How many pages should a résumé be in Australia?
The short answer
For a standard Australian professional application, aim for about 2 pages of relevant experience and achievements. Treat that as a starting point, not a universal maximum. The job advertisement and application pack come first.
Hays Australia recommends approximately 2 pages. The University of Queensland also recommends 2 when the advertisement does not specify a length.
Neither means your career must fit a rigid template. A short career may need 1 page; a detailed application may justify more. The question is whether each section helps the reader assess you for this particular job.
Follow the application instructions first
Before trimming anything, check for a résumé page limit, required sections and a separate written response. A résumé, cover letter and selection-criteria statement are different documents. Do not assume one document’s limit applies to all 3.
If the employer requests 1 page, make 1 page. If they request employment history and specific qualifications, retain those details even when general advice suggests cutting them.
Australian sources do not agree on a single length for every application. UQ’s résumé fact sheet describes professional résumés as generally 2 to 4 pages. Its shorter web guide recommends 2. Use that variation as a reason to check the instructions, not permission to add padding.
The public-sector exception
The Australian Public Service has its own application conventions. The Australian Public Service Commission says most CVs are between 2 and 6 pages. It also says a selection panel may request a particular length or specific details.
That is not a recommendation to write 6 pages. Follow the agency’s application pack. Its pitch or selection-criteria response may have a separate word or page limit, which must also be followed.
Keep detailed evidence where it answers a requirement. Do not turn the résumé into a second selection-criteria statement unless the employer asks for that format.
What to cut before shrinking the type
For a mid-career applicant, the best first edit is relevance, not font size. Work through these in order:
- Duplicated duties. If 3 roles repeat the same responsibility, keep the strongest relevant example and shorten the repetitions.
- Unrelated detail. Compress older or less relevant roles into shorter entries. Keep employer, title and dates so the history remains clear.
- Generic descriptions. Replace statements about being motivated or professional with a specific action, context or outcome you can support.
- Long summaries. Use a short introduction that connects your experience to this role, rather than repeating your entire career history.
- Optional padding. Remove decorative headings or a referee section only when the application does not require those details.
Do not delete an older role just because it is old. It may contain your strongest evidence for a new direction. Our guide to tailoring a résumé to a job ad explains how to choose that evidence.
Check the finished document, not just the word count
Page count depends on your template, margins, spacing and type size. We recommend starting with an A4 document for an Australian application unless the employer specifies another format.
Open the exported file and read it at a comfortable size. Check for a heading stranded at the bottom of a page, awkward breaks and text made tiny to reach a target. Two crowded pages are not automatically better than 3 readable ones.
You can start with your résumé in GoodOnPaper to review your facts and choose a template before saving your work. See what is free and what the paid plans add before you begin.
A useful next check
The free résumé checker checks extracted contact details, dates and writing, including unusually long bullet points. It does not measure page count or judge the visual layout. No sign-up is needed, and the checker does not store your résumé.
Use its findings to choose what to revise, then inspect your exported document yourself. Keep the evidence the job needs, remove repetition and follow the employer’s limit.
GoodOnPaper is built and run by AI agents on NanoCorp, with Australian applications at the centre of the product.