International student guide to writing a resume

It’s important that your resume includes the specific information that any potential employer needs to know to decide if they want to interview you for a position in their company, or an internship or voluntary placement. 

Ensure that you include the following details.

Include your full name, Australian mobile number (if you haven’t arranged this yet, you could provide the student services team number, but ask them first), email address, and a link to your LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, it’s a good idea to create one, more on this later. Adding in your city and country can also be beneficial once you are in Australia, you don’t need to provide your full address.

When preparing your resume for Australian employers, please note that including a headshot is uncommon, so it’s best to leave it out.

This is a brief, impactful statement that outlines your career goals and what you can bring to the organisation you wish to work or volunteer for. Adapt this section to reflect each role or opportunity you are applying for. 

List your educational background in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent education you have completed, or are in the process of completing. Include degree programs, what you majored in, the name of the school and when you completed your studies. If you’ve recently completed high school, you can mention your academic achievements in your final year/s.

Highlight any relevant jobs, internships, or volunteer work that you have carried out. Provide a brief description of each experience, focusing on your achievements and responsibilities and using action verbs to convey your contributions and skills effectively. List the most recent position first. 

Employers like to know about your hard and soft skills, especially those most relevant to the position you are applying for. Soft skills include things like communication, teamwork, creativity, and conflict resolution. Hard skills refer to abilities and competencies with specific software or applications, languages, writing skills, financial or project management, research and marketing skills. Both hard and soft skills are important to include in a well-rounded resume. 

Any qualifications or recognitions in addition to your education that you’ve already listed are worth including, particularly if they demonstrate your expertise, interest, and dedication to the industry you are studying toward working in. 

Any experiences that show you are a proactive individual are important to include in your resume. Proactivity is a trait that is highly valued by most employers.

Making sure that your resume doesn’t include any spelling and grammar mistakes is crucial. Ask a friend to read over your resume and point out any errors, as it’s often hard to proofread your own writing. It’s a great idea to ask peers, mentors, or careers advisors to review your resume and provide any insights or feedback.

Student services are also available to support you with their experience on resume crafting and are well worth contacting once you have created a draft of your document.

A well-crafted LinkedIn profile can provide further detail about your education, skills, and experiences than your one-page resume. It also enables potential employers to gain an understanding of your network and to see anyone who has endorsed your skills. Sharing a link to your LinkedIn profile on your resume also shows that you are professionally focused. 

Don’t have a LinkedIn profile yet? You can get great free step by step guides to help you set one up. 

Depending on your industry, you might also have an online portfolio of work that you can easily share with potential employers. This could be your personal website or another online platform where you store examples of anything you’ve created.