Writing a CV Oz style

[BestyBlue]

Hi everyone,

 

Well, 3 years ago when I was starting at uni I never thought this day would come, but here we are. I've graduated, got a job and am now looking to my families potential future in Oz.

I never thought I'd be able to move on a sponsorship because for my job (podiatrist) they simply don't come up very often, however two positions have reared their heads which are offering sponsorship even for new grads, so I need to get my application right.

 

Can anyone offer me some advice on writing a CV Oz style? I've read on many occasions that the style we use over here in the UK is not particularly ideal, so if anyone has any tips they can offer be it big or small it will be really appreciated.

 

Many thanks

[Tickled Pink]

This thread will provide you with lots of info:

 

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/jobs-careers/140658-tips-writing-competitive-aussie-cvs.html

[Joebloggs]

I think there is no difference to the style of Resume/CV they use in either Australia or UK, ideally for both countries you should tailor your CV and only include the relevant information required for the position.

 

I think the mistake people make when writing a Resume is they try to make themselves sound more interesting or pad out a feeble CV by including a load of irrelevant rubbish like your hobbies or when you achieved a certificate for the 25m breaststroke when you were 12.

 

Employers want to read

 

1. Relevant experience (in chronological order beginning with the most recent)

2. 3rd level Qualifications

3. A short career statement

4. Misc information, drivers licence, professional associations etc

 

Your details

Name

Age

Contact details

 

And of course for Australia the important Visa Status.

 

Forget secondary education or any other rubbish, no one wants to read crap.

 

Formatting is important and highlighting specific skills. Also consider a cover letter.

 

Seek is the largest employment website and they will give a good idea of a correct Resume/CV

 

http://www.seek.com.au/jobs-resources/resume-cv

[wolvesaussie]

I don't think there is any difference either. I used the same CV in my UK job search as I did in my Australian job search and both lead to job offers. Mine is nothing exciting, Name, address, contact details, Employment History, Education (I did put high school but only a summary not detailed results). Each job I put Employer, job title, duties and achievements. I put a bit at the end about my interests ( I think its important in IT to show your not a total nerd and they asked me a lot of questions on my interview about them), then References available apon request.

[dmjg]

Add referees on the bottom with their contact details.

Normally two professional and one personal.

 

 

Whilst Cv's are largely unchanged for different jobs, look to tweak duties section of previous employment to match up with the job description if possible.

 

 

Make covering letter specific to the job, and if you have used the same covering letter previously ensure you change the DATE and proof read at least 10 times to ensure you don't have the previous company name still inserted. :twitcy: (Once bitten, twice shy!).

 

 

If responses to key selection criteria are requested. Complete in detail.

 

 

Read sticky at top of the thread list page on competitive Aussie cvs by Freckleface. Digest. Adapt your cv. Then thank her.

[Rupert]

I also have always said there is no particular Australian CV style, I am always pretty puzzled when people talk about this mysterious Australian style CV as you certainly are not the first. A good CV will be a good CV whichever country it is in. My CV is virtually identical with the only difference being I refer to my visa status on the Australian one.

 

Are you a brand new graduate by the way? I am wondering as you mention you have a job but you also mention new grads and your post suggests you could be very newly graduated. Only I hate to pour cold water on your plans if so, but it is not up to the company to decide if it wants to sponsor a new graduate, I would think this could be difficult in fact. the employer sponsored visas are designed fir experienced workers and especially with new rules about market testing I do not feel hopeful on your behalf.

 

On a positive note, you may be eligible for skilled migration once you have a touch of experience under your belt and this will provide a far better visa for you and your family than what is likely to be a temporary employer sponsorship.

[Ali B]

CVs are pretty much the same here and UK.

I'm wondering if the differences you are hearing about are Key Selection Criteria or KSCs?

These are in some job applications especially for government jobs (eg teaching, police, administration) and I think also in some businesses. You'll be expected to submit a covering letter plus a CV plus KSCs

 

I'm a teacher and learnt about KSCs the hard way and submitted a couple of dreadful applications and wondered why i wasnt called for interview until a couple of good friends sat down with me and re-worked my info.

