CV or resume?
In New Zealand it's usually called a CV, short for curriculum vitae. Tahatū Career Navigator, the government's careers service, notes it's sometimes called a resume, and SEEK uses "resumé" in its advice. Employers use both words for the same thing: a short document that shows why you suit one job.
How long should it be?
Two pages if you can. That's Tahatū Career Navigator's advice, and its example prompt for writing a CV with AI asks for one to two pages. SEEK is more relaxed and allows up to four for a long career, but a short, focused CV is easier to read for an employer with a pile of applications and not much time.
What goes at the top
Your name and contact details: a phone number, a professional email address, and a link to your LinkedIn or another online job profile if you have one. The careers service's own template doesn't include a home address, and SEEK says a full address isn't needed. Your town or city is enough.
Photo, age and personal details
Leave them off. Tahatū Career Navigator says it's usually best not to add a photo, your age or your date of birth, and the Tertiary Education Commission's CV guide says to remove images and photos.
The law is behind it. The Human Rights Act 1993 lists the grounds an employer can't discriminate on, including age, sex, marital status, family status, religious and ethical belief, race, colour, ethnic or national origins (which covers nationality and citizenship), disability, sexual orientation, political opinion and employment status. The Human Rights Commission's guidance for employers says they shouldn't try to find out your date of birth, ask about your marital status or whether you have children, or ask about your religious beliefs.
So none of those belong on your CV. An employer is allowed to ask for a photo, but the Commission says it shouldn't be used to look for characteristics like these.
Work rights and visas
Employers must check that you have the legal right to work in New Zealand before they employ you, and Immigration New Zealand says the same: they must check your visa lets you work here. The Human Rights Commission says every applicant should be asked whether they're entitled to work in New Zealand, but not about their country of origin.
No official guide says your visa status has to go on your CV, so it's your call. If you're on a visa, be ready to show your work rights when you're asked.
What goes in, and in what order
Tahatū Career Navigator suggests this order:
- Your name and contact details
- A personal statement: a few lines on who you are and what you're looking for
- Your key skills
- Your work history, most recent job first
- Your education and qualifications, most recent or most relevant first
- Interests, if you want to include them
- Referees
Your work history can include other work experience, not only paid jobs. For study, the careers service suggests listing the dates or just the year you finished.
Referees
Include referees if the job ad asks for them. You'll need contact details for at least two people, and the careers service's CV builder suggests two or three who know your work. If the ad doesn't ask, write "Referees available on request".
Employers can only collect information about you from someone who isn't one of your nominated referees with your consent, according to Employment New Zealand. It makes sense to let your referees know they may be called.
Gaps in your work history
A break doesn't need hiding. Tahatū Career Navigator suggests a skills-focused CV to show what you learned during the break, and explaining a big gap in your cover letter.
Format, file type and ATS
Send your CV as a PDF unless the employer asks for a Word document, and give the file a clear name, like "sam-henderson-CV.pdf". The careers service recommends a plain black font such as Calibri at 11 point, larger bold headings and plenty of white space.
Keep the layout simple. Your CV may go through an applicant tracking system (ATS), software that searches CVs and cover letters and ranks them, and the careers service says simple, consistent formatting makes sure it can read yours. The Tertiary Education Commission's guide adds: remove text boxes, because an ATS won't read infographics or diagrams.
Spelling
Use New Zealand English. The careers service's example prompt for writing a CV with AI asks for "clear, plain New Zealand English" and suggests fixing American spelling.
Cover letters
Expect to send one. Tahatū Career Navigator says a cover letter goes with your CV when you apply for a job, and to keep it to one page. If the employer uses an application form, follow every instruction: they may reject applications that don't.
Police vetting and other checks
Some jobs involve checks before an offer. The Human Rights Commission notes that jobs caring for children, older people or other vulnerable people may need a Police vet, and Employment New Zealand says an employer may check your driving record if you'll drive for work. Only give this kind of information when the employer asks for it.
How SmartCVs fits a New Zealand CV
SmartCVs was built in New Zealand, and its CVs follow these conventions by design. Your profile has no place for a photo, date of birth or marital status, so no CV it makes includes them. Every CV downloads as PDF or Word, and you can record your work rights and driver's licence under Other details if you want them on it.
For each job ad, SmartCVs shows which requirements your CV answers, then tailors it around them without adding anything you haven't done. Start with the free CV check, and see how an ATS reads yours.