Guide
What gets a CV shortlisted in Australia depends heavily on the occupation. A nurse unit manager, a workshop supervisor and an APS panel chair each check a short and quite different list first, usually registration or licences, then setting and scope. These guides cover what each field checks, with a before and after example and the Australian specifics that generic advice misses.
General CV advice takes you a certain distance and then stops being useful, because the person reading your application is not a generalist. They are a nurse unit manager, a workshop supervisor, an APS panel chair, and each of them is checking a short list of specific things before they decide whether to keep reading.
Each occupation guide follows the same structure: the handful of things a hiring manager in that field checks first, a real before and after, and the Australian specifics that generic advice misses.
The before and after matters more than a template. A template tells you what a good CV looks like. A before and after shows you the gap between what people actually write and what gets shortlisted, and that gap is remarkably consistent.
Three things separate a shortlisted CV from a competent one, regardless of occupation.
Credentials where the reader looks for them. Registration numbers, licences, clearances and tickets belong near the top, not in a qualifications section on page two. These are hard gates. A reader who cannot find one quickly assumes you do not have it.
Specifics instead of the job description. Most CVs describe the role rather than the person. "Provide nursing care to patients on a busy ward" is true of every registered nurse in the country. Bed count, patient cohort, case mix and named skills are true of you.
Numbers attached to scope. How many people, how much equipment, what budget, over what period. Most people have these figures and leave them out, and they are the fastest way to tell a reader how big your job actually was.
Registration bodies and their wording, state-based checks, enterprise agreement classifications, award levels, visa and citizenship requirements, and the licences that function as eligibility gates. These are the details that generic international advice cannot cover, and they are frequently what a shortlisting decision turns on.
More occupations are added here regularly.
APS resume example: what a public service panel needs on the page
An APS resume is a different document from a private sector one. What to include, what classification and clearance detail panels look for, and what to leave off.
21 August 2026·6 min read
Registered nurse CV example (Australia): what hiring managers and ATS software look for
A registered nurse CV example for Australian roles, with the AHPRA, clinical skills and shift detail hiring managers check first. Before and after, plus a free ATS score.
18 August 2026·7 min read
GradStart and new graduate nursing applications: what actually gets you shortlisted
NSW Health's GradStart recruits across more than 150 facilities in one statewide process. Here is what the criteria are asking, and the mistakes that cost strong graduates a place.
7 August 2026·9 min read
Yes, near the top, for any occupation where registration is a condition of employment. AHPRA registration, teacher registration, a White Card, a trade licence or a security clearance are hard gates, and a reader who cannot find one quickly tends to assume you do not hold it.
You need a different top third. Keep one master CV, then adjust the summary, the skills list and the wording of your recent roles to match each advertisement. Rewriting from scratch each time is why most people apply for fewer jobs than they meant to.
No. Photos, date of birth, marital status and nationality beyond your work rights are not expected on an Australian CV and are better left off. They take up space, and many employers actively prefer applications without them.
See your ATS match score and the exact edits to make. No account, no credit card.
Check my CV free →One email a fortnight: what Australian recruiters and selection panels really look for. Unsubscribe any time.