How to apply for jobs in Australia

Jobs and Skills WA, the Western Australian government's careers service, advises a concise, uncluttered resume in a basic font, with your name or other identifying detail and page numbers on each page. It notes that the vast majority of resumes are no more than four pages long, and that modern resumes focus more on skills and accomplishments than on duties. Our Australian resume format guide shows the layout section by section.

The cover letter is typed, addressed to a specific person by name where possible, and ideally kept to one page. Go through the advertisement, highlight the key words and skills it asks for and show how you meet each of them; close with "Yours sincerely". The cover letter builder drafts the letter from your resume for the ad you are answering.

Referees are part of almost every application. Online forms often ask for a list of current referees with contact details, so check that each person is happy to be listed and still reachable, and tell them which jobs you are applying for.^[1]

Government bodies often ask for an application form and written responses to selection criteria alongside your letter and resume. The WA guidance is to use each criterion as a heading, address every part of it, and back each claim with a concrete example. It suggests the SAO technique (situation, action, outcome) or STAR, and adds a useful rule: if you lack the experience a criterion asks for, still address it rather than leaving it blank.

Online portals often cap each answer with a word limit, so draft offline, then paste. Save your responses: with some changes they serve later applications. Before you submit, check your resume so that the document behind those answers reads cleanly for screening software too.^[1]

State equal-opportunity bodies publish guidance on recruitment. In Victoria, the Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission says employers must not request information about your personal background or characteristics that could be used to discriminate against you, and must not ask discriminatory questions of only certain applicants. Ads should not state a preferred sex, age or race, and interviews should not probe your age, disability or parental status.

So you can leave your date of birth, marital status and family plans off the resume. Some application forms, especially in government, ask about citizenship status, criminal history or medical history; answer the mandatory questions, and if a question seems irrelevant to the job, you can ask the employer why it is needed.^[1][2]

You usually will not hear the result on the day; employers contact candidates later by phone or email. If you sent an application and have had no answer after about ten days, a polite phone call to the named contact is acceptable. Whatever the outcome, ask for feedback: it helps with the next interview. The job tracker keeps every application, contact and follow-up date in one place.

Official advice is to keep salary and benefits out of your own interview questions: you can find the pay out before you apply, or when you are offered the position. That is the moment to compare the offer with the classification or range advertised.

Under the national unfair dismissal laws you can apply to the Fair Work Commission only after a minimum period of employment: six months with an employer of 15 or more people, or one year with a small business. A probation period does not by itself stop you from applying once that period is served, and an application must be made within 21 days of the dismissal. NSW state government and local council employees are not covered by these Fair Work Act rules.^[1][3][4]

The Department of Home Affairs assesses and issues all Australian visas. Skilled migration has two main pathways: employer-sponsored visas, such as the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), and independent or state-nominated visas such as the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189). For the independent routes you lodge an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect.

International students may work up to 48 hours every two weeks during study and unlimited hours in study breaks; check the conditions on your own visa. After a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) Post-Study Work stream, and an Australian employer may be able to sponsor you for a further visa.

If your degree was earned abroad, an assessment states how it compares with Australian standards. Western Australia's Overseas Qualifications Unit does this free for residents of that state; people living overseas can have their qualification assessed by the Commonwealth Department of Education. If you are moving from another language, translate your resume and keep both versions.^[6][7][8][9]