Graduate Resume Australia — Your First Australian Resume

Writing your first resume for the Australian job market is challenging — but you have more to show than you think. Australian graduate employers do not expect a decade of experience. They expect a well-structured, honest, and ATS-compatible document that demonstrates your potential, your academic achievement, and your ability to communicate professionally.

Length for a graduate resume

For a recent graduate with limited work experience, 1 to 2 pages is appropriate. One page is the gold standard for your very first application — every line must earn its place. As you accumulate part-time, internship, and volunteer experience, move toward 2 pages.

Do not pad your resume to fill space. A concise, well-targeted one-page resume will outperform a two-page resume with irrelevant content every time.

Section order for a graduate resume

Unlike experienced professionals who lead with work experience, graduates should lead with their strongest asset — which is usually their education:

1. Contact details
2. Career objective or professional summary (2–3 sentences)
3. Education (your degree, university, GPA if strong)
4. Key skills
5. Work experience (part-time, casual, internships)
6. Volunteer experience and extracurricular activities
7. Referees or "References available on request"

Career objective vs professional summary

For first-time job seekers, a career objective is acceptable — it tells employers what you are looking for and what you bring. Keep it to 2 to 3 sentences and make it specific to the role you are applying for.

Example: "Recent Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) graduate from the University of Melbourne seeking a graduate accountant role in professional services. Strong academic record with a GPA of 6.8 out of 7. Experienced in Xero and MYOB through university coursework and a six-month part-time role at a local accounting firm."

Education section

Include:

• Degree title — e.g. Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) Honours
• Institution name and location — e.g. University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD
• Graduation year (or expected graduation: "Expected graduation: November 2026")
• GPA — include if it is strong. In Australia, a GPA above 5.5 out of 7 (equivalent to a Credit or above) is generally worth including. First Class Honours or a High Distinction average is a significant differentiator.
• Relevant coursework — list 3 to 5 relevant units if your degree is highly relevant to the role
• Academic awards or scholarships
• Major capstone project or thesis title if relevant

Work experience with limited history

Include everything — part-time work, casual jobs, internships, work placements, and industry projects. Frame every role with achievement-focused bullets, not just duties.

Example (retail): "Managed customer service at peak trade periods serving up to 80 customers per shift. Consistently maintained positive customer feedback scores and was selected to train two new team members in the store's POS system."

Australian employers understand that graduates have limited professional experience. What they are looking for is evidence that you can communicate, take initiative, show up reliably, and learn.

Internships and work placements

Treat internships and WIL (Work Integrated Learning) placements as full professional experience. For each placement include: the organisation, the team or department, the dates, and 2 to 4 specific bullets describing what you contributed.

Volunteer work and extracurricular activities

Volunteer work is genuinely valued by Australian employers — particularly for graduate roles. Include: the organisation, your role, dates, and 1 to 2 bullets describing your contribution. Leadership roles in clubs, sports teams, or student associations demonstrate initiative and teamwork.

Key skills section

Include technical and software skills that are directly relevant to your target roles. For business and commerce graduates: Microsoft Office (specify Excel — pivot tables, VLOOKUP), Xero, MYOB, SPSS, Tableau. For engineering graduates: AutoCAD, MATLAB, ANSYS, relevant software for your discipline. For IT graduates: programming languages, development frameworks, cloud platforms you have worked with in coursework or projects.

ATS for graduate applications

Major Australian graduate employers — BHP, ANZ, Woolworths, the APS graduate program — all use ATS to screen applications. Mirror the exact language of the job description in your resume. Use standard section headings. Save as PDF unless Word is requested. Avoid tables, columns, and graphics.

Referees

For graduates, academic referees (supervisors, lecturers, honours coordinators) are appropriate alongside professional referees from part-time or internship roles. Always ask permission before listing anyone as a referee.