# Employee reference and resume template



## rajuvg2001 (Jun 20, 2008)

Hi All

This is my first visit to this forum and I am glad there are a lot of people who would like to share their experiences.

I am Bsc Computer Science graduate with 6yrs IT experience. And I am lucky that my Skill is in the MODL List.I did a lot research on migration to Australia with a lot of consultancies. But to be frank som consultancies seemed really fishy and the others very expensive. So I made the decision to apply by myself.

The first step to do when applying for australian visa (if you are an IT graduate and have more than 4 yrs experience) is that you have to get IT skills assessed by the ACS(Australian Computer Society). Once they send a positive feedback the secodn step is to apply for the Visa online or by post along with documents of Police check,medical clearance,character check etc.

All the documents required are mentioned as a check list in the ACS website and Australian Immigration web site.

Now coming to my problem, when I went through these check lists I came to know that the resume and employee reference documents are very important and this determines how our skills will be assessed. The documents should be clear,informative and precise. What the web sites do not mention is how the format should be which I believe is the most important part of our immigration. So is there anybody out there who can provide a template of both their resume and Employee references documents? It would be of really great help not only to me but to thousands out there who are not applying by themselves just because of this one reason.

I realy hope to get a reply.


----------



## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

Hi rajuvg2001, 

Welcome to the forum. 

I wrote you a long post and then lost it 

I have deleted your other posts that asked the same question since it's be far easier for you to have your answers in the same place, and easier for others who have the same question later on. 

I don't have a template since when I applied (IT analyst programmer) I used my standard resume that I used for all my clients since I'm a contractor.

When it came to references I tried to get my clients to say as much as possible but some of them would hardly say anything since they were worried about being sued. Some clients would only say that I worked at their company as an IT analyst programmer from x to y on JD Edwards One World software. One client did put in that I had won an award for my work with the company since that could be proven. None of them would say whether I was any good or not since that wasn't company policy. 

I was already a member of the British Computer Society and that probably helped too. 

Sorry I don't have any templates, maybe some of the other members will have them.

Regards,
Karen


----------



## rajuvg2001 (Jun 20, 2008)

Thanks a lot Karen for quick response. 

Ha ha the funny thing is I am still pasting the same query everywhere and when i searched it out I cant find my queries. So you are the one deleting my queries HA HA .. Ok I will not be pasting the same thing anywhere else..

I have posted query to user Anj1964 as her husband got approved by the ACS very recently. So i guess she will be able to give very valuable info. Do you think I shud post it there incase you have deleted it.

I hope we get positive reponses soon.. because I really know a lot of people who are not applying by themselves just because of the template problems. Hope this forum will help us in solving it.

Best wishes to all.


----------



## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

rajuvg2001 said:


> Ha ha the funny thing is I am still pasting the same query everywhere and when i searched it out I cant find my queries. So you are the one deleting my queries HA HA .. Ok I will not be pasting the same thing anywhere else..


Thank you ONE post is enough honestly. 


rajuvg2001 said:


> I have posted query to user Anj1964 as her husband got approved by the ACS very recently. So i guess she will be able to give very valuable info. Do you think I shud post it there incase you have deleted it.


No only ONE post. Anj will see this post because it's in a thread on it's own and I'm sure she will reply as will any other members that can help. 



rajuvg2001 said:


> I hope we get positive reponses soon.. because I really know a lot of people who are not applying by themselves just because of the template problems. Hope this forum will help us in solving it.
> 
> Best wishes to all.


There really isn't a template problem and if anyone is in any doubt then they should always contact professional advice since we aren't experts although we have been through the process. The first consultation with a migration agent is usually free by the way. 

Regards,
Karen


----------



## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

By the way I did send you a private message saying I was deleting your posts but you were probably too busy copying and posting to see it 

Regards,
Karen


----------



## rajuvg2001 (Jun 20, 2008)

Forgive me for my ignorance . And yes I was busy copy and pasting..


