by Colleen Newman
In walks your first client for the day and he says, “Gidday, just received the order of the boot from the lamb-down shop but me coot has found me a Grey Ghost job in Banana Land Downunder. Can ya write me CV, ‘cause I’m as busy as a one-armed billposter in a gale?” With your head tilted to the side and gob open, you reply, “…say what?”
You’ve just met your first dinky-di Aussie client, Jack, who wants to return to Australia for work. So, what exactly did he say? “I’ve just been fired from my hotel job, but a friend has found me a position as a Parking Officer in Queensland, Australia. I need a resume but am too busy to write it myself. Can you help?”
Now, if this is your first time writing an Australian resume and you’re feeling as nervous as a mother ‘roo in a room full of pickpockets, don’t. Hopefully, this article will help Jack’s resume stand out like a black crow in a bucket of milk and leave you feeling bonzer. First, let me clarify Jack’s reference to a CV or Curriculum Vitae. Aussies use this term very loosely and you would be going through life with the porch light on dim if you didn’t further discuss this request with your client. More often than not, the need is for a resume, not a CV; this is indeed the case with Jack.
Aussies use A4 size paper, which is 210 x 297 mm, while the standard US Letter paper is 81/2 x 11 inches. Since Jack is coming to pick up a copy and you have no A4 paper on hand, you decide to print on Letter and save on CD in A4, so back in Australia Jack can print copies on A4. You also decide to send him a copy to his email address. (You don’t want this bloke to think you’re so mean you wouldn’t give a rat a railway pie!) Although not strictly a rule, one-inch margins are desirable.
The only personal details needed on Jack’s resume are name and contact details, including his email address and all telephone numbers, including his mobile. Bazzaland inhabitants don’t use the term cell phone; in Oz it is more commonly called a mobile. It is not necessary to write “Home” or “Mobile” alongside the numbers, but if you need to distinguish these from a fax number, then use your wisdom (you’re no dingbat) as a resume writer and insert the appropriate words. You don’t have to use brackets to enclose telephone area codes, and these are not used on mobile numbers. Create a footer at the bottom of each page to include Jack’s name, page number, and a contact number.
Jack has given you an apartment number in Australia where he’ll be living. In the sunburnt country, you can write the apartment number in a variety of ways, but it is always given before, not after, the Street, Avenue, Circle, Boulevard, or whatever the case may be. So you can write it like this: “17/168 Sunshine Road” (17 being the apartment number). You would not write “168 Sunshine Road # 17.” If you need to create another line, it’s fine to write “Appt. 17” on one line and “168 Sunshine Road” on the next line. Jack does not need to give his date of birth, driver’s licence number, marital status, or his health status, unless the company specifically requests these. We don’t need to know Jack’s family is as mad as a gumtree full of galahs, with ancestors coming from the Never, Never.
Choose a format for Jack that you feel will seal his position with his prospective employer, as you would with any of your clients. Although you may find many resume samples on Australian employment sites using dates set on the left-hand side, this is not a hard and fast rule. My Aussie clients have received positive comments from interviewers who loved the format I used to sell them – and they were not formatted using left-hand dates. I personally find these to be a waste of valuable space that can be used to further sell a client. In saying that, it is important not to overcrowd the resume, but to allow white space between headings and paragraphs for a clear and simple look. You don’t want to make your reader feel it is easier to spear an eel with a spoon than read Jack’s resume.
We Aussies are a curious mob – for us, it is vitally important to know all the details. Simply writing “Increased sales 25%” is going to have your reader thinking Jack may be trying to pull a swifty, so some convincing will be needed. Skillfully explain the actions Jack took to increase the sales – now ya cooking with gas!
The old method of including referees (no, not the umpire’s names; the term here refers to people offering testimonies of the client’s working credentials, such as previous and past supervisors) can still be seen on resumes, but it is not required and may be seen as outdated, with the exception of government resumes. So the last thing to write on Jack’s resume should be, “References available on request.”
A standard resume Downunder is two or three pages, although in the past, Aussie resumes have gone on to four and five pages in length. However, scrutinizing many of these resumes you will find that 50% of this information does not support the objective, and clever writing and formatting will reduce the original size. A detailed resume with supporting evidence of the objective that reaches four or five pages will not be frowned upon if requested.
Now that’s all very well and good, you say, but what about spelling and grammar – the Aussie way! Hang about, don’t get your knickers in a twist, you’re not up the creek without a paddle. You can find your paddle online at www.macquariedictionary.com.au, Australia’s leading language reference publication. Here you will discover that color is colour, traveled is travelled, realized is realised, and license is licence. Switch your spell checker over to English-Australian for additional guidance.
Chew the fat more with the Macquarie Dictionary site and you’ll discover that the inhabitants of the states and territories in Australia are called: Cornstalks or New South Welshpeople (New South Wales, NSW); Top-enders or Northern Territorians (Northern Territory, NT); Banana-benders or Queenslanders (Queensland, QLD); Crow-eaters or South Australians (South Australia, SA); Sandgropers or West Australians (West Australian, WA); Cabbage-patchers or Victorians (Victoria, VIC); and Mutton birds, Tassie tigers, or Tasmanians (Tasmania, TAS).
Now, what if cool Jack had been applying for a government job? Seek out the government’s site on the web and check out their requirements for applying for positions. Each state or territory may have different requirements. Government jobs will require every detail about your client, including high school details, a full employment history with detailed job descriptions and achievements, and two or three named referees, including name, title, company, and contact details. There is no standard formatting unless specifically stated in the application package. The employers will request that pages not be bound or in folders, but rather simply stapled or paper clipped and placed into an envelope. Completion of a Selection Criteria or Claim for Position will be required. This is similar to the Federal request for KSA: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. The same rules apply: they are looking for evidence of working experience or/and understanding in support of your claim. Answers can be from half a page to over a page per question. Candidates must pass the Selection Criteria to be short-listed for a position, and their resumes viewed.
Unlike the US Federal resume that requires a social security number, citizenship status, veteran status, federal status, employer’s address and contact details, hours worked per week, supervisor’s name, contact details, starting and ending wage, and permission to call supervisors, the Australian government resume does not require these details. However, you will need to include the Job Vacancy Announcement Number or Position Reference Number, although this term may change from one state to another. This number should be included on the cover/application letter and Selection Criteria only.
Well, Jack the Aussie bloke has returned, and you’re not quite finished, but he says, “She’ll be right, I’m clagged out, been flat out like a lizard drinkin’ so I’ll catch a wink and wait.” He settles into the chair – he’s cool and laid back and doesn’t mind the wait. But you soon awaken our sleeping mate and show him your brilliant masterpiece.
“Struth! I could be Prime Minister with this. You little rippa!” With an Aussie wink, your client is off like a bride’s nightie. Your international resume is complete.