Milliner resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what milliners 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 milliners should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
I am a milliner with a hands-on background in blocking felt and straw, hand sewing, and trimming bespoke headwear for race days, weddings, and everyday wear. I combine strong craft skills with a practical approach to client fittings and alterations, and I enjoy the problem solving that comes with making a hat that suits both the wearer and the occasion.
Key skills
- Hat blocking and crown shaping
- Felt, straw and sinamay construction
- Hand sewing and trim application
- Client fitting and alteration
- Visual design and colour matching
- Sewing machine operation
- Adobe Illustrator for design concepts
- Steam iron and hat block use
- Attention to detail
- Time and deadline management
- Customer service
Experience: example bullet points
- Blocked and finished over 30 felt and straw hats for a spring racing collection, meeting all client delivery dates.
- Restored a client's vintage straw hat by reinforcing the brim and rebuilding the trim, which led to two referral commissions.
- Fitted hats for individual clients, adjusting inner bands and reshaping crowns to achieve a comfortable fit on the first or second visit.
- Managed repairs and alterations for a retail boutique, turning around most jobs within three days.
- Created design concepts in Adobe Illustrator for a small headwear range, which helped the studio present options to buyers.
- Sewed and trimmed headwear by hand and machine, maintaining a consistent finish across repeat orders.
- Organised materials and hat blocks in a shared studio, reducing setup time for each blocking session.
Education
Certificate III or IV in Millinery from a TAFE or private provider, or a Diploma of Applied Fashion Design and Technology with a millinery focus. Some milliners enter through a fashion or textiles qualification and learn blocking and trimming on the job.
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.
- Millinery
- Hat blocking
- Felt hats
- Straw hats
- Sinamay
- Headwear
- Couture millinery
- Racewear
- Bespoke hats
- Hat alterations
- Hat repairs
- Client fittings
- TAFE millinery
- Certificate III in Millinery
- Steam iron
- Sewing machine
- Hat blocks
- Adobe Illustrator
- Australian fashion
- Spring racing carnival
- Melbourne Cup
- Fashion design
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.