# The Journey: Getting my first Job in Australia



## vipan20288 (Aug 4, 2015)

Hey Everyone,

Today I've decided to write about my journey of getting the first job here in Australia. It might help skilled migrants to be ready or prepared for initial turbulence. In April 2017, I came here to Sydney on skilled migration permanent residency visa. I was full of hope, charisma, and perseverance as I was having over a decade experience in the Information Security field along with a couple of industry recognized certifications (e.g. CISM, CISSP). The people, who don't know about this field or certifications. This is one of the niche skills, where there are a lot of jobs in the market. 

I got married six months before migrating to Australia, so I decided to go alone in Sydney initially to settle down everything before inviting my wife or applying for the partner visa. The people, who are going through or went through partner visa, they can understand the pain of paying the hefty visa fee of 7000 AUD and time-consuming visa process. Anyway, I landed here in Sydney at end of April 2017. It was bit difficult initially to settle down here. Unfortunately, the job market was not good at that point in time due to Financial year end. Within the first week of landing here, I applied for Medicare, Bank account, TFN (Tax file number) and created Seek profile. Presuming, I might get the job within a week so I should have everything ready.

I’ve modified my Resume according to the Australian market and started applying over Seek & LinkedIn. I was updating my resume as per job description of every relevant position and was applying for it. I was reaching out to LinkedIn connections to get any clue about the job. Within the first Week, I started getting calls from Recruiters and then came to know the concept of “Coffee Catch-ups”, where recruiters will call you for coffee catch-up to discuss your profile and will try to explore relevant opportunities for you. I started getting the bitter taste of Coffees after having many meet-ups with recruiters. Most of the recruiters were just creating their inventory of the Resume and I wasn’t getting shortlisted for interview with Hiring managers, even after having the necessary experience, skills, and certifications. Everyone was looking for a local experience. 

Few LinkedIn connections advised me to join Sydney Information Security forums such as ISACA, ISC2, and AISA (Australian Information Security Association), etc. I started attending their events to do networking with the audience in order to explore jobs. I’ve given many interviews with different companies and got the habit of accepting rejections 😊 At the same time, I kept on improving my interview skills by understanding behavior based questions and more technical knowledge. I made sure to get wise feedback from all recruiters for my rejections in order to improve further. 

To cut long story short, finally, I got selected in altogether four companies after the struggle of 3 months. I started my new inning of the career with one of the most prestigious and oldest bank of Australia. I got settled in this new country and company, where I loved the environment. I applied for my wife visa after getting my first salary and fortunately, she got a partner visa within four months of applying. Now, I thought to write this journey as it will help new migrants to get motivated if they are struggling to get the job. I am summarizing few pointers where new migrants can seek help:

1.	Refine your Resume and Cover letter as per the Australian market.
2.	Increase your reach and visibility by professional platforms such as LinkedIn.
3.	Don’t hesitate to ask for help with your professional connections, as advertised Australian jobs on Seek or other platforms are just the tip of the iceberg.
4.	Join professional meet-up groups to do networking. Eventbrite was a great help to me for joining free events.
5.	Be focussed, stay confident and motivated. 
6.	Apply jobs using Seek and LinkedIn. 
7.	Make sure to take feedback from recruiters and try to improve yourself. 

Finally, God is great and nobody gets anything before the right time, and more than what is in his/her fate. For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to struggle and a time to get job. Embrace the challenges and one fine day, an Offer Letter will knock your door. 

In case, anyone is going through the same struggle of finding a job here in Australia. They can always reach me and will make sure to help them. 

Regards,
Vipan Chauhan


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## PrettyIsotonic (Nov 30, 2016)

Sounds like you did everything right - namely not having a chip on your shoulder and really adapting to the local scene. So happy for you internet stranger! 

And a partner visa approved in 4 months! Damn. That's brilliant.. So your spouse got a 801 straight away? Or on 820 at the moment? Apologies if this is detracting, I'd be happy to PM you to pick your brain.


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## intruder_ (Jun 3, 2018)

Hi Vipan,

Congratulations on your success !
Just read about your journey of seeking a job in Sydney after your initial struggle. Alike you, I am Information Security professional with 10+ years of experience with a CISSP certification. Majority of which involved consulting, currently in US for few years now.

I was under the impression that it would be easier to secure a job based on my credentials, but after reading your descriptive post, got a sort of reality check.

Wanted to learn from your first hand experience about the lookout of Australian employers towards international info sec professionals and any tips to prepare better, before I can make a move post successful VISA grant.

P.S: I am still awaiting my ACS assessment outcome, its been a month since I applied.

