CV vs Resume: What's the Difference in Australia?

If you've researched resumes online, you've probably noticed the terms "CV" and "resume" used in confusingly different ways depending on where the advice comes from. Here's how it actually works in Australia.

The Short Answer

In Australia, "CV" and "resume" are generally used interchangeably for the same type of document — a concise, two-to-three-page summary of your work history, skills, and qualifications used for most job applications. This is different from the UK, where "CV" is the standard term and "resume" is rarely used, and different again from the US, where "CV" specifically refers to a longer academic document, distinct from a resume.

So if an Australian job ad asks you to submit a "CV," you can generally submit the same document you'd otherwise call your resume — there's no need to write something longer or more comprehensive unless the role is in academia, research, or a similar specialist field.

When Australia Does Use "CV" to Mean Something Longer

The exception is academic, research, medical specialist, and some senior scientific roles, where "CV" refers to a genuinely different, longer document — sometimes called a "curriculum vitae" in full. A true academic CV includes:

• A complete publication history, including journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers.
• Grants and funding received, with amounts and funding bodies where relevant.
• Teaching experience and supervision history (for academic roles).
• Conference presentations and invited talks.
• Professional memberships, editorial roles, and peer review activity.

Unlike a resume, an academic CV isn't expected to be concise — it's a comprehensive record that grows over a career, sometimes running to many pages for a senior academic.

How to Tell Which One a Job Ad Wants

Look at the industry. If the role is in academia, medical research, or a specialist scientific field, assume "CV" means the comprehensive document. For nearly everything else — corporate, government, trades, retail, healthcare delivery roles, and general professional roles — treat "CV" as meaning the same thing as a resume.

Check for specific instructions. Some academic job ads explicitly list what the CV should contain (publications, grants, teaching experience) — if you see this level of detail requested, it confirms you need the longer format.

When in doubt, ask. If a job ad is ambiguous and the stakes are high, a quick, professional email to the contact person listed on the ad asking for clarification is a reasonable approach and won't count against you.

Getting Started

For the vast majority of Australian job applications — whether the ad says "resume" or "CV" — what you need is a clear, well-structured two-to-three-page document. See our full Australian resume format guide for exactly what to include, or use our AI resume builder to put one together from your real experience.