Personal Assistant CV Example (Australia)

A Personal Assistant in Australia supports one or two senior people, often a Dean, a Director or a Deputy Secretary, and keeps their week, their correspondence and their committees running. In universities and the public service the role is classified and advertised with key selection criteria, so the CV is read alongside a written response by a panel of three. They look for the level of the person you supported, the systems you know, and evidence that you handle confidential matters and competing deadlines without dropping any.

The Sample CV below is for a Personal Assistant with seven years in Victorian higher education and local government, now PA to the Dean of a faculty in Melbourne. Its bullets show the work a panel scores against: managing a diary across campuses and time zones, preparing papers and minutes for faculty board and committees, handling ministerial-style correspondence, coordinating travel within the university's policy, and acting as the first point of contact for staff, students and external partners.

Tailor it to the employer. A university wants committee work, HR and finance systems and student matters; a state department wants briefings, the correspondence system and an understanding of the VPS values; a law firm or private company wants billing, client contact and discretion. The US counterpart of this page is the personal assistant resume example, written for American employers and household roles on a Letter page; an Australian public sector PA CV is longer, and the Civic template suits a panel that reads it against criteria.

Updated . The person and employers in this Sample CV are fictional. Written for applicants in Australia; the page for applicants in the US is the personal assistant resume example.

Personal Assistant sample CV

Drawn at A4 proportions, the paper an Australian CV is printed on.

Saskia Castellanos

Personal Assistant to the Dean, Faculty of Health, HEW Level 6

Brunswick East, VICsaskia.castellanos@example.com0491 575 834

Summary

Personal Assistant with seven years supporting senior leaders in a university and a local council, currently PA to the Dean of a faculty with around 600 staff. Run a complex diary across three campuses, prepare and minute faculty board and executive meetings, and draft correspondence for the Dean's signature. Trusted with confidential staffing, student misconduct and budget matters, and known across the faculty as the person who knows where things are up to.

Experience

Personal Assistant to the Dean (HEW Level 6), Merri Creek University, Faculty of Health

– Present

Melbourne, VIC

  • Manage the Dean's diary across three campuses and international partners in several time zones, triaging requests from the Vice-Chancellor's office, heads of school and external bodies.
  • Prepare agendas, papers and minutes for faculty board, faculty executive and the research committee, tracking actions to completion and chasing late papers.
  • Draft correspondence and briefing notes for the Dean's signature, and manage the faculty's records in the university's document system to policy.
  • Coordinate domestic and international travel and reconcile the Dean's corporate card each month within the university's travel and expenses policy.
Executive Support Officer to the Director, Community Services, Kingsbury Vale City Council

–

Preston, VIC

  • Supported the Director and four managers, managing diaries, councillor requests and the directorate's responses in the correspondence system to time.
  • Prepared reports for council meetings in the required template and checked them against the governance team's deadlines.
  • Organised the directorate's community consultation sessions, booking venues, interpreters and catering for up to 150 people.
Administration Officer, Moonee Ponds Allied Health Clinic

–

Moonee Ponds, VIC

  • Ran reception and bookings for eight practitioners and handled patient billing and Medicare claims.
  • Set up the clinic's shared calendar and templates for referral letters.

Education

Diploma of Business Administration

Yarra Bend Institute of TAFE, Melbourne, VIC

Bachelor of Arts (Sociology)

Maribyrnong University, Melbourne, VIC

Skills

  • Executive diary management
  • Meeting papers, agendas and minutes
  • Correspondence and briefing notes
  • Records management
  • Travel and expense reconciliation
  • Microsoft 365 including Teams and SharePoint
  • University HR and finance systems
  • Event and consultation logistics
  • Confidentiality and discretion
  • Stakeholder liaison

Certifications

  • Minute Taking for Committees and Boards, Professional development short course,
  • Working with Children Check (VIC), Victorian Government,

Start yours from this example

Opens this sample in the editor, in one of the templates below. Swap in your details, then tailor it to each vacancy in about two minutes.

Use this example

How an Australian CV differs

An Australian PA CV for a university or public service role is read against key selection criteria and a position description, and it is longer and more formal than the American resume this page pairs with. Expect to submit the CV with a cover letter or a written response of one to two pages addressing the criteria. Two to three pages of A4 is normal, with the classification of each role and the level of the person you supported shown clearly, and two or three referees listed or available.

For a personal assistant in Australia

  1. Classification and level

    Give the classification for each public role, such as HEW Level 6 in a university or VPS Grade 3 in the Victorian Public Service, and the title of the person you supported. Panels use both to judge the fit.

  2. Key selection criteria

    Write bullets that read as evidence for the criteria in the advert: managing competing priorities, written communication, discretion, systems knowledge. Keep them specific so they lift into your written response.

  3. Who you supported, by role

    Name the role of each executive you supported, not their name: Dean, Director, Deputy Secretary, senior partner. It signals the level of work without identifying anyone.

  4. Systems by name

    List the HR, finance, records and correspondence systems you have used, along with Microsoft 365. Public bodies advertise them, and shortlisting often checks for them.

  5. Checks and clearances

    Universities and some departments need a Working with Children Check, a National Police Check or a security clearance. List any you hold with the year.

