If you are in Australia and have good English ability with working credentials, you are in luck. The country is a haven for employment and has a plentiful cycle of job, whether they are casual, contractual, part-time, or full-time. We’ve compiled the most helpful tips for you. You only need to invest time and some effort and you can land a job of your choice.
First thing you need to know is that not every visa will allow you work in Australia (this is assuming you already have one with you).
If you are here as a tourist or for business visitor purposes, you need to know that your visa will not allow you to be employed in any job that normally attracts a paid remuneration (pay).
Student visas, on the other hand, will permit you to work for a maximum of 40 hours per fortnight (because you are primarily here to study), therefore perfect only for casual and part-time engagements. Working holiday visas allow you to work for a maximum of six months for each employer during the validity of your visa. This is fit for temporary and contractual jobs.
If you are on a 457 visa, then you are required to work full-time for your sponsoring employer. If you are looking to change jobs / switch employers, then you can do so but you have only 2-3 months to find a new employer (sponsor) to take over your 457 visa from the time you cease working for your old employer (sponsor).
If you are long term planner, you can consider applying for Australian Permanent Residency a year or two in advance, whilst you still maintain your job overseas. By becoming an Australian Permanent Resident, you will have unrestricted permission to live and work in Australia, which will make it significantly easier for you to land a job down under. This is because employers will not have to go through the trouble of sponsoring you and going through the various stages to prepare, lodge and liaise with the Department of Immigration for an approval to hire you.
Egalitarianism is a cultural norm in Australia, and the same goes when it comes to employment. Employers will hire you based on your skills and qualifications (not on your ethnicity, race, religion, or gender). It is important to clearly communicate your set of skills and characteristics to your employer via your resume/CV. If you have gained specific skills sets and beneficial character traits during your previous work experience, training, or special courses, list them down in your resume/CV. Be sure to also have copies of your qualifications and work references, as these will come in handy when it is time for your interview.
In this age, you can find virtually anything in the Internet. Less and less Australian companies advertise for jobs in the newspapers. Most turn to the internet when posting a job advertisement for a vacancy they wish to fill.
Here are some of the top job sites in Australia, where you can search for job vacancies in your trade or profession:
These sites typically advertise thousands of new jobs every month for all companies big and small across Australia.
The other option is to contact recruitment / employment agencies in your preferred city of choice (to work). These head-hunters look for potential employees for Australian companies.
If you are the product, your resume / CV is your personal advertisement or poster. This will help employers determine if they should consider short-listing you and potentially request you to attend an interview.
In Australia, we recommend that you stick with advertising your qualifications, experience and skill sets clearly, such as your completed qualifications, previous paid employment experience and your best attributes as an employee. It is actually not necessary to include your marital status, nationality, age or photograph. Stick with the facts and how you can add value to the company, and you will be in the right track to landing a job that you can build a career with.
Take note: Write an introduction letter or executive summary that is tailored for the company which you are applying for. If you do this, you will get ahead of most of the crowd. All it takes is a little research about the company you are applying to work for. Learn about their mission and vision and take note of keywords and objectives that you can match in your resume/CV. Employers are always on the look out for people who fit the company’s core values.
First impressions matter, and this can never be more true and applicable in job interviews. Learn about the culture and nature of work of your target company and dress appropriately. Is it a purely corporate environment? A tech startup? A legal office? An ad agency? A fun retail company? These companies require varying degrees of formality or casualness when it comes to attire.
If you are in doubt, always dress up in semi-casual business wear, as Australia’s general work culture leans more towards professional attire (at least for interviews). For men, opt for a business shirt with long trousers and a tie. For women, go with a business jacket with matching pants or skirt, plain blouse, and minimal jewelry.
As Oscar Wilde put it “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” Showing up to your interview corporately adorned shows that you are making an effort for the company.
Yes. You need to ask questions during your interview. The idea that a job interview is a one-sided conversation is a thing of the past. Interviews should not be an interrogation.. Rather, they are open conversations between you and the company to find out if you are match for each other.
Yes, you need the job, but the company also needs you to perform vital tasks as part of their ability to function. So if you don’t ask enough questions, you may never know if the position, the work culture, the way they handle business, and the salary level is what you want. Also, by asking questions, it shows that you are curious, interested, and enthusiastic about the job and the company, which is a win-win situation.