----------



## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

While sorting out some old paperwork I found my references. I essentially wrote them for the clients after talking to them to see what they would allow. For example no-one would just state I was brilliant and that they should just let me in  Each reference was different because you don't want it obvious that everyone is following a template. The reason I wrote them for them is because if I was waiting for them to do it I would probably still be waiting for them now 

The ones from my clients were done on their company headed stationary. 
They stated what the position was of the person writing the reference, the date, how they came to know me, how long I'd been working with that company, what skills I had used while there and what specific projects I had worked on. 

I also sent character references, and references from my company secretary about the new skills I was learning although I hadn't put them in to practice yet. 

I also sent copies of any memberships for example British Computer Society and the Professional Contractors Group. 

Basically anything that supported I would be a valuable addition to Australia in the IT world. 

Hope that helps,
Karen


----------



## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Hey there, I'm sorry for not replying sooner. Was too occupied with work, did not get enough time to see the forum. 
Now, as for the template, there is no template. All you need to do is, write down all the things that you did for the firm/establishment, by what you did i mean your duties and your role in the company followed by the way you moved up the ladder in your career. I will have to go through the letters and stuff that Shekhar made, I will try and put them down here and anyone who wants can use them. But right now he is in office, let him come back, i will surely do it this evening or max tomorrow morning.

Our consultant did ask him to change the format of the resume a bit, again, I will talk to Shekhar (my husband) and write here.

All I can say is, in the reference letters and his resume, he wrote about everything and anything that he did in the company. You write in short about the company followed by your role. Again, say if you joined the company as X specified project worker, mention your designation followed by your role, further down what was your designation next when you were promoted along with respective role..so on and forth. For everything that you put on your resume, you have to have a proof.

The reference letters were more of experience letter from companies that he worked for. The format was given by Shekhar to respective companies and all they did was print it on their letterhead and sent it across. Another thing you should make sure you add in the papers is all certificates and papers that you get from the company in form of appreciation for your work. Shekhar was working for companies where off and on he got certificates of excellence etc, they seem to be irrelevant to us but they do prove your being in the company. My consultant said more is good, the more you give in the papers, the better for you. So start gathering all the certificates, salary slips etc.

I dont even know what all I wrote here... This for now should do.. will write again later


----------



## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

I'm in a different field but I basically used the resume format that I used in the US. The only main difference was that I had to explain (very briefly) what some of the acronyms I was working with meant because my field was very specific to the US (I was helping international students get necessary visa documents to come study in the US, so the system and knowledge base was completely different to that of Australia). I also added email addresses of my references instead of just telephone numbers. 

My partner is a Lecturer and he also used the same CV that he had used in the US. The content is more important than the template


----------



## rajuvg2001 (Jun 20, 2008)

*Thanks to all*

Hi all

Thanks a lot. I have already prepared my references on letter heads and also added a lot of performance certificates, just as Anji said. Thanks a lot Anji and Tiffany.

I am in the process of preparing my resume now. Will surely wait for ur reply Anji. And one more thing Anji, Is Salary Slip required? I thot that is not needed because it is not mentioned any where.

Hope u dont get too busy with ur work ha ha 

Rajesh


----------



## pete.c (Jun 10, 2008)

Hi rajuvg2001,

if you would like I can email you some resume templates and 'golden rules'. These are things like font size, what to leave in and what to take out, checklist etc.


----------



## rajuvg2001 (Jun 20, 2008)

*hi Pete*

Hi Pete

That wud be of great help. My email id is [email protected].
Hope to receive it soon.

Thanks
Rajesh


----------



## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

rajuvg2001 said:


> Hi all
> 
> Thanks a lot. I have already prepared my references on letter heads and also added a lot of performance certificates, just as Anji said. Thanks a lot Anji and Tiffany.
> 
> ...


hey,
Rajesh... , Indian. 

okies, to start with, there was a lot of stuff that our consultant gave us but shekhar put it this way... to start with, your particulars, that wud mean your name and address, followed by the companies you worked for in ascending order. the first job you did followed by the next, so on and forth. In each company you have to give in ascending order your designation(incase you got promoted etc), which means you joined as what, your roles and responsibilities followed by next jump, your jobs and responsibilities, go on till your current job. simple.