They are very very different to UK job applications and do take some getting used to. KSCs are attached on 4+ sheets of A4 (depending on the job and application requirements). In education it's quite acceptable to ring and ask the boss's secretary how long the KSCs should ideally be and they'll tell you.

 

This website is really useful: http://www.careercentre.dtwd.wa.gov.au/toolsandresources/Documents/2011-Job-Search-Guide-S11Key%20Selection%20Criteria.pdf

 

Good Luck!!

[BestyBlue]

Hi Rupert,

 

Yes I am a new graduate, who has been lucky enough to secure work straight away. I was originally expecting to have to wait 2 years to build up enough experience before applying, however a lady who was on my course has just received her visa through so I thought I would also give it a shot. My job is on the critical shortage list, not sure how much difference that makes. However, if I'm not so lucky then I shall just wait, won't be the end of the world, I'll just go out there with more savings

 

Thank you everyone for your feedback. I shall give it a go and see what happens.

[Joebloggs]

Hi Rupert,

 

Yes I am a new graduate, who has been lucky enough to secure work straight away. I was originally expecting to have to wait 2 years to build up enough experience before applying, however a lady who was on my course has just received her visa through so I thought I would also give it a shot. My job is on the critical shortage list, not sure how much difference that makes. However, if I'm not so lucky then I shall just wait, won't be the end of the world, I'll just go out there with more savings

 

Thank you everyone for your feedback. I shall give it a go and see what happens.

 

Critical skill list no longer exists, it was phased out July 2010.

[BestyBlue]

Critical skill list no longer exists, it was phased out July 2010.

 

I know Joe, I suppose old habits die hard and I used it as a figure of speech, Australia are crying out for Podiatrists, so in a sense there is a critical shortage

[Rupert]

I know Joe, I suppose old habits die hard and I used it as a figure of speech, Australia are crying out for Podiatrists, so in a sense there is a critical shortage

 

People see their occupation on a list and assume Australia is "crying out" for them. There are still many that think Australia is crying out for people to work in the mines would you believe. The reality is there are very few occupations that Australia is crying out for people in and I honestly do not think that podiatrist is one of them. You see podiatrists all over the place here, I rarely came across one in the UK. I do agree there is no downside to giving it a go now though.

[Joebloggs]

I know Joe, I suppose old habits die hard and I used it as a figure of speech, Australia are crying out for Podiatrists, so in a sense there is a critical shortage

 

I think you are delusional

 

There is definitely no critical shortage of Podiatrists, in fact over the last couple of years there's no shortage at all never mind critical. Still a demand for those especially with specific skills or management experience.

 

 

http://foi.deewr.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/anzsco_252611_podiatrist_australia.pdf

 

 

on a side note I suppose there will always be a demand for less experienced Podiatrists in the backend of nowhere where no one wants to live/work.

[Tickled Pink]

Certainly in Brisbane there are plenty of podiatrist clinics about, general and specialist....

[Guest]

There is no CV style any different for Australia. My partner is Australian and hers looks the same as mine

[BestyBlue]

Thank for the positive vibes Rupert and JoeBloggs, I think I'll stick with my glass half full approach. I can assure you that I am not going into this process with rose tinted glasses, I am fully aware of the job situation in Australia and know that it's not all wonderful for everyone. Yes I am dreaming, because this is what my family am I have been working towards for the last 5 years, but not dreaming in the way you put it. I have merely asked for advice regarding CV writing, not what my prospects for employment are.

 

Thank you to everyone who is supportive, it is very much appreciated. Three jobs have been applied for (all offering sponsorship) and I shall be applying for another one tonight. Fingers crossed that come the new year, my husband and I, along with our 7 year old daughter and 2 pooches shall be heading out on our adventure

[Rupert]

Thank for the positive vibes Rupert and JoeBloggs, I think I'll stick with my glass half full approach. I can assure you that I am not going into this process with rose tinted glasses, I am fully aware of the job situation in Australia and know that it's not all wonderful for everyone. Yes I am dreaming, because this is what my family am I have been working towards for the last 5 years, but not dreaming in the way you put it. I have merely asked for advice regarding CV writing, not what my prospects for employment are.

