An Australian resume is a short, factual summary of your work history, skills, registrations and right to work, tailored to the job. Lead with your most relevant roles, show your registrations and checks, and leave out your tax file number, bank details and anything an employer should not use to choose between applicants.
By CrossNation Editorial Team. Sources checked 6 October 2026.
The employer can ask for your bank details, super fund details and tax file number after you have accepted the position, so they are not needed on a CV.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman: Before starting employment (retrieved 6 October 2026)
Employees and prospective employees are protected from adverse action, including not being hired, because of attributes such as race, sex, age, disability, family or carer's responsibilities, pregnancy and religion.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman: Protection from discrimination at work (retrieved 6 October 2026)
A Medicare card, tax file number or driver licence is not enough evidence by itself that a non-citizen can work in Australia; employers check citizenship, permanent residency or a visa with work entitlements.
Source: Home Affairs: Hiring someone in Australia (retrieved 6 October 2026)
Start with your name and contact details, then a two to three line summary of who you are and the kind of role you want. List your work history with the newest role first: employer, job title, dates, and three to six bullet points on what you did and achieved. Add qualifications, registrations and licences with numbers only where the role asks for them, then relevant skills and two referees. Keep the layout plain so it reads well on screen and in applicant systems.
For care, health, education and trades roles, the employer must be able to confirm your eligibility to work in the role. Put a short section near the top listing your registration (for example Ahpra for nurses), licence (for example a white card or trade licence) and screening checks, with the name of the issuing body and the expiry date where there is one. A recruiter can then see at a glance whether you can be considered. Do not attach photos of cards unless asked.
Say plainly whether you are an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or hold a visa with work rights, and the expiry date and any conditions if it is a visa. Employers must check that a person can legally work in Australia, and a Medicare card, tax file number or driver licence is not enough evidence on its own. One clear line saves time. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
Leave off your tax file number, bank details and super fund details. An employer can ask for them after you accept the position, not before. Age, marital status, religion and similar details are not needed to judge whether you can do the job, and the Fair Work Act protects applicants from being refused work because of protected attributes. You decide what to include. Keep contact details to a phone number and email, and a suburb or city rather than a full street address if you prefer.
Read the ad and the position description, then move your most relevant experience to the top and use the same words the ad uses for the same skills, as long as they are true. If an ad asks for a specific licence, make it easy to see. If you have gaps, state them briefly and move on. Save the CV with a clear file name such as your name and the role, and upload it to your CrossNation profile so a recruiter can find it.
| Include | Leave out |
|---|---|
| Name, phone, email, city or suburb | Tax file number, bank details, super details |
| Work history with dates and achievements | Photos, unless the role asks for one |
| Registrations, licences and screening checks with expiry dates | Age, marital status, religion and other details not needed for the job |
| A clear line on your right to work in Australia | Copies of ID documents, unless an employer asks later |
| Two referees who have supervised you | Reasons for leaving that blame a former employer |
A recruiter reviews profiles against roles as employers brief us. Listings are not job offers.
As short as your experience allows. Put the most relevant roles first so a reader sees them first.
Not unless the role or agency asks for one. Employers choose on skills and experience, and you decide what to include.
No. It is not needed to judge whether you can do the job.
List it the same way as local experience, with the employer, country, title, dates and duties. For regulated roles, add the registration status in Australia.
Yes. Create a profile and upload your CV so a recruiter can consider you when a suitable role comes in. A profile is not a job offer.
A PDF or Word document with a plain layout. Avoid text in images and complicated tables.
