Originally published January 2021, updated March 2026

The first step to landing a graduate role involves getting past two gatekeepers: applicant tracking systems (ATS) and time-poor recruiters reviewing hundreds of applications. Your resume needs to work hard on both fronts, so understanding how to structure, write, and optimise your CV is one of the most valuable skills you'll develop during your graduate job search.

Whether you're applying for your very first role or have some casual work and internships under your belt, a well-crafted resume paired with a strong cover letter forms your critical first impression with potential employers. With the right approach, your resume can set you apart from other applicants and significantly increase your chances of landing an interview.

Your resume should present your educational background, professional experience, skills, and achievements in a format that's easy to scan, keyword-optimised, and tailored to each opportunity.

How resumes are commonly read in 2026

Before diving into structure, it's helpful to understand the journey your resume takes:

Stage 1: ATS screening

Many graduate employers use applicant tracking systems to filter applications based on keywords, qualifications, and formatting. If your resume isn't ATS-friendly, it may never reach human eyes.

Stage 2: The recruiter scan

Once past the ATS, recruiters will often do an initial scan for things like your degree and graduation year as well as relevant projects, key skills, and standout achievements that match the role.

Stage 3: Detailed review

If you make it through the scan, your resume gets a closer read before interview shortlisting.

This means your resume needs to be both machine-readable and engaging for humans. Let's look at how to achieve both.

How to structure your graduate CV

Contact details

Start with your name, mobile number, professional email address, and LinkedIn URL. If you have a digital portfolio, GitHub profile, or personal website that showcases relevant work, be sure to include that too.

Consider adding your pronouns (e.g., she/her, they/them) if you're comfortable. This is increasingly common in Australian workplaces and demonstrates inclusivity awareness.

Skip outdated elements like full street addresses (city and state are sufficient) and avoid unprofessional email addresses from your high school days.

Professional summary

This is your elevator pitch – 2-3 lines that immediately tell employers who you are and what you offer. Place it right below your contact details.

Example: "Marketing graduate with experience in social media strategy and content creation. Skilled in Google Analytics, Canva, and campaign coordination through internships with not-for-profit organisations. Seeking an entry-level marketing role where I can apply creative thinking and data-driven insights."

This section helps ATS by including key skills and role titles, and recruiters by quickly answering "why should I keep reading?".

Key skills

Move your skills section near the top of your resume. Many employers scan for specific capabilities before diving into your experience.

Include both technical skills (software, tools, platforms, languages) and soft skills (communication, problem-solving, collaboration). Be as specific as possible – instead of "Microsoft Office," list "Advanced Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP), PowerPoint presentation design."

Match skills to the job description whenever it's truthful. If the role asks for "stakeholder management" and you've coordinated with clients during an internship, include it.

Professional experience & projects

This section showcases where you've applied your skills. For each role or significant project, include:

• Organisation/project name
• Your role/title
• Dates (month and year)
• 3-5 bullet points describing achievements and responsibilities

List your experiences in reverse chronological order – that's most recent first.

To really make this section set you apart, be sure to focus on achievements and impact, not just duties. Quantify wherever possible using numbers, percentages, or concrete outcomes.

Instead of: "Responsible for social media management"
Write: "Grew Instagram following by 35% over 6 months through consistent content calendar and engagement strategy"

Instead of: "Helped with customer service"
Write: "Resolved average of 25 customer enquiries daily, maintaining 4.8/5 satisfaction rating"

Include significant projects alongside traditional work experience. Many 2026 graduates have impressive university projects, freelance work, or personal initiatives that demonstrate capability just as effectively as part-time jobs. A capstone project where you conducted market research or a freelance website you built both deserve space here.

As you gain more experience, you'll tailor which roles you include in this section based on their relevance to each application.

Education

Keep this section concise. List your university, degree, major, and graduation year (or expected graduation). Include your university scores if they are strong (for example, they are in the top quartile or you have a distinction average).

Add relevant coursework, academic achievements, or thesis topics only if they directly relate to the role you're applying for.

You can include your high school if you're a recent graduate, but you can skip the ATAR - once you have tertiary qualifications and some experience, it's no longer relevant.

Leadership, volunteering & extracurricular activities

This is the section where you'll demonstrate who you are outside of your experience and education – it allows you to showcase your initiative, community engagement, and transferable skills. Include:

• Society memberships and leadership roles
• Volunteering positions
• Sports teams or clubs
• Awards and scholarships

Structure these similarly to your professional experience. Include the organisation, your role, dates, and bullet points highlighting what you achieved or contributed, and remember to add context where helpful, such as "Volunteered with Orange Sky Australia, completing 50+ shifts providing laundry services to people experiencing homelessness."

Additional information

If you have space and relevant content, include a brief section for:

• Languages (specify proficiency level)
• Certifications or micro-credentials (Google Analytics certification, first aid, etc.)
• Technical proficiencies that didn't fit elsewhere
• Interests (optional and only if they add dimension - "avid rock climber" is more memorable than "enjoy reading").