after your employment scene comes your education, formal education, professional qualifications with respective percentage or grade. this too in ascending order, mention board if possible. first would be your metriculation thn the intermediate thn the graduation and post graduation... so on and forth

last but not the least, your marital status, sex(not too important but just two lines wouldnt hurt ), Fathers name, permanent address (if any), contact number of your permanent address(if any), that would be it.

as for refrence letters, the format has to be the same, it basically was a story in shekhar's case, when he joined, as what, promoted to what, roles and responsibilities in each level, and finally a sentence saying incase of any queries, the so and so person can be contacted on the given number.. Shekhar has worked for two companies prior to the current one, the first one gave the letter without any hassle, except for all the calling involved to remind them about it, the second company refused first and after much talking and convincing, they gave it. the current employer said he will have to fill a bond of 3 months notice period and only then will they provide the letter, to which shekhar asked them to get lost and gave a statuary declaration that he could not get the letter from the current employer since he fears loosing his job. which i believe a lot of people do. but that does not mean you give declarations for every paper that you can not manage.
But both his prior companies did not mention the clients name that he was supporting. In that case, he gave the certificates of excellence that the employers gave off and on to their employees. These certificates had the client names. So that prooved his working for the company and the said client that he mentioned in the CV.

Remember one thing rajesh, the salary slips that you give are only a proof that you are working for the company. I know it is not mentioned anywhere but they just prove that you are not faking the employment by the said company/firm.

Another important thing is as many refrences as possible, from your seniors, your co employee... (say 2-3 from your co employees, and a couple of them from your seniors) with respective business cards. They might call, who knows..

Also, incase you are applying it yourself, (you surely will save a lot of money), make sure that your application is filed with all papers in order. Pick an office file that has pockets, make an annexure, mark each page and add in the annexure which pocket/page has what document. and keep everything in ascending order. 

In our acs papers, we had about 70 sheets, so you can imagine what all we gave. no wonder our result came in exactly 22 days post applying. we left nothing. While putting all papers together i told just one thing to shekhar, it is just a attested photocopy that you are giving, how does it matter, if it is of use or not, just add it.

Hope this helps


----------



## rajuvg2001 (Jun 20, 2008)

*THANXxxxxxxxxxxxxx*

Hi Anju

That was a of real great help. It has given me the confidence to go ahead with the documents and do it all by myself. Thanx a ton 

You know what, you cud easily be a consultant and i can be your first customer ha ha (with no fee ofcourse )... By the way I am from bangalore..

Thanx again for your help..


----------



## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

rajuvg2001 said:


> Hi Anju
> 
> That was a of real great help. It has given me the confidence to go ahead with the documents and do it all by myself. Thanx a ton
> 
> ...


I hate being called anji or anju.. anj is good


----------



## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

anj1976 said:


> Bangalore


so what do you do??


----------



## rajuvg2001 (Jun 20, 2008)

I m working as S/w engineer in Bangalore.. Wat do u do...


----------



## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

rajuvg2001 said:


> I m working as S/w engineer in Bangalore.. Wat do u do...


Right now it isnt about what I do, since we are going on my husbands qualifications and experience. . He sets up networks and maintains them. so you can say he is in network setup and support. and I currently run an advertising agency, I paint, I sing(a bit), and I am a professional interior designer, dunno what category would i fall in. In short u can call me a designer or an artist.


----------



## rajuvg2001 (Jun 20, 2008)

*My Qualification*

I am a BSc Comp Science Graduate and have 6 yrs full time IT experience in .Net Development. I dont have a Masters, will that affect my Visa..


----------



## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

rajuvg2001 said:


> I am a BSc Comp Science Graduate and have 6 yrs full time IT experience in .Net Development. I dont have a Masters, will that affect my Visa..


I dont think so, your bsc is equivalent to the masters.. again, this is only a guess work form my side..


----------



## rajuvg2001 (Jun 20, 2008)

anj1976 said:


> I dont think so, your bsc is equivalent to the masters.. again, this is only a guess work form my side..[/QUOTE
> Hi All
> 
> *When I apply for skills assessment -ACS, is it neccessary for me to attach the IELTS score or is it only required in the second stage.
> ...


