Published in: Resume Writing Guidance

How to Create a Resume for the Job Market in Oceania?

Author Proresumes Team

Published on: June 1, 2026

Are you searching for jobs in Australia, New Zealand, or other countries of Oceania?

Explore this guide and learn how to create an Oceanian resume according to the regional guidelines.

What is a Job Application Referred to as in the Countries of Oceania?

The job application document in the countries of the Oceania region is known as a resume and a CV. These terms are used interchangeably by job applicants in Australia, New Zealand, and other Oceanian countries.

However, the French term résumé is used more for job applications in countries that follow US standards, such as the Northern Mariana Islands. Meanwhile, the job candidates in Australia mostly use the word CV, which is a short form of the Latin word Curriculum Vitae.

The word CV is used for separate documents in America. However, it is used for both short-form resumes and long documents for academia in Australia, New Zealand, and other Oceania territories.

Regional Resume Standards for Oceanian Job Applicants

Countries like Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and more are part of the Oceania region. The job market and job applicants in these countries follow various regional standards for resumes.

The standards used in these countries are also similar to most of the American, European, and Asian standards, which include:

Resume Length

The standard length of resume documents in America and Europe is approximately two pages. However, in some African and Asian countries, these job application documents tend to be longer.

Similarly, the typical length of the resumes in Oceania is between three and five pages for mid-career or experienced professionals. Meanwhile, the students or fresh graduates can use a one-page resume or even a two-page resume to cover all their details.

However, the resume content matters more than the length of the document, which depends on factors like:

1. Industry relevance
2. Depth of experience

Moreover, according to the latest hiring practices, recruiters in Australia and New Zealand now prefer concise CVs and resumes. This means that applicants should only focus on including details that are necessary to share in their applications.

Paper Size

The paper size that is used in all the regions of Oceania, including Australasia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and Melanesia, is A4. This German paper size for resumes was adopted by Australia in 1974 and New Zealand in 1963.

Moreover, the rest of the countries of the Oceania region also adopted the standard by 1977. This standard is a part of the German A paper series and is used due to the following reasons:

• It is spacious and includes many major details of an applicant on a single page.
• The paper size is easily shared and accessed on digital devices.
• It is cost-effective and is available at every printing store.

Apart from this, the resumes in Australia and New Zealand have the following dimensions according to various measurement pointers:

• Inches: 8.27 x 11.69
• Millimeters: 210 x 297
• Pixels: 1240 x 1754 (150 DPI)
• Centimeters: 21.0 x 29.7

Resume Format

The following are the resume formats that are used by applicants at different career levels, such as:

1. Reverse-chronological (Applicants with experience): This is the most preferred format used to create Australian CVs or resumes in New Zealand. It is mostly used by applicants who have some form of work experience to highlight in the experience section.
2. Functional (Applicants with no experience): This resume format is mostly used by applicants in New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji when they have no work experience.
   This format is used to highlight the skills and shift the focus of an employer from experience to skills. It is used by students who have recently graduated. Moreover, it can also be used by applicants who want to change their careers.
3. Hybrid (Applicants at mid-career or senior level): This format utilizes the features of both reverse-chronological and functional resumes. It is mostly used by applicants who have more than fifteen or twenty years of work experience.
   
   Such applicants use this resume format for their CVs in Australia and New Zealand to emphasize skills and expertise together.

What is the Language that is Primarily Used for Resumes in Oceania?

The language that is primarily used to create CVs or resumes in Australia, New Zealand, and more is British English. It is important to pay attention to the use of language and use UK spellings throughout the application.

Moreover, it is significant to use a formal tone for your job application in Oceania. The information included in the document should be relevant and quantified for maximum impact.

Apart from this, the applicants should also include the fluency level in regional languages such as Bahasa or Mandarin.

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Photo Inclusion Guidelines for Resumes or CVs in Oceania

The guidelines regarding the inclusion of photos in Oceania vary according to the countries. The recruiters in New Zealand, Australia and the Northern Mariana Islands strictly prohibit the inclusion of applicants’ photos in their resumes.

