as things a resume does not have to include.
Other countries
CV guides
General guidance. This page gives general suggestions, reviewed in November 2026. If an institution, employer or country gives its own form, format or instruction, follow that. Every person, institution and publication in our examples is invented. Nothing here is legal, immigration or professional advice.