Twenty short answers to the questions Australian professionals actually ask us — about ATS platforms, salary transparency, career gaps, notice periods, and workplace rights. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra. General guidance only; not personal legal, migration, or financial advice.
No. Under Fair Work and state anti-discrimination law you are not required to disclose the reason for a career gap — including health, caring, or personal reasons. You do need to be truthful about employment dates. See our full playbook on explaining a career gap in Australia.
CBA uses Workday Recruiting for the vast majority of professional roles. The same parser is used at NAB, Telstra, Medibank, Deloitte Australia, KPMG Australia, Woolworths Group and most ASX 100 employers.
Both Queensland and Victorian state government agencies primarily use PageUp — an Australian-built ATS. It's also used by most large Australian universities including UQ, USYD and Monash. PageUp weighs your selection criteria responses heavily, so budget as much time on those as on the résumé itself.
In FY26, a mid-level data scientist in Brisbane earns approximately $115,000–$140,000 total package (base plus super). Senior roles run $145,000–$180,000. Product-led tech and consulting employers sit at the top of that band. See our AU salary tables for updated ranges across cities.
Yes, it's legal — but you are not obliged to answer, and increasingly Australian recruiters expect a candidate to provide a target range rather than a current-salary disclosure. A reasonable response: 'I'd rather share what I'm targeting for this role — I'm looking at $X to $Y based on the scope.'
Notice periods are set by your employment contract or the applicable award / enterprise agreement, not by law. Most Australian professional roles specify 4 weeks. Executive roles often specify 8–12 weeks. Casuals and probationary employees typically have shorter notice.
In most cases yes, unless a formal flexible working arrangement is in place. Since 2024 employees with certain circumstances (parents, carers, disability, family violence, aged 55+) have a stronger right to request flexible work under the Fair Work Act, and the employer must respond in writing with reasonable business grounds if refusing.
Total package typically means base + superannuation (12% in FY26, mandatory). A '$150k package' at Deloitte usually means around $133,928 base + $16,072 super. STI (short-term incentive) and RSUs are usually quoted separately. Always confirm whether a stated number is base, package, or total on-target.
No. Photos are unusual on Australian professional CVs and can trigger unconscious-bias mitigation processes at large employers. Save the space for content. LinkedIn is where your professional photo belongs.
Two pages for most professional roles. Three pages is acceptable for senior (10+ years) or academic/technical roles. One page is fine for graduates. Government selection-criteria responses are separate documents and don't count toward the résumé length.
No. 'Referees available on request' is standard and expected. Australian employers ask for referees only after interview shortlisting, typically before the final offer.
Selection criteria responses are STAR-format written answers to specific job requirements. Required for most Australian Public Service (APS) and state government roles, plus many university roles. Each response is typically 250–500 words and answered separately from your résumé.
In FY26, expect 4–8 weeks from application to offer for private-sector professional roles. Big 4 and large banks: 6–10 weeks. State and federal government: 8–14 weeks, sometimes longer. Product-led tech (Atlassian, Canva, SafetyCulture): typically 3–5 weeks with a tighter loop.
Yes, but the levers differ. Big 4 firms (Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC) have narrow discretion within grade — best lever is a specific competing offer from another Big 4 or tier-2 firm. Australian banks respond to named market data (Hays or Robert Half salary guides) and often to sign-on bonuses over base bumps.
The percentage frame is a US import that doesn't translate cleanly. Australian bands are tighter; a realistic single counter is usually $5,000–$15,000 on base for mid roles, $15,000–$30,000 for senior. What matters is evidence — a competing offer, a documented market comparator, or a specific certification closed during the process.
Sydney and Melbourne bands are broadly similar; Brisbane runs 10–15% lower for equivalent roles. Cost of living usually more than offsets the delta. Perth is comparable to Brisbane except in mining-adjacent tech, where it runs higher. Canberra bands are wide and heavily influenced by security clearance premiums.
Yes. All four Big 4 firms, most large Australian banks, and several tech employers (including Telstra) run explicit returnship programs targeting career-break candidates. They're structured 3–12 month engagements designed to convert to permanent, and hiring bars are calibrated to the break rather than 'as if you'd never left.'
For cloud/DevOps: AWS Solutions Architect Professional, Azure Solutions Architect Expert. For cyber: CISSP, OSCP, CISM. For PM: PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner. For BA: IIBA CBAP or PMI-PBA. For supply chain: APICS CPIM. For accounting: CA (CAANZ) or CPA. Named more often than any others in Seek and LinkedIn AU listings.
Honest and specific. 'I'm in final rounds with two other roles, expecting decisions within 10 business days' materially strengthens your position. Vague signalling ('I have other things in the pipeline') doesn't. If you're not actually interviewing elsewhere, don't claim you are — Australian recruiter networks are small and consistency matters.
No. Everything on SkillVector is general career guidance drawn from public sources and our own placement data. It is not legal, migration, financial, or regulated personal advice. For those questions, speak to a qualified professional in the relevant field.
SkillVector reads your résumé and gives you a personalised skill-gap plan, real Australian job matches, and a curated learning path — in about a minute.
