Shearer resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what shearers actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most shearers should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Shearer experienced in operating hand and powered shearing equipment across pastoral properties, with a focus on animal welfare, fleece quality and shed safety. Comfortable working at pace under physical demands while meeting daily tally expectations and hygiene standards.
Key skills
- Hand and power tool shearing technique
- Animal handling and restraint
- Fleece quality inspection
- Wool classing support and bale packing
- Equipment and blade maintenance
- Shed safety and hygiene compliance
- Physical stamina under sustained repetitive work
Experience: example bullet points
- Operated hand shears and powered shearing machines on mobs of conscious sheep, maintaining a consistent daily tally while minimising nicks and cuts
- Positioned and restrained sheep using standard shearing stands to access wool safely and reduce animal stress during handling
- Inspected fleece for quality issues and flagged animal health concerns to the overseer or station manager during shearing runs
- Collected, skirted and packed wool into bales for transport, keeping the board and wool room clear to support shed throughput
- Maintained handpieces, combs and cutters between runs, replacing worn parts promptly to reduce downtime and protect fleece quality
- Followed shed safety and hygiene procedures, including biosecurity and WHS requirements, across multiple pastoral properties
Education
No formal qualification required to start; most shearers learn through a shearing school run by Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) or an experienced mentor, with many later completing a Certificate III in Shearing or Certificate IV in Wool Classing through TAFE or a registered training organisation.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- shearing
- wool handling
- AWI shearer training
- wide comb
- narrow comb
- blade shearing
- crutching
- wool classing
- bale packing
- National Wool Declaration
- shed hand
- pastoral property
- animal welfare
- WHS
- biosecurity
- tally
- Cert III Shearing and Wool Handling
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.