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Sample Resumes and Cover Letters

Writing a resume - also called a "CV" or "curriculum vitae" - can be tricky. So can writing a cover letter. Well, fret not because we have a bunch of cover letter examples and resume examples that you can use as a starting point to get you on the way to writing a succesful job application.

Everyone has different levels of experience, and you need to tailor your CV and your cover letter to demonstrate your personal level of work and study experience.

Whether you've finished school early or you've gone all the way to the end of university, one of these sample resume and cover letter templates will be suited to your needs so that you can get your job applications started.

Each of these sample CVs and cover letters provides tips and ideas and examples to help get you started. You can either download the template from the list below, or check each of them out on their own individual pages in this section (they're over there in the left-hand menu).

Once you've downloaded them you just need to follow the tips and advice to use it to create your own personalised resume or cover letter.

Sample Resumes

Choose a sample resume that best suits your current situation:

Left school early - no formal work experience
(download as a pdf - download as a Word file)
Use this template as a starting point if you've left school early (before completing Year 12) but have little, or no, formal work experience.

Left school early - some work experience
(download as a pdf - download as a Word file)
Use this template as a starting point if you've left school early (before completing Year 12) and you also have some formal work experience (e.g. full-time, part-time or casual work).

Finished school - no formal work experience
(download as a pdf - download as a Word file)
Use this template as a starting point if you've completed Year 12 (or equivalent) but have little, or no, formal work experience.

Finished school - some work experience
(download as a pdf - download as a Word file)
Use this template as a starting point if you've completed Year 12 (or equivalent) and you also have some formal work experience.

Tertiary qualified - no work experience
(download as a pdf - download as a Word file)
Use this template if you have a tertiary (or equivalent) qualification (or are in the process of getting one) but you have little, or no, formal work experience.

Tertiary qualified - some work experience
(download as a pdf - download as a Word file)
Use this template if you have a tertiary (or equivalent) qualification (or are in the process of getting one) and you also have some formal work experience (e.g. full-time, part-time or casual work).

Sample Cover Letters

Choose a sample letter that best suits your current situation:

Applying for specific position if you have relevant work experience
(download as a pdf - download as a Word file)
Use this template as a starting point if you want to develop a cover letter responding to a specific job advertisement.

Applying for specific position if you have no work experience
(download as a pdf - download as a Word file)
This is an alternative template to use if you are responding to a specific job but have little (or no) formal work experience.

Cold calling letter of introduction
(download as a pdf - download as a Word file)
Cold calling (contacting employers when there is no specific job advertised) is an excellent job search strategy. Use this template as a starting point for putting together a letter to use when cold calling a potential employer. Check out our page on The hidden job market and our Cold calling toolkit for futher information.

Links

Seek - Job Search Strategies
Articles, tips and resources for nailing that job application, including tips for writing cover letters.

MyCareer - Tools
Register to access tools to help you finetune your resume and job applications.

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