CV and/or resume advice please!

[FoxkennedyClan]

Hi all just about to prepare CV resume for the Australian job market and wondered if anyone had advice and/or a draft one to follow so Ido it in an Australian friendly way! Thanks so much for help - I have seen sites which offer you to buy such things but thought I would try you friendly lot first, Thanks Clare

[jackboots]

Have a look at the layout on www.seek.com.au it may be helpful :)

[FoxkennedyClan]

Have a look at the layout on www.seek.com.au it may be helpful :)

Thank You Jackboots, will do! :-)

[smoneinperth]

hello...i need advise re : visa 176, currently I am applying graduate visa after finish my diploma, at the same time I am thinking to apply visa 176, as I have checked i am eligible for it, just wonder if i could apply it within Australia?? and still stay here while I am in bridging visa (as I am still waiting for my graduate visa) thank youuuu

[jackboots]

Hi smoneinperth,

I would pop this on its own Thread on here PP, or even post a thread on www.pomsinoz.com or contact a migration agent for your question if no luck , good luck with it all !

[StraighttothePoint]

Hi all just about to prepare CV resume for the Australian job market and wondered if anyone had advice and/or a draft one to follow so Ido it in an Australian friendly way! Thanks so much for help - I have seen sites which offer you to buy such things but thought I would try you friendly lot first, Thanks Clare

In our experience when we are trying to place people in jobs here in Perth for IT jobs our network of employers are looking for bullet point CV's, no long text based stories, last three or four recent positions and not a full blow by blow history, limited personal stuff, no self trumpeting, i.e. how great you have performed in your past jobs, qualification listings, previous Perth jobs are highly desirable regardless of scale and Perth based referees. Hope that helps.

[phil]

I've always tried to keep my CV to two sides. Having had to wade through piles of the things in the past I always liked the concise ones. That said, I've heard people say Aussie CV's tend to be longer than UK ones. But I had no trouble getting interviews with mine.
I try to tailor my CV to the specific job I'm applying for - viewing it as something that doesn't list every specific thing I've done but trying to make them want to get me in for an interview to discuss me and my experience/qualities in more detail. I don't like being interviewed and asked the "what makes you say you're an xxxxx person?" or "can you give me an example of xxxxx?" or "what were the lessons from that project?" etc and finding my mind's gone blank. I like to be able to back up everything I put on the CV and do a bit of a re-reading of it before an interview.
I also keep a copy of each CV I've sent out on which I've commented on each point with useful examples or other notes that I think would be worth discussing should I be invited to an interview.
As I'm in IT, there are some technical things mentioned on my CV, but I know that it'll often go to non-technical audience first (HR dept or a recruitment agency). Therefore, I get someone non-techy to read it. Their feedback is great and helps me to edit the CV so that it's more readable by the first audience but also contains enough tech stuff for when it (hopefully) lands in the inbox of the techie who is doing the hiring.

[portlaunay]

I had little luck with what I thought was a genuine and well written CV when I arrived but I spent an hour or so with an HR consultant who was very helpful about where I should target my resume and how it should be written.

I echo the bullet points layout and have four basic resume's; one for General management, one for Learning and Development (my area of expertise), one for technical and another for Project Mgt. They all follow the same basic structure but focus on highlighting my R&R's in each of these areas, depending on the type of role I'm going for.

I break down my last two roles in greater detail and bullet the successes of each project, the impact they had on the business and, wherever possible, an indication of budget and ROI. I try to keep this as punchy and interesting as possible, I want it to stick in their minds and interest or intrigue them and then at interview I can expand on each of the points using S.T.A.R; Situation, Task, Action, Result.

I don't usually give any more than job titles and dates for previous roles and I only include my highest qualification attained rather than an educational history, particularly as Aussie's are unlikely to give a **** that you went to Gordonstoun or Eton.

What field are you working in as it may help for more specific feedback.

I think the main thing is, don't BS. The HR consultant told me that there is an expectation that CV's received from overseas are likely to contain a large amount of it and they will check and will grill you at interview. One of the mining firms here gave me some very tough interviews, the toughest I've had and they were brilliant, I really enjoyed them as I was well prepared.

Good luck.

[FoxkennedyClan]

In our experience when we are trying to place people in jobs here in Perth for IT jobs our network of employers are looking for bullet point CV's, no long text based stories, last three or four recent positions and not a full blow by blow history, limited personal stuff, no self trumpeting, i.e. how great you have performed in your past jobs, qualification listings, previous Perth jobs are highly desirable regardless of scale and Perth based referees. Hope that helps.

Cheers Straightto the point your info/advice a great help, will keep it in mind when undertaking CV, cheers again Clare

[FoxkennedyClan]

Thanks Phil feedback you gave is great and will use it when undertaking CV, really appreciated cheers Clare