 

Thank you to everyone who is supportive, it is very much appreciated. Three jobs have been applied for (all offering sponsorship) and I shall be applying for another one tonight. Fingers crossed that come the new year, my husband and I, along with our 7 year old daughter and 2 pooches shall be heading out on our adventure

 

I kind of predicted that would be the childish response you would resort to, some people just want fairy tales and believe all this rubbish about "Australian style CVS" and believe Australia is just "crying out" for them, which always seems rather arrogant.

 

Those were your words "crying out" it suggests rose tints and doesn't seem like you know the job situation all that well. I could not tell you how many times I have heard people say that they came over thinking Australia was "crying out" for their occupation only to find things pretty tough, or at best, no different to the UK.

 

And by the way, I did suggest you give it a whirl, I just think it makes sense to keep your feet on the ground. Not sure why the attitude.

[BestyBlue]

No attitude Rupert, just slightly offended. I haven't at any point mentioned beaches, swimming pools, hot weather etc. Yes I'm sure there are shortages in certain area's of the profession, however I'm not interested in the fashionable positions, I'm also not bothered about living by the sea. My plan has always been to aim for rural Australia, which is where they are struggling to employ Australian podiatrists.

I don't see why the thread can't just stick to the original question. If I wanted people's thoughts on my job prospects then I would've asked for them.

[Jessica Berry]

The content of a resume is so important. It needs to be relevant for the Australian job market. I see so many resumes that have so much irrelevant information in them. Recruiters get bored of looking at them so you need to create interest quickly.

[Ali B]

Besty,

I'm really pleased you are going to give it a go. Rupert sounds like every critical person in my family when my husb and I said we were coming here. negative - gloom n doom. We got sick of hearing it.

Every step and move in life has risk, there are no guarantees. I'm sure Besty you are old and intelligent enough to know and deal with risks in your life. And yes theres a chance it wont work but theres a chance it will.

So yes, glass half full, eh, give it your best shot.

I didnt find your reply immature by the way. I found it filled with the same hope we had in 1999 and we've had 13 yrs of career blossoming and developing in ways our careers would never have done in UK

 

One thing i was going to add to my info above on KSCs, when you address them, read every verb in the KSC and address it preferably with an example. Eg "KSC 1:- Has monitored the development of ..."

So in YOUR response, you write: My experience in the field of xyz has enabled me to monitor ... by doing xyz."

Give one (or at most two) very good examples of HOW you did/are doing that and then dotpoint any other examples.

 

Leave a reasonable margin on your A4, keep font to 12, in Times New Roman, 1.5 spacing is good and not too long paragraphing.Some people make the mistake of reducing the font, narrowing the margins and using Arial Narrow to pack info in!!! Panelists find it very hard to read, believe me. On interview panels and pre-selection we literally 'mark' an application, so ticks in margins every time the KSCs are addressed. Give enough info to whet the appetite but leave enough out so you can talk about it at interview.

 

good luck!

[Bibbs]

What I did to my CV.

 

Delete the words "Curriculum Vitae", and write "Resume".

Put in my Australian address and phone number.

Add "UK" to the end of the companies names & university.

 

Done.

[Guest guest22466]

Hi everyone,

 

Well, 3 years ago when I was starting at uni I never thought this day would come, but here we are. I've graduated, got a job and am now looking to my families potential future in Oz.

I never thought I'd be able to move on a sponsorship because for my job (podiatrist) they simply don't come up very often, however two positions have reared their heads which are offering sponsorship even for new grads, so I need to get my application right.

 

Can anyone offer me some advice on writing a CV Oz style? I've read on many occasions that the style we use over here in the UK is not particularly ideal, so if anyone has any tips they can offer be it big or small it will be really appreciated.

 

Many thanks

Hi BestyBlue

 

I may suggest if you can afford to pay for a professional resume , it can cost up to $200 or more but I have to say for me it was worth it, as some key words need to be put in the resume for it to even reach a certain level of acceptance within the techno age. Once you have the set out then it is there for life for you to amend and add as you prefer. Someone who had worked in HR for an employment agency and had set up her own company did mine, she was very good and she researched where I had worked and knew more than me about the companies :-) Good Luck

[Jessica Berry]

What I did to my CV.

