New Zealand CV format and application guidance
Choose a work-focused or skills-focused CV and support it with specific examples.
- Document
- CV
- Photograph
- Usually unnecessary for business roles
- Length
- Use enough space for relevant evidence
- Language
- Use the language requested in the vacancy
- Instructions
- Employer requirements take precedence
Preparing your CV for New Zealand
Tahatū provides CV guidance and examples for job applicants in New Zealand. Choose the structure around your evidence: work history for established experience, or relevant skills supported by projects, placements and other activities when paid experience is limited.
New Zealand CV template: section order and what to include
For an experienced applicant, this work-focused order provides a starting point. Change the emphasis to match the vacancy and the evidence you have.
- Name and contact details: name, current location, phone with country code, professional email, and LinkedIn or portfolio link where relevant.
- Personal statement: a short summary of the role you target, the experience you bring, and the value you can show.
- Key skills: lead with skills named in the job advertisement, supported by evidence elsewhere in the CV.
- Work and volunteer history: newest role first, with employer, title, location, dates, responsibilities, and achievements.
- Education and qualifications: newest or most relevant first, including provider, location, qualification, and completion date.
- Relevant certifications, professional memberships, community work, or interests: include these only when they strengthen the application.
- Referees: list suitable people and your working relationship, or write ‘Referees available on request’ unless the advertisement asks for details.
For a skills-focused version, move skills supported by examples ahead of work history, while keeping dates visible. Follow the requested file type and use a descriptive name, such as Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf. Ask referees before sharing their details.
Read annotated resume examples →
Check the complete application
A skills-focused CV should still show dates for work and education. It should not conceal the history a reader needs to understand. Ask referees before providing their details and follow the employer’s requested format.
A practical writing example
A returning applicant might lead with recent volunteer coordination and relevant training, then list earlier paid roles with dates. Explain the work performed rather than inventing a job title to fill a period away from paid employment.
This is an illustrative writing example. Use only details that reflect your own experience.
Sources and further guidance
Sources checked 22 September 2026. Conventions can vary by employer and role; official services define their own current requirements.
Examples to adapt to your role
These examples can help you describe relevant experience. Adapt the document to the requirements of the role in New Zealand.
Civil Engineering resume samples →
Tagged for New Zealand
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Check your CV before you send it to New Zealand.
Upload your file for format and writing feedback. The review can flag possible issues, but it does not reproduce an employer’s screening system or guarantee a result.
Your career context
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