----------



## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

in india we have these notaries, which are good enough for attesting the papers. they take rs. 10 per paper and attest it. and if you have a goo dnumber of papers, they give a discount too.
as for ielts, you dont have to attach it, if you have already taken it, you can attach it. but the acs is primarily for assessing your skills since it is the base of your application.
IELTS should be taken immediately after your skill assessment result is out, for a reason, you never know if u will get thru or not, incase you r taking the ielts before the assessment and you don tget thru it will be a waste, and ielts has a validity. you would not want it to expire


----------



## rajuvg2001 (Jun 20, 2008)

*Notaries*

Hi Anj

My present company is not giving me the reference letter.. I never thought that wud happen.. 

So i have decided to go for affadavit.. Can you give me an idea of what to write in it... Shud it be like " I hereby state that my company is not giving me refrence letters".. Is that correct and enough or shud I write more.. PLease advise..


And plzz one more thing, Did the ACS call up all the references you kept or did they do any kind of verification...

Should I attest all documents like PaySlip, reference letters,Experience letters,marksheets,degree certificates,passport copy,birth certificate...

Hope you can help me..


Rajesh


----------



## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

rajuvg2001 said:


> Hi Anj
> 
> My present company is not giving me the reference letter.. I never thought that wud happen..
> 
> ...


Hi Rajesh

I told you, the present companies normally dont give reference letters. For that you have to give a statuary declaration,
I can not help you with the language, since it was made by my husband and he did not use any format. As far as what i remember he mentioned that since the process takes long, he could not ask the company for the letter since he fears loosing of the current job. Dont write they are not giving the letter, this again can be taken against you. Simply write you fear loosing your job. Along-sided you can mention that you are giving the references of your co-employees. Payslips will only confirm that you are currently employed with the company and you are not making it up. You have to attach the confirmation letter etc of the same company which again help prove your existing job.

As for the attesting of papers, yes you will have to do that with all the papers that you are sending, just to make sure that they are not forged, the notary attests the papers after seeing the originals.

The Assessee can call any and everyone, so make sure you dont put in any forged papers. Whoever gives you the reference letter, make sure you tell them that the reference is for the visa application and incase they call, they should confirm that the reference was given by them. Incase your papers are not in order, they will rule out your application completely. Also, make sure you add all the marksheets, starting from schooling to your graduation and other marksheets/certificates.

Hope this helps.


----------



## rajuvg2001 (Jun 20, 2008)

*Hi Anj*

That was of great help.. Thanks a lot


----------



## elliotness (Jan 25, 2010)

*RPL Assessment Reference Letters*



anj1976 said:


> hey,
> Rajesh... , Indian.
> 
> okies, to start with, there was a lot of stuff that our consultant gave us but shekhar put it this way... to start with, your particulars, that wud mean your name and address, followed by the companies you worked for in ascending order. the first job you did followed by the next, so on and forth. In each company you have to give in ascending order your designation(incase you got promoted etc), which means you joined as what, your roles and responsibilities followed by next jump, your jobs and responsibilities, go on till your current job. simple.
> ...


Hi Anj



I have few doubts and I will be really grateful to you if you can clarify the same.

1. How to get a Reference Letter from the Current Employer and I am sure they will not encourage for these kind of letters. Is it ok if my colleague(s) can give the same on a white paper rather than official Letter Head as those things are not accessible to anyone?

2. I used to work for a company which is not operating anymore. I know a colleague whom I am still in touch with. Can I get a Reference Letter from him? He wont be having the official Letter Head of that company. Can he still provide the same on a white paper?

3. I am out of country and all my ex-employers are based in my home country. So, is it ok if they can scan the necessary Reference Letter(s) and send it across to me by email?

I will be really grateful if you can provide me brief help on this, as I would like to apply for the RPL asap.

I shall look forward to hear from you.



Thanks & Regards


Elliot


----------



## elliotness (Jan 25, 2010)

Hi Rajesh

Sorry Bro...cannot post a url here as I am still a newbie.