Every CV in Australia

A4 paper
Australia prints on A4. A Letter-sized PDF prints short on A4 and tells a recruiter the CV came from a US template.
Two to three pages
Australian CVs run longer than UK ones: two pages is normal and three is accepted for experienced applicants. One page suits a first job.
No photo
No photo, date of birth or marital status. Australian employers do not expect them, and anti-discrimination law makes most prefer not to see them.
Dates as DD/MM/YYYY
Day first where a full date appears, month and year for each role. The US month-first order reads wrong to an Australian recruiter.
Australian English
Australian English follows British spelling: organise, programme, centre, licence, specialise.
Suburb and state, not a street address
"Parramatta, NSW" is enough on the contact line. A full address is not expected, and the US-style ZIP line never is.

More on applying in Australia, with every CV example for it, on the Australia page.

Templates for the personal assistant CV

All templates

Every template exports on A4. The previews are drawn on Letter; the editor sets the page size when you export.

How the CV changes with experience

The same personal assistant CV, written at three levels: a profile and three bullets for each.

Entry level

Zero to two years, or a first post in the title

Administration Officer stepping into a first Personal Assistant role, with three years on reception and team support and a Certificate IV in Business Administration.

  • Support a team of twelve with bookings, meeting rooms, stationery and new starter set-up.
  • Took minutes for the monthly team meeting and circulated actions the same day.
  • Act as backup for the manager's diary during her PA's leave.

Mid level

Three to seven years, owns a process or a workload

Personal Assistant to a senior partner in a Melbourne law firm, managing a diary dominated by court dates, client meetings and billing deadlines.

  • Manage the partner's diary around court listings and client meetings, keeping a clear week for trial preparation.
  • Prepare correspondence and documents in the firm's templates and file them in the matter management system.
  • Enter time and prepare draft invoices for the partner's review at each month end.

Senior

Eight years or more, leads people, budgets or programmes

Executive Officer to a Deputy Secretary in a state government department, leading a small office and managing the briefing and correspondence flow to the Minister's office.

  • Lead a team of three in the Deputy Secretary's office, setting priorities each morning against the parliamentary calendar.
  • Quality-check ministerial briefings and correspondence before they leave the office, returning drafts with clear feedback.
  • Coordinate the Deputy Secretary's input to Senate Estimates and budget processes.

Skills to put on the personal assistant CV

Hard skills

Diary management at senior level
A Dean's or Director's week is decided by the PA, and panels look for evidence that you protect time for what matters and say no on their behalf.
Committee papers and minutes
Universities and councils run on committees, and accurate minutes and tracked actions are often the first criterion in the advert.
Correspondence and briefing notes
Drafting letters and briefs that need only a signature saves the executive hours each week and shows judgement about tone.
Records and correspondence systems
Public bodies are bound by records legislation, and knowing the correspondence and document systems shortens your start.
Travel and expense policy
Executive travel is audited, so a PA who books within policy and reconciles cards on time keeps the executive out of trouble.

Soft skills

Discretion
A PA sees staffing, misconduct and budget matters before anyone else, and panels will ask how you handled a confidential request.
Judgement under competing demands
Several senior people want the same hour, and the PA decides who gets it without causing offence.
Relationship building
A good PA knows the other PAs, the governance team and the building manager, and gets things done through them.

Mistakes that cost personal assistant interviews

  1. Ignoring the selection criteria

    A public sector panel scores the response and the CV against each criterion. A CV that does not give evidence for them is hard to score, however strong the experience.

  2. No level for the people you supported

    Supported senior management could mean anything. Give the role and the size of the area they led, such as the Dean of a faculty with around 600 staff.

  3. Listing tasks without judgement

    Answered phones and booked meetings is the baseline. Show the decisions you made: what you triaged, what you drafted, what you resolved before it reached the executive.

  4. Naming the executive

    Use the role, not the person's name. It keeps the CV professional and avoids putting a senior person's details on a document that will be shared.

  5. A short American-style page

    One page with no classifications or referees reads as written for somewhere else. Use two to three pages of A4 and Australian titles.

Write bullets with the XYZ formula: what changed, the number that shows it, and how you did it, in one line.

Questions about the personal assistant CV

What is the difference between a Personal Assistant and an Executive Assistant in Australia?

The titles overlap. An Executive Assistant usually supports a chief executive or a board, often with a team of their own, while a Personal Assistant supports a senior leader or a few managers. Use the title in the advert and describe the level of the person you supported.

How do I address selection criteria for a PA role?

Write a short paragraph for each criterion with a specific example: the situation, what you did and the result. Keep the CV bullets consistent with those examples so the panel can see the same evidence twice.

What does HEW Level 6 mean on a CV?

It is the Higher Education Worker classification used by Australian universities for professional staff. Giving the level tells another university exactly where you sit and what you can step into.

How long should a PA CV be?

Two to three pages of A4 for a public sector or university role, and two for most private sector roles. Keep the current role and the main systems on the first page.

Should I list referees on my CV?

In the public sector, yes, or write that they are available, depending on the application form. Usually the executive you support and a previous manager. Ask them first.

How do I tailor my CV to a new PA vacancy?

Match the selection criteria and systems in the position description, and move the most relevant support work first. Paste the advert into Resume Master and it rewrites the CV against it in about two minutes.

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