Keep this section tight by only including elements that add value or help you stand out.

Writing and optimising your CV

Use strong action words

Start bullet points with powerful verbs that demonstrate impact: achieved, coordinated, developed, implemented, launched, managed, optimised, presented, redesigned, streamlined.

Vary your language to keep the resume engaging and avoid repetition. Check out detailed action word lists from resources like SEEK for inspiration.

Optimise for ATS

Applicant tracking systems scan for keywords from the job description. To optimise:

• Mirror language from the job ad. If they say "stakeholder engagement," use that exact phrase rather than "working with clients"
• Avoid tables, text boxes, headers, and footers where possible, as some ATS may struggle with these. Keep critical information in the main body text of your resume
• Use standard section headings like "Experience" and "Education" rather than creative alternatives
• Spell out acronyms on first use, then use the acronym (e.g., "Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)")
• Save as a .docx or PDF. Check the application instructions as some ATS prefer one over the other

Keep it to 1-2 pages

For graduate roles, aim for one page if you have limited experience, or two pages maximum if you have substantial internships, projects, or relevant achievements.

Recruiters need to absorb your key selling points quickly so every single line should earn its place. If something doesn't strengthen your application for that specific role, consider removing it.

Match design to industry expectations

Your resume design should be clean, professional, and easy to scan, but remember that "professional" looks different across industries.

For corporate, finance, government, or legal roles: Stick to minimal formatting, traditional fonts (Arial, Calibri, Garamond), and simple layouts that prioritise ATS compatibility.

For creative, marketing, design, or tech roles: You have more flexibility to showcase design skills through thoughtful use of colour, modern layouts, or visual elements. Always remember to keep it readable and ensure it still works with ATS. Tools like Canva offer templates that balance creativity with functionality.

Avoid photos on your resume to prevent unconscious bias. Australian employers generally don't expect to see headshots on CVs.

Tailor for each application

Generic resumes rarely succeed. For each role:

• Adjust your professional summary to match the position
• Reorder or emphasise skills that align with the job description
• Highlight the most relevant experiences and projects
• Incorporate keywords from the job ad naturally throughout

Don't worry, this doesn't mean rewriting from scratch each time! Build a master resume with all your experiences, then create tailored versions which emphasise or 'dial up' different elements.

Proofread ruthlessly

Spelling and grammar errors are memorable for all the wrong reasons. They can cost you opportunities even if you're otherwise qualified.

Use spell-check, then read your resume aloud, then ask someone else to review it. Fresh eyes catch mistakes you've read past dozens of times.

Avoid common mistakes

Generic objective statements: Skip outdated lines like "Seeking a challenging position where I can grow." Your professional summary should be specific and value-focused.

Listing duties instead of achievements: Employers can guess what a "retail assistant" does. They want to know what you specifically accomplished or improved.

Inconsistent formatting: Keep date formats, bullet styles, and spacing uniform throughout. Inconsistency looks careless.

Including irrelevant information: Your year 9 piano certificate probably doesn't belong on your graduate resume unless you're applying to music-related roles.

Forgetting to update LinkedIn: Employers will check your LinkedIn profile, so make sure it aligns with your resume and provides additional context about your experiences.

Resume length creep: Just because you can fill two pages doesn't mean you should! Focus on quality over quantity.

Use AI tools responsibly

Many graduates use AI tools like ChatGPT or resume builders to help craft their CVs. This can be valuable for:

• Refining bullet point phrasing
• Suggesting action words
• Identifying gaps or areas to strengthen
• Formatting assistance

However, AI should refine your resume, not write it. Employers can often spot generic AI-generated content, and your resume needs to authentically represent your experiences and voice. Use AI as a drafting assistant, but ensure every line reflects your genuine achievements and sounds like you.

Never fabricate experiences or exaggerate skills. Authenticity matters, and you'll need to be ready to back up everything on your resume in interviews.

Make final checks before submitting

Before you hit send:

✓ Proofread for spelling and grammar errors
✓ Check that contact details are current
✓ Ensure formatting is consistent throughout
✓ Verify the file name is professional (e.g., "Emily-Chen-Resume.pdf" not "CV_final_FINAL_v3.pdf")
✓ Confirm you're submitting the tailored version for this specific role
✓ Double-check the job ad for specific application instructions (file format, additional documents required)

Your next steps

A strong resume opens doors but remember it's just one part of the graduate job application process. When you're ready to start applying:

• Download SEEK's free resume template to get started with a professional format
• Craft a compelling cover letter that complements your resume and tells your story
• Optimise your professional online profiles to match your resume and expand on your experiences
• Prepare for interviews by practising how you'll discuss the achievements listed on your CV
• Research salary expectations so you're ready when offers come through

Your graduate job search might feel overwhelming, but a well-crafted resume can help to give you a competitive edge. Take the time to get it right, tailor it for each opportunity, and let your achievements speak for themselves.

Ready to start applying? Explore thousands of graduate opportunities on SEEK Grad and take the next step in your career.