Please google for Statutory Declaration and the first website which comes up is the Attorney General of Australia. Just click on that and it will take you through a PDF document which has the Declaration format for Australia.


Thanks & Regards


Vijay


----------



## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

HI Vijay

First, its best if you start a new thread so you get more replies as more ppl see the thread with appropriate subject. anyway, 

1. It is acceptable if you give colleague references on plain paper, just attach their business card, copy of ID card along with the letter and mention their contact details in the letter as well so they can be contacted, if need be. As for employer reference, if you cant manage it, make a statutory declaration on a stamp paper stating the reason why you can not provide the same followed by your roles and responsibilities (we wrote fear of loosing job if we ask for reference letter)

2. Yeah you can get a reference letter form teh company, I hope you have all documents from that company, like, appointment letter, confirmation letter, pay slips, and other docs that you can lay your hands on

3. I suppose a color scan should be alright. But you do need to get them attested. Else you can take color prints of them and send the same. Someone at the forum (Mr.India) did not give attested copies, he sent color copies instead and he cleared teh assessment.

Hope this helps

Cheers
Anj


----------



## elliotness (Jan 25, 2010)

anj1976 said:


> HI Vijay
> 
> First, its best if you start a new thread so you get more replies as more ppl see the thread with appropriate subject. anyway,
> 
> ...




Hi Anj

Thanks a lot for the reply and apologies for not creating a new thread.

My 2nd question was to be more in brief, I was a contractor in the UK and I have done a project for a client which is not operating anymore. This contracting period was for more than 3yrs and unfortunately I do not have any supportive documents. But I know a colleague who is still in touch with me and he is ready to provide me a reference letter (obviously not on the letter head). Will this suffice along with the statutory declaration?

And also, I have some reference letters which are 3-4yrs old. Will that be enough as a proof from my ex-employers or do I still need to get the recent ones.

Hope to hear from you soon.


Thanks & Regards


Vijay


----------



## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

I think they should do, as long as the contact details are the same.
as for just ref letters form ur last company, i dont know if it is convincing enough. You got to take it liek this, if you were the guy assessing your case and if u c such letter,would u take it? or would youa sk for more proofs..


----------



## shubhi (Jan 29, 2010)

Hi Anj,
I found your posts very helpful. I am planning to apply for ACS soon and need help on following - 

1) I have managed to get few references but mostly they are on A4 sheets with contact information and not letterheads. I could not manage to get business cards and ID cards also. Will that be a major concern? In 4 years of experience, I changed two jobs and have 2 references from colleagues for each employer. Is it sufficient?

2) I have exact 4 years of experience in IT with a B.Tech degree in Comp. Science but I am not working currently. Could it be an issue for filing under group A?


----------



## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Hi

I guess having business cards always helps. if not cards then i-cards. Keep yourself in their position, if you give them letters on plain paper, would you be convinced? i doubt. 

2 references are enough but attach some id proof of theirs if you can and give their contact details as well, incase they want to contact them.

I think the requirement is 12 months in same field in last 24 months. How long has it been since you are off work? I am sure it wont be a hassle.

Hope this helps

cheers
anj


----------



## resumetemp02 (Mar 31, 2011)

*Reply*

Just new in this forum and how I have a good time here.


----------



## VeroWright (Nov 7, 2016)

Hi everyone,
I found some useful information for preparing your resume template:

_45% - Previous related work experience
35% - Qualifications & skills
25% - Easy to read
16% - Accomplishments
14% - Spelling & grammar
9% - Education (these were not just graduate recruiters or this score would be much higher!)
9% - Intangibles: individuality/desire to succeed
3% - Clear objective
2% - Keywords added
1% - Contact information
1% - Personal experiences
1% - Computer skills_

This is some data that employers looking for in your resume. Hope this will be useful.

Regards,
VeroWright


----------



## chingo (Oct 3, 2017)

Has anyone got the template of an accounting reference letter that successfully claimed 5 for 1 year working experience ? I heard that some people got rejected even though their reference letters look legit..


----------