Kind regards


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## vipan20288 (Aug 4, 2015)

PrettyIsotonic said:


> Sounds like you did everything right - namely not having a chip on your shoulder and really adapting to the local scene. So happy for you internet stranger!
> 
> And a partner visa approved in 4 months! Damn. That's brilliant.. So your spouse got a 801 straight away? Or on 820 at the moment? Apologies if this is detracting, I'd be happy to PM you to pick your brain.


Thanks, Mate for your wishes. She got the visa under partner (provisional) visa category 309 and will need to apply for 100 category after 2 years of stay.


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## PrettyIsotonic (Nov 30, 2016)

vipan20288 said:


> PrettyIsotonic said:
> 
> 
> > Sounds like you did everything right - namely not having a chip on your shoulder and really adapting to the local scene. So happy for you internet stranger!
> ...


Oh yes, offshore that's right. 

Some tenacity on your part congrats again


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## vipan20288 (Aug 4, 2015)

intruder_ said:


> Hi Vipan,
> 
> Congratulations on your success !
> Just read about your journey of seeking a job in Sydney after your initial struggle. Alike you, I am Information Security professional with 10+ years of experience with a CISSP certification. Majority of which involved consulting, currently in US for few years now.
> ...


Thanks, Mate for your wishes. Australian Information Security market is having a high demand for security professionals with local experience and it's always difficult for newcomers even with Global companies experience. I always had international exposure to global companies and my previous organizations were Bank of America, CSC, and IBM. 
Try to make enough professional connections here in Australia, which will increase your visibility and consequently, chances of the job. This is most important because most of the Australian jobs are not advertised on Seek or LinkedIn. I've helped a couple of new migrants to secure role within our Industry and would be happy to help you also.


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## SG (Aug 16, 2017)

vipan20288 said:


> Hey Everyone,
> 
> Today I've decided to write about my journey of getting the first job here in Australia. It might help skilled migrants to be ready or prepared for initial turbulence. In April 2017, I came here to Sydney on skilled migration permanent residency visa. I was full of hope, charisma, and perseverance as I was having over a decade experience in the Information Security field along with a couple of industry recognized certifications (e.g. CISM, CISSP). The people, who don't know about this field or certifications. This is one of the niche skills, where there are a lot of jobs in the market.
> 
> ...


Congratulations to you Vipan. Your post is highly informative. Thanks for sharing your journey.


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## Somepeople (May 16, 2017)

Hi Vipan,

Good to see a fellow migrant getting a job. Congratulation.
I have got my visa last week and planning for a move in September. I am working as a data analyst.
Just need your thoughts on whether is it the right time to move. My initial entry date is Feb of next year. so thought of trying and getting my family before that.


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## vipan20288 (Aug 4, 2015)

Somepeople said:


> Hi Vipan,
> 
> Good to see a fellow migrant getting a job. Congratulation.
> I have got my visa last week and planning for a move in September. I am working as a data analyst.
> Just need your thoughts on whether is it the right time to move. My initial entry date is Feb of next year. so thought of trying and getting my family before that.


Thanks, buddy for your wishes! 

Congrats on getting visa grant. Australian job market is @ peak during the financial year starts i.e. July and August & it's gradually slow down in September and October. Having said that, it's better to come here in August in order to enjoy full swing of the market. 
The job market is almost dead in November, December and early January. The February market is almost the same as September and October. Hopefully, this will help you to plan in a better way.


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## mzk (May 1, 2018)

vipan20288 said:


> Hey Everyone,
> 
> 1.	Refine your Resume and Cover letter as per the Australian market.


Hello Vipan,
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience...
It looks intimidating but helped me not to be in false hope and over-confidence...

Can you please throw some light on the above quoted point?


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## Mitsi (Apr 23, 2012)

vipan20288 said:


> Hey Everyone,
> 
> Today I've decided to write about my journey of getting the first job here in Australia. It might help skilled migrants to be ready or prepared for initial turbulence. In April 2017, I came here to Sydney on skilled migration permanent residency visa. I was full of hope, charisma, and perseverance as I was having over a decade experience in the Information Security field along with a couple of industry recognized certifications (e.g. CISM, CISSP). The people, who don't know about this field or certifications. This is one of the niche skills, where there are a lot of jobs in the market.
> 
> ...


Congratulations and All the best  Thanks for sharing your experience with us...


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## nardecap (May 9, 2012)

Well done, congrats on your success. Your narrative is certainly helpful. God bless you.


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## love_at_911 (Mar 28, 2018)

Congratulations Vipan. 