 

Delete the words "Curriculum Vitae", and write "Resume".

Put in my Australian address and phone number.

Add "UK" to the end of the companies names & university.

 

 

Done.

 

Do you work in IT?

[Jessica Berry]

Hi BestyBlue

 

I may suggest if you can afford to pay for a professional resume , it can cost up to $200 or more but I have to say for me it was worth it, as some key words need to be put in the resume for it to even reach a certain level of acceptance within the techno age. Once you have the set out then it is there for life for you to amend and add as you prefer. Someone who had worked in HR for an employment agency and had set up her own company did mine, she was very good and she researched where I had worked and knew more than me about the companies :-) Good Luck

 

 

I agree that professional help can be useful and the points you make are valid. I do think people have to be careful that the resume they are asking someone else to produce doesn't end up being the same as many other peoples. Working in HR/recruitment it becomes very obvious when someone has paid a company to create their resume and you can end up getting several all the same (my OH once had 10 resumes for 1 job all in the same format obviously done by the same company).

 

I attended a webinar recently addressing ‘What HR Wants’ which was aimed at career advisers and helping them understand what HR is looking for in candidates and current practices/methods of sourcing candidates. The issue of resumes that have been produced by someone other than the actual person came up. The HR professional running the webinar said they can tell when the resume has been produced by someone other than the individual. They mentioned this is not so much the case with Australian applications, but more common with overseas applications. If they suspect this is the case, they then phone screen the applicant and ask them questions about their resume to determine how well they know their own resume (in other words they are trying to catch you out)!

 

This didn't come as a surprise to me as I have worked in HR/recruitment/training roles in Adelaide and I take a different approach when offering people assistance.

In the Adelaide job market, the content of the resume is very important. People usually put a lot of irrelevant information in their resumes and they need to understand what a recruiter will understand/be looking for and what means nothing to them. There are also certain things that can disadvantage you, that in the UK you would not have to consider.

[BestyBlue]

Besty,

I'm really pleased you are going to give it a go. Rupert sounds like every critical person in my family when my husb and I said we were coming here. negative - gloom n doom. We got sick of hearing it.

Every step and move in life has risk, there are no guarantees. I'm sure Besty you are old and intelligent enough to know and deal with risks in your life. And yes theres a chance it wont work but theres a chance it will.

So yes, glass half full, eh, give it your best shot.

I didnt find your reply immature by the way. I found it filled with the same hope we had in 1999 and we've had 13 yrs of career blossoming and developing in ways our careers would never have done in UK

 

One thing i was going to add to my info above on KSCs, when you address them, read every verb in the KSC and address it preferably with an example. Eg "KSC 1:- Has monitored the development of ..."

So in YOUR response, you write: My experience in the field of xyz has enabled me to monitor ... by doing xyz."

Give one (or at most two) very good examples of HOW you did/are doing that and then dotpoint any other examples.

 

Leave a reasonable margin on your A4, keep font to 12, in Times New Roman, 1.5 spacing is good and not too long paragraphing.Some people make the mistake of reducing the font, narrowing the margins and using Arial Narrow to pack info in!!! Panelists find it very hard to read, believe me. On interview panels and pre-selection we literally 'mark' an application, so ticks in margins every time the KSCs are addressed. Give enough info to whet the appetite but leave enough out so you can talk about it at interview.

 

good luck!

 

Thanks Ali B and everyone else, your responses have really helped me tweak what I thought was an alright looking CV into something I'm really proud of.

 

I would much rather go through life thinking that I had given my dreams a shot. If the 457 route doesn't work out then we will just wait 2 years. Either way, there's no stopping us

My husband is busy touching up the house & we are having a major de-clutter in preparation for some Estate Agents coming round to do a valuation. We figured the best thing to do is get the blasted thing sold & move into rented until we leave.

The dogs are also going to the vets next week to get started on all their vaccinations so we can bring them too.

 

Never have we been more determined to give something a shot. Like you say Ali, it might not work, but at least we can say we gave our dreams a shot.

 

Thank you all again. If I have any news / updates I shall let you know.

 

Keeping everything crossed to be out in Oz by 2014

[Bibbs]

Do you work in IT?

Yup.