The Australian job market is among the most stable in the world. Despite this, the process of finding employment in a foreign country is always daunting. Don’t worry – read on and you’ll find a step-by-step guide on how to find a job in Australia.
THE STEPS TO FOLLOW
- If you need a visa to work in Australia, submitting your application to the relevant embassy is the first step. Potential employers may be asking about immigration status and having their own visa (or at least having started the process of obtaining it) is a prerequisite for many job postings. Visa priority is given to people who have skills, qualifications and work experience in occupations for which there is a shortage of candidates.
- Verify that the qualifications are valid in Australia. Consult the Australian Skills Recognition Information website to determine if you have the necessary qualifications, verified by the relevant professional body. Depending on your profession and place of study, you may need to complete a remedial course or pursue further studies. When applying for jobs, it will be important that you can establish your qualifications based on Australian equivalents.
- If you haven’t decided which industry you’d like to work in yet, do it quickly . The most developed industrial sectors in Australia are agriculture, mining, tourism and the manufacturing sector. The industries that have grown recently are mining, financial services, tourism and telecommunications. Take a look at the Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship Directory, where there are industry gaps.
- It’s time for the next step, it’s time to start looking for job postings. Millions of ads are posted online. The largest website dedicated to job vacancies is SEEK . Other major job search websites include Job Guideand CareerOne . There are also specialized sites such as Graduate Careers Australia (for open positions dedicated to graduates), Job Search Australia(specialized database for the IT sector) and Travel Jobs Network(for jobs in the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors).
- Some job postings are not posted online, so check the job posting lists in newspapers as well . See work supplements in The Age (Melbourne), Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney), The Courier-Mail (Brisbane) and The West Australian (Perth).
- To find out about job opportunities in a particular company of interest, check out the personal recruiting section on their homepage . Looking at the websites of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Forbes Australia , could help to be able to draw up a list of the reference industrial sector.
- If you are a recent graduate, you may want to consider applying for a project designed especially for you. This kind of projects are usually published directly on the company’s website and on regional job market exchanges. See Graduate Careers Australia for more information.
- Adapt your CV. It is important that the CV (in Australia also called résumé) is written in the Australian style. To better write it, read the article Creating an effective Australian Curriculum Vitae. For more information visit CareerOne Resume Writing Guide – Australian Style or Top Margin Resume Guide .
- Take the time to write a tailor -made cover letter . Specify that you have obtained a permit to work in Australia (or that the application is already pending). Provide an Australian mailing address and phone number on your CV if possible.
- Leverage your contacts. About 70% of jobs are not advertised through the media, so personal contacts are the key to success here . Seek to take advantage of opportunities to network and expand these networks by perhaps joining professional associations. If you can make contact with a company, inform the contact when you apply – this could help put your CV at the top of the question pile.
- Send your CV and cover letter to each potential employer and to the employment agencies in the region you plan to move to. The so-called cold applications are very common in Australia, that is, they are our spontaneous applications, so it is advisable to send your application even if there is no published job advertisement. To find contact details for companies, use the Yellow Pages . For a list of recruitment and temporary agency agencies, consult the Recruitment & Consulting Services Association Ltd (RCSA) website .
- After submitting a few applications, remember to search for a contact yourself. If you do not receive confirmation of receipt of your CV, please contact the HR department of the company. Likewise, do not hesitate to contact the company if you do not receive a response within two weeks. This is a common practice in Australia, and is not considered entirely inappropriate (on the contrary, it shows your enthusiasm and willingness to work).
- If you are called for an interview, do your best to travel to Australia to be able to do it in person. Very few employers hire candidates without ever having met them in person (it would still be a good idea to propose an interview via Skype if it were not possible for you to be personally present at the meeting for interview). Remember to always have copies of your work visa at hand and the references to show to prove your professionalism.
- If you are not looking for a full-time job position, another very common option in Australia is the work experience, a kind of internship. Visit the Intern Options Australia website for some ideas. Alternatively, there are many opportunities for voluntary work. The websites that have the most news about it are SEEK Volunteer , Conservation Volunteers Australia and Travelers Worldwide .
TIPS
- In general, it takes about eight weeks to secure a job, so start your research as soon as possible. However, it is possible that you start searching too early. Do not apply more than 12 weeks before the date you would be available to start. Before that, employers won’t be interested.
- Optimize your chances of obtaining a visa. If you do not qualify as a skilled migrant, you may encounter many difficulties in obtaining a visa. If this is the case for you, consider obtaining some professional qualification or gaining some work experience before applying. If you are not fluent in English, you may want to consider taking some language courses at a recognized institution. It may also help to apply for a position in a regional area where there is less competition in the workplace.
- Don’t expect the same salary or more than what you were earning. The cost of living and income taxes are lower than in other developed Western nations, so consider net income, not gross total.
- During an interview, according to some research, Australian employers evaluate punctuality, optimism and the ability to provide concrete examples to illustrate a topic or situation. So you still have time to prepare yourself, be optimistic and ready with examples!
