Australinize Your Irish CV?

ElFox

I'm preparing to travel Australia in the forthcoming months and have a query regarding the difference between an Irish C.V. and an Australian C.V.

First off is there many striking differences between them both other than the spelling differences with regards the different types of English used?

Also do they like them shorter i.e. 2 pages or longer??

Do they tend to focus more on achievements or experience an so on???

Any info will be greatly appreciated as i would like to have my C.V. fully up to scratch on arrival.

Thanks in advance!

hussey

ElFox wrote: »

I'm preparing to travel Australia in the forthcoming months and have a query regarding the difference between an Irish C.V. and an Australian C.V.

First off is there many striking differences between them both other than the spelling differences with regards the different types of English used?

Also do they like them shorter i.e. 2 pages or longer??

Do they tend to focus more on achievements or experience an so on???

Any info will be greatly appreciated as i would like to have my C.V. fully up to scratch on arrival.

Thanks in advance!

There is no real spelling difference, they use pretty much UK English.

Do a search on the forum for CV or resume, it's been asked before and some good info here.

Mostly it's the same, I'd leave out stuff like references from local priest or gaa team, and also put your visa status down too.

If you are going through an agent they'll strip your cv anyway.

2-3 pages is a good number depending on experience, for our company we'd like to see as much experience detail as possible.

markymark21

If your coming to Oz on a WHV you should know by now the competition for work is pretty fierce. Make your CV stand out by making it easy to read and to the point! The amount of CV's I read in work and most of them are a absolute joke! I don't really understand why people have to write biographies about themselves out lining in detail they're personal attributes and virtues..Its non sense!

Give a concise description of your work history (for the love of god if you've worked in ten difference jobs in five months don't put this down), your skills and your relevant achievements. Make your potential employer want to read it.

On a separate note we had an Aussie guy the other day for a trial shift. He is meant to be replacing my missus (bar supervisor) in work. On his CV his last eight jobs all of which where managerial roles, said he ran bars, ran teams, was a proven success in this field etc. etc.. So when he came in she grilled him.. Apparently he didn't know what Prosecco is, couldn't make a Latte and didn't know what was in a Cosmopolition! Safe to say he won't be getting the job anyway!

..so yeh, I guess the moral of that one is try not too make up sh1t if you think you could get found out!

colman1212

The first thing the recruiters said to me when I arrived in Brisbane was that I needed far more detail. In ireland they generally like 1-2 pages max. But in Brisbane prefer much more detail. Four pages wouldn't be considered strange.

When you get to Oz, sit down with a recruiter and they will tell you what they need.

mobius42

colman1212 wrote: »

The first thing the recruiters said to me when I arrived in Brisbane was that I needed far more detail. In ireland they generally like 1-2 pages max. But in Brisbane prefer much more detail. Four pages wouldn't be considered strange.

When you get to Oz, sit down with a recruiter and they will tell you what they need.

My manager told me the same thing. Having a 4-5 page CV here is normal and they consider the Irish style ones way too short. They expect much more detail about every little job you've had.

kdevitt

mobius42 wrote: »

My manager told me the same thing. Having a 4-5 page CV here is normal and they consider the Irish style ones way too short. They expect much more detail about every little job you've had.

I'm hiring people at the moment and not a single CV over two pages has come in from recruiters. I'd still personally consider anything over 2 pages as being excessive.

karl bracken

I have to disagree with 2 page CV's, they are too small.

How much can you fit on page one usually, personal details and some educational details and maybe your latest job.

second page more job details from my experience, 10 years is the norm thats a lot to fit in a page and a bit.

I work in IT so on mine i have a skills matrix page detailing what i have done and how many years experience i have in each particular area

then you have personal experiences, interests etc.

Minimum id say is 4 and i mean this for Ireland as well, your CV is your selling point if each page is interesting they employer will keep reading...

5+ is a bit much i would think!

save it in a word 97 format some recruitment companies didnt have the newer versions.....



http://www.seek.com.au/jobs-resources/get-your-dream-job/resume-guide

https://www.manpower.com.au/job-seekers/resume-tips.aspx

http://www.calibrate.com.au/job-seekers/resume-tips/

Coileach dearg

When I got my current job, the interviewer (current boss) said that my cv stood out due to the way it was organised and contained the detail needed. He actually said that he ignores most cvs that are over 3 pages and that if you can't get to the point and sell yourself in 3 pages or less, then there's no point.
My cv was exactly two pages. I haven't changed the layout since I put it together 11 years ago in Ireland.
I work in I.T.

mandrake04

4 pages is good if it's 3 pages of relative experience and maybe one of qualifications, if it's 1/2 page of relative experience and 1 page of qualifications and the rest is just shite then it's good enough for the bin imo.

Some people are just terminally dull, they focus too much on 'qualifications' and the blah blah and not enough on hard core experience. In Australia it's all about who you know (and will vouch for you) and not what you think you know and if that fails at least a few good years of provable experience..... the bigger the company name or brand the better. Also those people who try to bluff and expand on the truth often come a crapper at the interview, I used to ask the technical questions in the interviews and some of the questions I could fire out would destroy some of the best BS artists.

davepatr07

you have worked in a lot of jobs Coileach dearg?, it would def go over 2 pages.
Is it important to list all jobs since you left school/college? What about that crappy Retail job you worked part time in while in college? By looking at some of the posts I get the impression there are experienced recruiters on this. Cheers

mandrake04

I would tailor the CV to suit the job, if you are looking for a professional type job then list all the relevant professional experience. If you are looking for casual jobs then list all the relevant experince for that job, if you don't have any experince then rely on good luck or lower your expectations. Don't try and be something your not.

I wouldn't bother mentioning that you used to be an Alter Boy or that you have a certificate in Irish dancing whe you were 11, also I wouldn't bother mentioning hobbies or any bs that trys to make you sound interesting. Chances are it will make you sound boring.

If you are looking for work in construction game with an Irish gang then it's all about who you know. If someone asks who do know and you mention that you are friends with XYZ then just be aware that if XYZ are considered to be muppets then you will be also considered a muppet and it's likely they will fob you off.