Thank you for sharing your experience. Enlightening!

It will certainly aid security guys (like me) finding their destinations in Oz.

Hoping to connect with you in the near future. 

Cheers.




vipan20288 said:


> Hey Everyone,
> 
> Today I've decided to write about my journey of getting the first job here in Australia. It might help skilled migrants to be ready or prepared for initial turbulence. In April 2017, I came here to Sydney on skilled migration permanent residency visa. I was full of hope, charisma, and perseverance as I was having over a decade experience in the Information Security field along with a couple of industry recognized certifications (e.g. CISM, CISSP). The people, who don't know about this field or certifications. This is one of the niche skills, where there are a lot of jobs in the market.
> 
> ...


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## rkbn (Jun 25, 2018)

vipan20288 said:


> Hey Everyone,
> 
> Today I've decided to write about my journey of getting the first job here in Australia. It might help skilled migrants to be ready or prepared for initial turbulence. In April 2017, I came here to Sydney on skilled migration permanent residency visa. I was full of hope, charisma, and perseverance as I was having over a decade experience in the Information Security field along with a couple of industry recognized certifications (e.g. CISM, CISSP). The people, who don't know about this field or certifications. This is one of the niche skills, where there are a lot of jobs in the market.
> 
> ...


Thanks Vipan for sharing your experiences. It is very enlightening for all PR aspirants. May I ask how did you manage 3 months without a job? How much of cash should one bring along while coming on PR?


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## yikes297 (Jul 21, 2016)

vipan20288 said:


> To cut long story short, finally, I got selected in altogether four companies after the struggle of 3 months. I started my new inning of the career with one of the most prestigious and oldest bank of Australia.


Hi Vipan,
How long did it take for you to get the official offer letter from the company from the time you were offered the job?

Also did you get the job as full time permanent employee or is it contract?


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## arshu16 (Jan 2, 2018)

vipan20288 said:


> Hey Everyone,
> 
> Today I've decided to write about my journey of getting the first job here in Australia. It might help skilled migrants to be ready or prepared for initial turbulence. In April 2017, I came here to Sydney on skilled migration permanent residency visa. I was full of hope, charisma, and perseverance as I was having over a decade experience in the Information Security field along with a couple of industry recognized certifications (e.g. CISM, CISSP). The people, who don't know about this field or certifications. This is one of the niche skills, where there are a lot of jobs in the market.
> 
> ...




Hey Vipan, hope you are doing well. I really liked the experience that you shared. I had a query. I will be joining my wife in Sydney in January 2019. I am a javascript developer with almost 4 years of professional experience and I got a subsequent entrant visa with unlimited work rights as my wife is a PhD student.

Can you tell me how is the market there for web developers? Is there something I should know? 

I would be grateful to you. You can check my portfolio website: <*SNIP*>* See "Inappropriate content" here: https://www.expatforum.com/expats/e...-please-read-before-posting.html#post13155594 kaju/moderator*

Thanks.


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## Explore! (Nov 24, 2018)

vipan20288 said:


> Hey Everyone,
> 
> Today I've decided to write about my journey of getting the first job here in Australia. It might help skilled migrants to be ready or prepared for initial turbulence. In April 2017, I came here to Sydney on skilled migration permanent residency visa. I was full of hope, charisma, and perseverance as I was having over a decade experience in the Information Security field along with a couple of industry recognized certifications (e.g. CISM, CISSP). The people, who don't know about this field or certifications. This is one of the niche skills, where there are a lot of jobs in the market.
> 
> ...




Thanks Vipin for sharing the experience.. I will be moving Feb-2019 and any suggestions on the recruiters?

Thanks again


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## 0007 (Aug 22, 2018)

Quite inspiring!


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## santhosh2kece (Sep 10, 2013)

vipan20288 said:


> Hey Everyone,
> 
> Today I've decided to write about my journey of getting the first job here in Australia. It might help skilled migrants to be ready or prepared for initial turbulence. In April 2017, I came here to Sydney on skilled migration permanent residency visa. I was full of hope, charisma, and perseverance as I was having over a decade experience in the Information Security field along with a couple of industry recognized certifications (e.g. CISM, CISSP). The people, who don't know about this field or certifications. This is one of the niche skills, where there are a lot of jobs in the market.
> 
> ...


Hello Vipan,

Im also a Security professional (Incident Response) waiting for my visa grant. Please let me know how is the security job market is during the early Feb. 

Your write up was good and thanks for sharing your job hunting experience.


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## annechela (May 13, 2019)

Any salient points on what the Australian Workplace Culture is like?


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