A hiring manager typically spends a short time on a first read of your CV, and a recruiter may be reviewing dozens for the same role. The goal is simple: make it easy to see what you've built, how well you did it and why you fit. Here's how.
Lead with a clear profile
Open with three or four lines that say who you are, your specialism, what you're strongest at and the kind of role you want next. Tailor it for each application. "Data engineer specialising in Azure and Databricks lakehouse platforms for financial services" says more than "motivated team player".
Show outcomes, not just tasks
Responsibilities describe the job. Outcomes describe you. Compare:
- Weak: Responsible for building data pipelines.
- Strong: Built Databricks ingestion pipelines for 40 source systems, cutting the daily load from six hours to 90 minutes.
Where you can, quantify time saved, costs reduced, users supported, models deployed or incidents prevented.
Make your tech stack easy to scan
Group your skills: languages, data platforms, cloud, DevOps and tools. List only what you could discuss confidently in an interview, and make sure the main technologies also appear in your role descriptions, so readers can see where you used them.
Describe the scale and context
Data volumes, number of users, team size, industry and regulatory environment all help an employer understand your experience. Building a platform for a regulated bank is different from building one for a start-up, and both are valuable.
Keep it focused
For most technical roles in Australia, two to four pages is plenty. Use reverse chronological order, give most space to your recent roles, and summarise older roles in a line or two.
Include what Australian employers ask about
- Work rights. State whether you're an Australian citizen, permanent resident or on a visa with work rights.
- Security clearance. If you hold a Baseline, NV1 or NV2 clearance, say so. It matters for many government roles.
- Location and flexibility. Your city and whether you're open to hybrid, remote or on-site work.
Leave out your photo, date of birth and marital status. They aren't needed, and they take space from what matters.
Back it up online
Keep your LinkedIn profile consistent with your CV. If you have a GitHub profile, a portfolio, talks or articles that show your work, link to them.
Before you send it
- Is your profile tailored to this role?
- Does every recent role show at least one clear outcome?
- Can a reader find your core skills in under a minute?
- Have you checked spelling, dates and contact details?
- Is it saved as a PDF or Word file with a sensible file name?
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