If your skills, experience, and qualifications make you the fittest candidate for a job vacancy in Australia, will you grab it? Will you apply for a work visa and file your papers right away? Check your application summary first to make sure it mirrors what an Australian resume must be. In addition, note the following career experts’ tips to bolster your chances and land a job down under!

1. Acquaint yourself with and use Australian English.

Applicants often face this issue when looking for jobs in Australia. Therefore, you should be careful with spelling or recruiter tags such as “center,” “organize,” and “specialize” as errors. Such misspellings may mean lack of interest or knowledge of even the most basic facts about Australia.

2. Put your name and contact details atop the middle part of the page.

If your resume goes beyond one page, place your contact information in every sheet, so the recruiter will see your paper right away when it mixes with other papers.

3. Exclude your picture and personal details such as marital status and birth date.

Most recruiters don’t ask for these data to avoid prejudice and discrimination. Yet, if you feel placing your age can work to your advantage, then have no second thoughts doing it.

4. Be careful with your word choice and use concise but striking terms.

Recruiters spend only a few seconds in skimming or scanning your resume. Hence, add industry-related keywords, strong adjectives, and powerful verbs.

5. Mind your grammar, including the use of proper verb tenses and the three points of view.

Grammar matters! In job descriptions, omit the pronoun “I” at the start of each sentence and remove other pronouns that hint first- and third-person points of view. In describing jobs held, modern Australian resumes begin with verbs. Yet, be sure you can form their correct tenses.

6. Keep the resume’s form and layout simple but presentable.

You have many ways to do this. You may use readable fonts and few typeface variations. In addition, include visual enhancers. List your key strengths in bullet points, too. Last of all, leave enough white space to ease reading and to highlight important details.

7. Make a detailed copy to show your personality.

Add sections such as “Hobbies and Interests,” “Key Strengths,” and “Achievements” that will give off your character and values to stand out in the stiff labor market.

8. Include a section for your references (or referees for many locals).

Despite seeing a drop in this trend, you can still list a few names—those who aren’t your relatives but know you well in person. These people can attest to your character and employability to boost your hiring chances.

9. Know its length and other technical details.

In Australia, a one-page resume can mean lack of details. Thus, keep your copy to two or more pages, as needed. Likewise, if you’re unaware, local paper size follows standards in Europe: A4 size paper (210 mm wide and 297 mm long).

10. Prepare a cover letter to send with your resume.

These two documents must build you up, delivering a strong message about who you are as a job hopeful. With a cover letter, you can tell what you cannot say in your resume. Use the same typeface and font size in these two job application must-haves.

Learning Australian norms and culture can help you succeed in your quest. With this, your writing must align with the local practice and culture. Hence, if you have a hard time writing it yourself, hire pro resume writing service. Smart Resume Services can produce the best Australian resume to help you get invites to job interviews.

Sources: career-advice.careerone.com.au | international.mq.edu.au | topmargin.com