Last updated: January 3rd, 2024
Congratulations! You’ve made it. You’ve graduated and are about to start building your career. Financial independence is so close you can smell it. That said, competition for graduate opportunities in Australia is very tough – and to give yourself the best possible chance of success, you’ll need to write a comprehensive graduate resume.
Do not fear. I’ve created an Australian Graduate Resume Example just for you.
Use it to set a foundation of, and give yourself momentum in, writing your own resume. But don’t copy it word-for-word, or you’ll end up with a generic document that makes you look like everyone else.
If you get stuck, you can get unstuck by using my recommended:
- free resume builder, if you’re on a budget
- top-rated resume writing service, if you’d like professional help
Australian Graduate Resume Example.
This resume example belongs to a hypothetical Australian marketing graduate, although you’ll be able to adapt it to your chosen field. Follow my tips below each page to write your resume and land a great graduate role in 2024.
Page 1/3.
Here’s why this graduate resume is likely to grab the attention of Australian employers:
- Clean, logical structure. Potential employers look for graduates with strong attention to detail and the ability to communicate clearly. Begin to demonstrate those traits very early in the process, via your resume. Use graphics to create a sense of order, check and recheck for typos, and make the resume look easy on the eye.
- Essential contact info only. List your mobile phone number (remember to create a professional voicemail message while you’re there) and your email address.
- LinkedIn is essential for graduates. Not having one is a missed opportunity to sell yourself.
- DOB, gender and photograph do not belong on an Australian graduate resume.
- Narrative-driven profile. Write a compelling, authentic story that emphasises your most relevant skills and personality traits. Point to the values, motivations and life events that made you who you are. Don’t be boring and generic!
- Key skills/assets. Use this section to spotlight your most notable achievements to date. Be very succinct, focusing on the outcomes you’ve achieved and impact you’ve had.
(Related: How To Showcase Communication Skills On Your Resume).
Page 2/3.
The two most important features of this page are:
- Reverse it. Ideal for a graduate who has some work experience under the belt, the reverse-chronological resume format places your most recent and relevant accomplishments at the top of the page.
- Strong Achievements. Kick-off each achievement with an action verb, quantify it, and never confuse it with a responsibility.
Page 3/3.
Many Australian graduates miss job opportunities with companies like Deloitte and KPMG because they fail to write a strong last page. Do not treat this page as an afterthought – and don’t assume it won’t get read. It will.
Expert Tip.
When two graduate candidates are evenly matched, information on the last page is often used as a tiebreaker to pick the winner.
- Correct resume length. The resume of an Australian graduate should be between one and three pages long.
- Volunteer experience & courses. If you contributed to other organisations (e.g., school captain, UNSW Rugby player, nipper) this is where you put them. Also, include any other courses that you’ve done along the way.
- References. Australian employers don’t expect you to list your referees on your resume. Simply write “References Available Upon Request” at the very end – and be sure to prep your referees!
Australian Graduate Resume Templates.
Speed up the writing of your graduate resume by using resume templates and online resume builders. By providing you with a logical structure and sample content, they help you write your resume 3X faster.
I recommend that you use one of these free templates from Resume.io:
Of course, if writing your resume is just not happening for you, you can always hire one of the best resume writing services in Australia to do all the heavy lifting.
Job Outlook For Graduates In Australia.
Every year, thousands of graduates compete for plum internships, clerkships and graduate programs and jobs across Australia. About 1 in 100 get accepted.
Keep in mind that relevant job experience is the #1 predictor of job search success for graduates.
I realise that this is a chicken and an egg problem, with you needing experience in order to obtain experience, but it applies to everyone evenly. According to the AFR, some exposure to your chosen field improves your chances of landing a role by 32 per cent.
The median full-time undergraduate salary level in 2024 is $65,000
Related Australian Resume Examples.
- Australian Business Analyst Resume Example
- Australian Accountant Resume Example
- Australian Lawyer Resume Example
- Australian Senior Executive Resume Example
- Australian IT Project Manager Resume Example
- Australian Hospitality Management Resume Example
- Australian Customer Service Resume Example
- Australian Chef Resume Example
P.S. Are you a graduate, looking for a job or a graduate program in Australia? What challenges have you encountered in the job market? Share your challenges below, and I’ll provide you with practical steps to help you overcome them.
