Student & Graduate Resume: Australian Examples & Guide

A student or graduate resume shows how your education and experience prepare you for the job. When paid experience is limited, use relevant coursework, placements, volunteering and casual work to demonstrate what you can do. Describe your own contribution accurately, including whether a task was supervised or completed by a team.

See the graduate resume example · Write about a project · Check your draft

What to include in a student or graduate resume

1. Contact details: your name, professional email, phone and relevant location. Add a current professional profile or portfolio if it supports the application.
2. Short profile: your study or qualification status, relevant experience and the kind of contribution the role needs.
3. Education: qualification, institution and completion or expected completion date. Select relevant projects, subjects or verified achievements.
4. Relevant experience: placements, course projects, volunteering and employment. Give each an accurate heading and dates.
5. Skills with evidence: include the tools and capabilities you can demonstrate, linked to examples in the resume.
6. Other requested information: referees, licences or supporting documents when the application instructions require them.

Put your strongest relevant evidence early. A recent internship can sit above unrelated casual employment under a separate heading. If you are a school leaver, adapt the education section to your school qualification and use school projects, community activities or work experience. Our first-job resume guide covers that starting point in more detail.

An annotated graduate resume example

Fictional teaching example: Jordan is a final-year business student applying for a graduate operations role that asks for accurate records, teamwork and clear communication. The person, organisations, dates and work below are invented for this example. Adapt the structure using your own evidence; do not copy the experience as your own.

Why these sections are there

• Profile: names the student's current status and capabilities supported later in the resume.
• Education: says “expected” because the degree is not yet completed.
• Project: identifies coursework rather than presenting it as paid industry employment.
• Experience: describes the volunteer's responsibility without implying authority to approve bookings.
• Skills: connects each claim to a task the applicant can explain.

The example focuses on the main content sections. Add any other relevant employment and the information required by your employer. Replace all contact placeholders before sending your version.

Turn a project or placement into evidence

Start with four notes: the setting, the task, what you personally did and the output or supported result. Keep a team achievement separate from your contribution. If you have no measured outcome, describe the deliverable or purpose accurately.

Starting note: “Helped with a university project.”

More useful draft: “Checked [type of records] for [specific issues] using [tool], documented the findings and contributed [your section] to the team's [deliverable].”

The brackets are prompts for your facts. Use numbers only when you can explain where they came from. For a placement, name the host, dates, setting and supervised responsibilities. Do not turn attendance, observation or introductory training into independent professional experience.

Tailor the example to your job advertisement

1. Identify the most important requirements and the submission instructions.
2. Choose one or two real examples for each relevant requirement. Coursework can demonstrate analysis; a casual role may demonstrate customer communication.
3. Move the strongest matching evidence higher in the document. Use the employer's terminology only when it accurately describes your experience.
4. Remove generic claims that repeat your profile without adding evidence.

For a broad graduate employment application, a concise one- or two-page draft can be a useful starting point. Follow any specified limit and include the evidence the employer requests. Use clear headings and readable text, then check the final PDF or Word file in the required format. No template or keyword choice guarantees an ATS result or an interview.

Before you submit

• Check qualification status, dates and every claimed skill.
• Remove invented results, unsupported grades and all unfilled brackets.
• Ask referees before sharing their details and follow the employer's instructions.
• Check that links work and that the exported document has no clipped text or unexpected page breaks.
• Read your examples aloud: could you explain your contribution in an interview?

For further guidance, UNSW's resume guide illustrates relevant projects and section order. Victoria University's graduate advice discusses clear, accurate applications. Your employer's instructions take priority where guidance differs.

Want feedback on your graduate resume?

Use the example to prepare your own draft, then request a free resume review. If you want writing support, compare the actual inclusions in our entry-level and graduate resume services. Bring your current draft and target job advertisement so the advice can focus on your evidence and application.