LauraC

I've been told that in Oz employers prefer to have info like 'hobbies and interests' and 'references' on CVs. Do they also want to know your 'date of birth' and 'marital status' like they used to want in the UK?

stuie

References are good but what works in the UK works here too

bezzanbob

Did see a couple of CV's whilst in Oz - they appeared much longer than I was used to and had a great deal of extra doucments attached - perhaps the format for Education?

Bezza

Amazulu

My CV is exactly the same as the one I had in the UK and I've had no problems. I put my DOB on mine but most of the ones I get to review don't.
I've looked at a lot of CVs recently and if there is too much detail then I tend to 'switch off'. I'm looking for key points. Too much info means I can't find them and I reject the CV.

Big Galah

Ask 10 people how you should format your CV (usually called Resume in Oz) and you'll likely get 10 different answers.

Try to keep in mind that the prospective employer wants to match the applicant to the job, so the uppermost thought in their minds is "does this person have the skills and experience to do what the job requires?", and "should I call them for an interview?" - so it's not so much the "right" or "wrong" way to do it as presenting yourself in the best possible light in the shortest time possible.

And the person doing the selecting is subject to their own foibles and odd ways too - so where spelling and punctuation may be very important to one person, another may not care so much. Of course you should always check for errors.

Mine is:

• Personal Details (I don't put DOB, Nationality or Marital Status any more)
• Career Summary and abilities in a couple of paragraphs - third person
• List of Technical Skills (IT)
• Previous Jobs (starting with most recent)
• Education

with lots of bullet points and minimum waffle on the previous jobs section. This is where you get most differences of opinion. Personally, I find talk of "saved the company $XX thousands with my idea"-type descriptions a real wanker-alert. Wording it to give the impression you can fit into the organisation is a better approach, I think.

Bear in mind that when you're applying for a particular job, the job requirements should dictate how you present your skills and experience - you want them seen straight away.

You've probably heard this before, of course - common sense really.

Good luck,

Big.

Clan Fortune

Have to agree I see hundreds every day as I work as a recruitment consultant in Brisbane I tend to want to see skills in a hurry most who put the amount they saved the company by making people redundant I file under B for Bin

ex Tassiemum

I dont have my references on my resume. I have stated "References available at interview or on request". I had my resume done professionally while living in Sydney and they told me this is more than acceptable. Also DOB is not required on a resume and it is in fact illegal for a potential employer to ask your age as this is seen as discrimination. Same applies for marital status, its fine not to put it in. Cheers

LauraC

Thanks everyone. I did think it was odd to put references, DOB and marital status on a CV but I just wanted to make sure before I did anything. I'm going to keep my CV as it is then. Cheers again.

rabsody

Agreed. Don't put references. A few months back I registered with about 10 agencies for temp work and most of them called my referees, even though most of them have never placed me in a job and I asked them not to call unless I was being placed in something! This, as you can imagine, can be very frustrating for your (in my case extremely busy) referees.

I have since removed it and put referees supplied upon request and agencies accept that no problem.

rabsody

Might be illegal but still pretty easy to work out from your education or start of employment dates though.