{"id":7085,"date":"2020-06-26T02:13:02","date_gmt":"2020-06-26T02:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/?p=7085"},"modified":"2026-01-08T07:20:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T07:20:42","slug":"what-should-resume-look-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/what-should-resume-look-like\/","title":{"rendered":"What Should A Resume Look Like In Australia? (Guide For 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>\n<p>A quick web image search for the word &#8220;resume&#8221; reveals ample <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/example-resume-for-the-australian-job-market-australian-resume-example\/\">resume examples<\/a> that are based on a ubiquitous design language, which has not seen much evolution since the 1990s. What should a resume look like? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, apparently, like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/how-should-a-resume-look.png\" alt=\"how should a resume look\" class=\"wp-image-61897\" style=\"width:295px;height:392px\" width=\"295\" height=\"392\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>You don&#8217;t need to be a professional designer to notice glaring problems with this resume&#8217;s design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It will struggle to get its message across because:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"arrow-wrapper\"><div class=\"arrow-list\"><ul><li><strong>Excess<\/strong> of text on the page.<\/li><li><strong>Insufficient<\/strong> white space.<\/li><li><strong>No<\/strong> sense of priority and logic.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A resume like this looks intimidating, <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/how-long-should-a-resume-be\/\">too long,<\/a> and overwhelms the reader with its information, all at once.<span id=\"Dont_Be_Stuck_In_1990s\"><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-create-block-tip-block tip-wrapper\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-md-12\"><div class=\"card-wrapper\"><div class=\"card-title\"><div class=\"icon\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"none\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M7.5 14.33a5 5 0 1 1 5 0v4.17h-5v-4.17Zm4.25-1.3-.75.44V17H9v-3.53l-.75-.44a3.5 3.5 0 1 1 3.5 0Z\" fill=\"#656E83\"><\/path><path d=\"M9.25 1v2h1.5V1h-1.5ZM5.53 4.47l-1.5-1.5-1.06 1.06 1.5 1.5 1.06-1.06ZM15.53 5.53l1.5-1.5-1.06-1.06-1.5 1.5 1.06 1.06ZM1 10.75h2v-1.5H1v1.5ZM17 10.75h2v-1.5h-2v1.5Z\" fill=\"#656E83\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div><h3 placeholder=\"Tip Title Goes Here\">Important!<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"card-content\"><p placeholder=\"Tip Content Goes Here\">Some Australian resume writers believe this archaic resume design reduces the risk of <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/how-to-write-a-resume-that-passes-through-applicant-tracking-systems-ats\/\">rejection by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)<\/a>. I debunk this myth in <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/truth-about-cheap-resume-writing-services\/\">this article<\/a>.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Your Australian Resume Must Not Look Like It Belongs In The 1990s.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The traditional resume design refers to an era when the abundance of text on a page was considered a feature, not a flaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the 1990s, people weren&#8217;t drowning in information as they are now. Consequently, they had the patience for&nbsp;cumbersome, intimidating, overloaded-with-text resumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All user interfaces, including those on the Internet, followed that trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/how-a-resume-should-look.png\" alt=\"how a resume should look\" class=\"wp-image-61900\" style=\"width:471px;height:526px\" width=\"471\" height=\"526\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The concept of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.interaction-design.org\/literature\/topics\/ui-design\">UX\/UI (User Experience\/User Interface)<\/a> design wasn&#8217;t yet born, so as users, we didn&#8217;t know that we could expect a high level of usability from our interfaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We accepted that documents and computer applications were clunky.<span id=\"Times_Have_Changed\"><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>(Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/resume-font-size-australia\/\">What&#8217;s The Correct Font Size For An Australian Resume?<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What A Modern Australian Resume Should Look Like.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your resume needs to conform to contemporary Web design rules. It has to flow. Like this:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/what-should-resume-look-like.png\" alt=\"what should resume look like\" class=\"wp-image-61902\" style=\"width:367px;height:511px\" width=\"367\" height=\"511\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Much like a <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/best-website-builder-australia\/\">well-designed personal website<\/a>, it has to clearly communicate the priority of detail through smart, effective design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most importantly, it has to pull a reader in &#8211; one bit of information at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>(Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/resume-writing-tips\/\">45 Resume Writing Tips To Get You Hired<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why You Need To Make Your Resume Look Good.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Odds are, the recruiter who receives your resume will be a digital native, in their late 20s or mid-30s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It means they&#8217;ll be a time-pressed Australian millennial who has never seen a 1990s version of the Internet, but has spent the last 10 years of their life skimming through web content at warp speed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They&#8217;ll be used to interfaces being intuitive and easy to internalise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>(Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/how-often-should-you-update-your-resume\/\">How Often Should You Update Your Resume?<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s also likely that the first time they&#8217;ll see your resume will be on their mobile device, while they&#8217;re rushing to\/from work or waiting for a client.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"indent-wrapper\"><div class=\"indented-text\"><span>If your resume\u00a0looks dated, clunky or simply like &#8220;hard work&#8221;, they&#8217;ll be <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/the-smart-way-to-deal-with-recruiters\/\">more likely to reject it<\/a>. It&#8217;s friction they don&#8217;t need.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>(By the way, did you know that you can have a great-looking resume by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/resume-writing-services\/\">hiring us to revamp it for you<\/a>?)<span id=\"New_Design_Rules\"><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Great-Looking Resume Is Just The Beginning.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An effective design simply gets you in the door; it takes away one of the key reasons why Australian recruiters stop reading your resume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your next challenge is to <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/what-to-include-in-resume\/\">include all of the essential elements on your resume<\/a>, while removing any that may distract the recruiter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I wish you all the best in your upcoming job search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Irene<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:34px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>Most resumes follow a familiar format, which has been with us since the 1990s. Does\u00a0being widely adopted, however, translate to being effective?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,38],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-7085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-resume","tag-resume-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Should A Resume Look Like In Australia? (Guide For 2026)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How should a resume look in Australia? In this guide, I&#039;ll show you what an Australian resume should look like.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/what-should-resume-look-like\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Should A Resume Look Like In Australia? (Guide For 2026)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How should a resume look in Australia? 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Arielle Executive helps leaders get noticed while Arielle Partners &amp; Talent Avenue connect organisations to Australia's best leadership talent.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/irenekotov\/"],"url":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/author\/irene-mcconnell\/"}]}},"modified_by":"Steven McConnell","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/what-should-a-resume-look-like.jpg",1490,838,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/what-should-a-resume-look-like-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/what-should-a-resume-look-like-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/what-should-a-resume-look-like-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/what-should-a-resume-look-like-1024x576.jpg",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/what-should-a-resume-look-like.jpg",1490,838,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/what-should-a-resume-look-like.jpg",1490,838,false],"alm-thumbnail":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/what-should-a-resume-look-like-150x150.jpg",150,150,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Irene McConnell","author_link":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/author\/irene-mcconnell\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Reading Time: 3 minutesMost resumes follow a familiar format, which has been with us since the 1990s. Does\u00a0being widely adopted, however, translate to being effective?","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7085"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121173,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7085\/revisions\/121173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}