Australia's technology sector is one of the country's fastest-growing employment markets. Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane all have strong tech hubs, and demand for skilled engineers, cloud professionals, and data specialists continues to grow. But writing a resume for the Australian tech market has specific requirements that differ from US or UK conventions.
What Australian tech employers want to see
Australian technology employers — whether at ASX-listed companies, government agencies, or technology startups — look for:
- A skills section that mirrors the exact technology stack in the job description
- Quantified achievements — not duties, but measurable outcomes
- Relevant certifications (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, CompTIA, Cisco)
- Project scale — team size, number of users, transaction volume, infrastructure scope
- Australian English spelling throughout
Resume format for Australian IT roles
- Length: 2 pages for most professionals. Up to 3 pages for senior or principal engineers with complex project histories.
- Format: Single column, A4, PDF. No tables, no two-column layouts — ATS systems used by Australian tech companies (Workday, Greenhouse, SmartRecruiters) parse single-column text only.
- Photo: Never. Australia's anti-discrimination laws make photos inappropriate and they are universally excluded in tech hiring.
Technical skills section
Include a dedicated technical skills section immediately after your professional summary. Organise it by category:
- Languages: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, Go, SQL, etc.
- Cloud platforms: AWS (list specific services — EC2, S3, Lambda, RDS, CloudFormation), Azure (App Service, Virtual Machines, Azure DevOps), Google Cloud
- DevOps and infrastructure: Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Ansible
- Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, Elasticsearch
- Tools: Jira, Confluence, Git, DataDog, Splunk, etc.
Use exact terminology from the job description. If the posting says "AWS Lambda," do not write "serverless functions." If it says "Kubernetes," do not write "container orchestration." ATS systems score on exact keyword matching.
Certifications that carry weight in Australia
The following certifications are recognised and valued by Australian tech employers:
- AWS: AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Associate and Professional), AWS Certified Developer, AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, AWS Certified Security Specialty
- Microsoft Azure: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900), Azure Administrator (AZ-104), Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305), Azure DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400)
- Google Cloud: Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect, Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer
- Security: CISSP, CISM, CompTIA Security+, Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
- Networking: CCNA, CCNP
- Project management: PRINCE2 (common in government and enterprise), PMP
Writing achievement bullets for tech roles
Australian tech employers want to see scale and impact, not just what technologies you used.
Weak (duties-based): "Responsible for managing AWS infrastructure and maintaining uptime."
Strong (achievement-based): "Managed AWS infrastructure across 14 microservices supporting 2.3M monthly active users, achieving 99.97% uptime and reducing infrastructure costs by 34% through reserved instance optimisation."
For every role, try to quantify:
- Scale (users, transactions, data volume, API calls)
- Team size and your role within it
- Performance improvements (latency, uptime, deployment frequency)
- Cost savings in AUD
- Project timelines and delivery outcomes
Portfolio and GitHub
For software engineers and developers, a GitHub URL or portfolio link is a useful addition to the contact block. Ensure the profile is active and demonstrates relevant work. Government and enterprise roles are less focused on portfolios; startup and product roles value them highly.
APS government IT roles
If applying to Australian Public Service (APS) IT roles, the resume follows a standard format but is supplemented by a separate pitch document or statement of claims addressing specific selection criteria. Keywords from the APS Integrated Leadership System (ILS) and Digital Professional Stream should appear in your resume.
Salary ranges for Australian IT roles
Based on verified data from the 2026 Robert Half Australia Salary Guide and Jobs and Skills Australia:
- IT Support Technician: AUD $55,000–$85,000
- Software Developer (mid-level): AUD $90,000–$130,000
- Senior Software Engineer: AUD $130,000–$170,000
- Cloud Engineer / Architect: AUD $120,000–$180,000
- Data Engineer: AUD $100,000–$150,000
- AI/ML Engineer: AUD $120,000–$170,000
- Cybersecurity Specialist: AUD $110,000–$160,000
- IT Project Manager: AUD $110,000–$160,000
Sydney roles typically pay 9% above the national average, according to Robert Half's 2026 data.
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