ATS in Australia: Resume Tips for SEEK & Aussie Employers (2026)

Applying for jobs in Australia involves navigating at least two layers of screening: the job board itself and the employer's own applicant tracking system (ATS). SEEK — Australia's dominant job board — has its own candidate-matching algorithm, while most medium and large Australian employers run applications through systems such as PageUp, Workday, or JobAdder. Government roles add a third layer: the structured selection criteria. This guide covers all three.

How SEEK handles your resume

SEEK is Australia's largest job board, and the majority of Australian job advertisements are listed there. When you upload a resume to your SEEK profile, SEEK's own algorithm scores it against job ads and surfaces your profile to recruiters who search the platform. This means your SEEK profile and uploaded resume function as a secondary application layer — one that runs before you even hit “Apply”.

In practice, this means two things. First, keep your SEEK profile current and keyword-rich, using the same language as the roles you are targeting. Second, when you apply for a role through SEEK, your application is typically forwarded to the employer's own ATS — so you face a second round of parsing and screening inside a different system.

ATS use among Australian employers

The Australian applicant tracking system market has grown steadily as mid-size and larger employers have adopted automated recruitment tools. The most widely used platforms include PageUp (especially in the public sector and universities), Workday, Greenhouse, and JobAdder. The same fundamental ATS rules that apply globally apply in Australia: keyword-rich plain text outperforms complex formatting, and your resume must be parseable as a clean document.

It is worth noting that research by Harvard Business School (2021) found that more than 90% of employers use ATS or similar technology to filter or rank candidates — and 88% of employers admit this screening regularly eliminates qualified candidates whose resumes are not optimised for the system. Australian employers are part of this global trend.

Australian resume conventions

Australian resume conventions sit between the UK CV tradition and the US resume style. Key points:

• No photo — attaching a photograph is not standard in Australia and can raise discrimination concerns. Leave it out.
• No date of birth, gender, or marital status — these details are not expected and including them is considered outdated practice.
• Length — two to three pages is the accepted norm for most roles. Executives and academics may run longer; graduates may work with two.
• Australian English spelling — use “organisation”, “programme”, “colour”, and “recognised”. If you have worked in the US, quietly correct US spellings throughout before applying.
• Referees — Australian employers commonly expect two or three referee names at the end of the resume, or a statement that referees are available on request. List their name, title, organisation, phone, and email.
• File format — PDF is widely accepted and preserves formatting. Where an ATS specifically requests a Word document (.docx), use that instead, as some older systems parse Word more reliably than PDF.

ATS formatting rules that apply in Australia

The same formatting rules that trip up applicants globally apply here:

• Avoid tables and columns — many ATS systems read left-to-right and scramble content inside table cells, creating parsing errors that lower your match score.
• Standard section headings — “Work Experience”, “Education”, “Skills”. Systems trained on millions of resumes recognise these headings; creative alternatives may cause content to be misclassified.
• No headers or footers for key content — some parsers skip the header and footer regions entirely. Your name, phone number, and email address should be in the main body of the document.
• Standard fonts at 10–12pt — Calibri, Arial, and Georgia are reliable choices. Unusual fonts may not render correctly when the system converts your file to plain text.

Government roles: the APS selection criteria

Australian Public Service (APS) roles have a structured application process that differs significantly from private-sector applications. Rather than a traditional cover letter, most APS agencies require you to address selection criteria — specific capability statements defined in the job advertisement. Many APS agencies usePageUp as their applicant tracking system.

PageUp parses uploaded resumes and extracts text to match against the keywords and phrases in the job advertisement. The closer your language matches the advertisement and selection criteria wording, the higher your match score. This is the single most impactful optimisation you can make for an APS application.

How to address APS selection criteria

• Use the exact capability names — APS roles reference the APS Integrated Leadership System (ILS) capability framework. If the advertisement specifies “Achieves Results” or “Communicates with Influence”, use those exact phrases in your response.
• Back every claim with a specific example — use the “Situation, Task, Action, Result” (STAR) method for each criterion. Assertions without evidence score poorly with APS shortlisters.
• Match the APS level — the complexity and scope of your examples should match the level you are applying for (APS3–APS5: two to three pages; APS6/EL1: three to four pages is standard).
• Write for the parser and the person — because PageUp scores your resume as text, keyword alignment matters. But shortlisters also read the application, so your examples must be coherent and specific, not keyword-stuffed.

Keyword strategy for SEEK and private-sector ATS

For private-sector roles advertised on SEEK or applied for via Workday, Greenhouse, or similar systems, the keyword strategy is straightforward:

• Extract terms from the job description — particularly from the “Requirements” and “Essential Skills” sections.
• Mirror exact phrasing — if the ad says “stakeholder management”, use that phrase rather than a synonym.
• Spell out acronyms once — write “Customer Relationship Management (CRM)” on first use, then use the acronym. This covers both search variants.
• Embed keywords in achievements, not just a skills list — a skills section signals competence; a quantified achievement demonstrates it.

A note on privacy

When using our free ATS checker, your resume and job description are processed entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to any server. This is particularly useful if your resume contains salary expectations, referee contact details, or any sensitive professional information you would prefer not to share with a third-party service.

Frequently asked questions

Does SEEK itself filter resumes with an ATS?

SEEK has its own candidate-matching algorithm that scores uploaded profiles against job ads and surfaces candidates to recruiters searching the platform. This is separate from the employer's own ATS. When you apply for a role through SEEK, your application is typically forwarded to the employer's ATS — so you face two rounds of screening: SEEK's matching and the employer's own system.

What ATS do Australian government agencies use?

PageUp is the most widely used applicant tracking system across Commonwealth APS agencies and many state government departments and universities. PageUp parses your uploaded resume and compares it to the job advertisement text, so keyword alignment with the advertisement and selection criteria wording directly affects your match score.

Should I use a CV or a resume in Australia?

In Australia the terms “CV” and “resume” are used interchangeably in most contexts. Practically, a two-to-three page targeted document is the standard for most private-sector roles. APS and academic roles may expect a longer document with explicit capability statements or a list of publications. Follow any formatting guidance in the job advertisement.

Is a PDF or Word file better for Australian ATS?

PDF is widely accepted and preserves your formatting reliably. However, some older applicant tracking systems parse Word (.docx) files more accurately than PDF. If the application form specifies a preferred format, use that. If no preference is stated, a clean single-column PDF is a safe default.

Related guides: Free ATS resume checker · How ATS keyword matching works · ATS-friendly resume format · Our methodology