# Resume question



## AussieWeever (Apr 6, 2012)

I had been a Sr. Software engineer in an international company for more than 10 years. 2 weeks ago I arrived in Adelaide with a provisional visa. Until now i have sent out tens of resumes but got no response. I think there could be some issues in my resume, since I had experienced different roles and different technologies, it is a little bit confused to me regarding how to write the resume. Current i list all my project experiences in the document as I don't want to decorate my experience too much but it seems i have to do that.

Anyone has the similar experience as me? Have you got a job successfully without changing your past experience?


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## MarkHipwood (Apr 10, 2012)

*No response to resumes in Australia - some possible reasons*



AussieWeever said:


> I had been a Sr. Software engineer in an international company for more than 10 years. 2 weeks ago I arrived in Adelaide with a provisional visa. Until now i have sent out tens of resumes but got no response. I think there could be some issues in my resume, since I had experienced different roles and different technologies, it is a little bit confused to me regarding how to write the resume. Current i list all my project experiences in the document as I don't want to decorate my experience too much but it seems i have to do that.
> 
> Anyone has the similar experience as me? Have you got a job successfully without changing your past experience?


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Hi there!

I'm sorry you have had a tough time getting noticed in Australia with your current CV / Resume.

Here is my take on your situation. I am a recruitment consultant based in Sydney, Australia (though originally from Adelaide) and have worked with a number of folks to make their CV suited to the Australian workplace. My comments are based on my experience of working with them.

Unfortunately, it's difficult to arrive at a single, simple answer.

Firstly, a few factors for your consideration that are separate from your CV:

1. You have probably been told by a number of people that the job's on offer in IT are fairly patchy at the moment, and even if your CV was perfect you should expect some delay in finding your ideal job as you jostle with a lean and competitive marketplace.

2. Adelaide is not the easiest place to find IT work. Are you able to expand your horizons to interstate? particularly, Sydney and Melbourne.

However, these issues aside and focusing purely on your CV, there is much that you can consider to improve your visibility and employability. Here are some ideas for you:

1. I would advise you to stick with ordering your experience by projects and positions, rather than shifting to one which purely emphasises your skillset. The main reason is that much is lost by de-emphasising the valuable context that your 10 year work history and varied roles provide. In Australia a chronological, position-based CV

2. You mentioned that you have a visa. Are you making this clear in your application? A lot of employers do not want to bother with sponsoring an employee and the fact that you have a visa to work in Australia is most certainly an asset that you should highlight very early and very prominently.

3. How long is your CV? In Australia the norm is 3 to 5 pages, with a preference toward 3 pages. 5 pages is most certainly your outer limit in all CV's with the exception of academic and research positions. Just as your CV should not be too much longer than 5 pages, nor should it be shorter than 3. This may give an immediate impression of a "light" employment history.

4. You mentioned language. This is absolutely critical and it is quite hard to give advice in general without actually seeing your CV, but do bear in mind that CVs in Australia are worded quite differently to your typical resume in the US or UK. The best general advice I can give is to use a simple, direct and straightforward language. Avoid superlatives (words like "excellent", "brilliant") and focus your accomplishments purely on the key proficiencies the advertised position is looking for. Also, for every job when transferring your position from one country to another, it's important that you are aware of any crucial changes in terminology. I would suggest taking a close look at the technical language being used in your field, just to be sure that there aren't any glaring incompatibilities.

5. Have you considered that the problem might not be your CV, but rather your cover letter? Again, the cover letter in Australia has some crucial but subtle differences from the kind you might expect to see in the US or UK. Just as with your CV, focus on simple and direct language.

6. Finally, if English is your second language, or if you are making a major transition and feel a bit unclear about how to best present your skills to potential employers, it can be incredibly useful to pay someone to impartially and professionally review, edit and format your CV. It is an investment of time and money, but well worth considering.

I really do wish you the best of luck, and hope you can get some success soon.

Yours sincerely
Mark Hipwood
Recruitment Consultant
Find Your Tomorrow


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## vamshi.p1 (Apr 14, 2011)

Hey I am also a Software engineer who needs to move to Adelaide for job search. Hey Ausieweever if you want you can contact me 
at vamshi.p1 (@gmaildotcom)

Nice to see some clear tips from mark 

Thankyou mark 

Regards 
Vamshi


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## MarkHipwood (Apr 10, 2012)

You're most welcome, Vamshi. I hope it was of some use.

Sincerely

Mark Hipwood
Recruitment Consultant
Find Your Tomorrow


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## AussieWeever (Apr 6, 2012)

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your kindly suggestion. I am state sponsored so I have to stay in SA for 2 years at least. Adelaide is a nice city and I'd like to settle in the area if I could find a job.

Cheers~


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## vamshi.p1 (Apr 14, 2011)

Hi Mark

Even I got the state sponsorship and presently i am a DBA ( database admin) and I need to stay for atleast 2 years. 

I have got an exp of 7 years as a DBA. So do we need to go to Adelaide and search for jobs because it's very difficult to leave my job in india and come to oz 

Kindly suggest 


Thanks 
Vamshi


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## zaratino (Apr 5, 2012)

Hey guys, let me ask you, how did you get a state sponsorship?
And Mark, 3 - 5 pages?? Who reads it? Ideal should be 2-3 pgs max...


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## vamshi.p1 (Apr 14, 2011)

Hey zaratino,

It is not that difficult to get a state sponsorship 

First get ur skills assessed and depending upon ur ANZSCO code you can apply for state sponsorship 

As i am a DBA My ANZSCO is 262111 and this skill is sponsored by only 3 states and south Australia is one of them

I got the state sponsorship in 1 month 

Thanks & regards 
Vamshi


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## zaratino (Apr 5, 2012)

Tnx Vamshi 
Congrats and good luck, wish my day visa granted comes asap


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