Recruiters in these countries focus more on skills over appearances to promote fair hiring practices and to comply with the following:

• Fair Work Act (Australia)
• Equal Opportunity Act (Australia)
• Human Rights Act 1993 (New Zealand)

Moreover, the Northern Mariana Islands are a US territory that follows the US resume guidelines. Meanwhile, resumes in many countries of Oceania, such as Tonga, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands, often include a photo.

However, it is not a mandatory requirement. Here’s a list of the Oceanian countries that allow or restrict photo inclusion in job applications:

Applicants living in countries that often require their photo on their resume should follow these rules:

1. Dress in professional attire for the resume picture.
2. Always use neutral, decluttered, and simple backgrounds for the picture.
3. A job candidate’s face should occupy sixty percent of the picture.
4. The facial expressions of the applicant should be professional yet warm.
5. The picture shouldn’t be edited or enhanced with a beauty filter or digital tools.
6. The picture added to the resume should be passport-sized to avoid distraction.
7. The picture should be of a center stage shot instead of selfies or random camera angles.

Are the Job Applicants in Oceania Required to Add References Directly to their CVs or Resumes?

The practice of adding references in Australian CVs or resumes in New Zealand or Fiji is considered optional. Many applicants who are part of an industry that requires references in initial hiring provide them in their resume.

However, according to many applicants in Australia, New Zealand or Papua New Guinea, references aren’t included. The references are often included because of the following concerns:

• To avoid initial background checks.
• To protect the information of the referees.
• To save up the resume space.

Many applicants also include the phrase “references available upon request,” which shouldn’t be included to save space.

Moreover, applicants can prepare a separate list to add the details of their references. This document can be submitted during the later hiring or onboarding stages.

The details in the references document include:

1. Full name of the reference.
2. Their contact details include the phone number and email ID.
3. Their profession and organization.
4. Their link with the applicant.

What are the parts of a resume that are required for job applications in Oceania? 

The resume sections of the resumes in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Oceania are the following:

Contact information

The Oceanian CVs or resumes don’t include unnecessary details of the applicant that are considered sensitive information. These details often include marital status, age, date of birth, home address, and more.

However, the first section of the resume includes the following details:

• Full name
• Professional email ID
• Contact number
• State number
• LinkedIn ID
• Portfolio link
• Photo (Optional for some and not recommended in Australia, New Zealand, and the Northern Mariana Islands.)

Professional Summary

The professional summary or resume summary is a three to five-line statement that is tailored to the role and industry. It should highlight the following details, such as:

1. Key skills
2. Key achievement
3. Experience
4. Future goals

Pro Tip: Avoid the use of generic statements or buzzwords to praise oneself, as it gives a negative impression.

Skills

The skills section in most Australian resumes is placed before the experience or qualifications section. The applicants should list their skills in two different categories, such as:

Hard skills: include technical competencies.

Soft Skills: Includes the behavioral or interpersonal traits.

Work Experience

The work experience section of the resumes in Oceania is often more detailed than American or European resumes. This section covers the following details of an applicant’s work history:

1. Name and location of the organizations
2. Date of employment (start date and end date)
3. Job titles and main responsibilities
4. Bullet points to highlight main work achievements
5. International or freelancing experience
6. Internship or Volunteer work experience for graduates

Education

90% of jobs in Australia require applicants to be university degree holders or have vocational training certifications. This is why including the following details is important:

1. Name of Institute
2. Name of Degree/Course
3. Years attended
4. Academic awards
5. Professional certifications

Additional Sections

The other sections that can also be included in a resume in Oceania are:

1. Language proficiency
2. Hobbies and Interests
3. Certifications and Licenses
4. Volunteer work

Resume formatting guidelines for applicants in Oceania

The following is a list of resume formatting guidelines to help Oceanian job applicants:

1. The recommended resume fonts to use in Australian CVs are Arial and Calibri.
2. The date format used in the resumes in Oceania is (MM/YY).
3. The applications should be tailored according to the target job and industry to ensure ATS optimization.
4. The resumes should use single or up to 1.5-line spacing to ensure readability of the resume.
5. The resumes should not include unnecessary tables, columns, images, or graphics.

Learn how to optimize your resumes according to the regional standards in your country by exploring ProResume blogs.