# Job hunting by being in Australia - what changes?



## Ashish&Deepa (Apr 17, 2013)

Hi All,
I have a question for expats who've been there, done that.. 
Here's our situation. We recieved our grant letter on the 19th April 2013. My husband who has 5+ years of IT experience as a Business Analyst has been actively looking for jobs on Seek, LinkedIn, and with other recruitment agencies since even before that in anticipation of the grant. We have acquired a local Australian number through one of those inexpensive services and even mention our relatives Australian addess on the CV. Still, we have not recieved any calls so far. 

We are planning to move to Australia in early July and our biggest question is, what do we do differently once we are in Australia? When most people say coming there and looking for a job is better, what exactly do they mean? We just want to know the on ground reality of how one goes about job hunting in australia any differently from what we are doing now?

Any perspective is greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Deepa


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## sharemyhead (Mar 21, 2011)

Hi Deepa,

Well you've made a good start by doing all that. Chances are that you'll be doing the same when you're here. The "seek"ing process does not change based on your location.

By being here you'll be able to attend to interviews/initial screening rounds with consultants a day or two after they call you and schedule it. When you're offshore there's no real incentive for the consultant to pursue your lead because you are far off and will not be able to attend interviews at a short notice when they can fill up the role with a candidate who is in town and is readily available.

In a competitive market, where there is no dearth of skilled professionals, the chances that an agent can hook you up to your desired role decrease manifold when you are not immediately available to take action. That's just my opinion.

In fact, there are very few niche roles in which the consultants do interview candidates who are offshore and process their applications.

I hope I've made myself clear. Lemme know if I can be of any help

Cheers,
sharemyhead


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## Ashish&Deepa (Apr 17, 2013)

Thanks.. The worrying aspect is that the CV has an Australian address and phone number, still no calls.. And we are kinda spending a lot to come there and give our shot at job hunting.. So wanted some help on how to enhance getting calls? Is walking into recruitment agencies and dropping our CVs and meeting someone there a wise idea? Do they entertain this? Also how do we network with other job seekers once we are there?


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## anavattva (Jun 16, 2013)

I have been here for a couple of weeks and as I understand the 'ground' situation, it is NOT easy to get a job. Just to secure an interview , at the very basic ( this is the barest minimum)
a) You need to have a CV in an Australian format ( which means not more than 2 pages, etc. You can google this to get a better idea)
b) Should always submit the cover letter for each application
c) Should make an effort to follow up with the consultancy if you dont hear from them after a couple of days.
d) Should be willing to take something lower, temp, or part time in terms of work.
e) Should be willing to relocate anywhere in australia (atleast for the 1st job)

This is the basic. A good to have then is to:
Some local experience such as volunteering in your field etc.
I have heard July is a good time for the job market. All the best!



If you have a limited budget, i would suggest one of you travel first and secure something. While the other can still work.


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## sharemyhead (Mar 21, 2011)

anavattva said:


> I have been here for a couple of weeks and as I understand the 'ground' situation, it is NOT easy to get a job. Just to secure an interview , at the very basic ( this is the barest minimum)
> a) You need to have a CV in an Australian format ( which means not more than 2 pages, etc. You can google this to get a better idea)
> b) Should always submit the cover letter for each application
> c) Should make an effort to follow up with the consultancy if you dont hear from them after a couple of days.
> ...


I'd second each and every word of that.
Also, your resume should include all the buzz-words that are mentioned in the job advert.
E.g. I'm in IT and I made sure that my skill set included all the languages/frameworks that were asked for.
This is also the bare minimum to get a call.

Cheers,
sharemyhead


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## maggie1725 (Jan 17, 2013)

Hi Deepa,
I am exactly in the same boat as you, and have tried a simliar approach. I now intend going across alone, to secure employment, before my family joins me.
I plan to be there for 3 months not sure if that will be sufficient. I am also advised to email companies of interest prior to arriving, to secure interviews/screening.
Good luck.

Maggie


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## anavattva (Jun 16, 2013)

Three months may or may not be sufficient depending on what your profession is, what time of the year you come here - ex Nov till mid Jan is bad time, what part of the country you decide to land. One of the things I have understood here, after talking with multiple consultants is, most of the jobs are never advertised. So the earlier you start building your network here, the better it is.


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## Australia1 (Apr 29, 2013)

I have not seen many posts where people have not mentioned about the difficulty they face just to get into few interviews let alone getting a job. Are things that bad in Australia at this moment? Obviously new migrants do face trouble getting a job initially but do they get one eventually? Or they indulge themselves into odd jobs like supermarket assistant etc at some point?

Wonder why everyone (including me) is so excited about migrating to Aussie land. Looking for some lines of hope guys....


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## raghalan (Nov 5, 2012)

Am on the same boat, making my move with my wife on 24th this month.. In the process of settling down the things here.. Lots to do here before migration  . Even I have started applying for jobs since last 3 weeks but I haven't received any response at least rejection notice till now. 

Have done lot of things here resigned, rented our flat, money arrangement for emi, initial exp etc like other migrants.. So very much tensed on what's goona happen after landing there wrt job after all this struggle..

Good luck


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## raghalan (Nov 5, 2012)

Anybody moving from Bangalore to Sydney during this June or early July with family ?

Regards,
Ragu


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## anavattva (Jun 16, 2013)

Are things that bad in Australia? (compared to India) Yeah
(Compared with last year's job market here?) : Yeah.
Do you need to take odd jobs? : Depends on the amount of cash you have.

At the end of the day if you are good at something, and more importantly can project it you will get a job. I moved here a couple of weeks back, have been speaking with a lot of consultant but haven't had an interview yet, but I am hopeful. So I definitely don't mean to kill any body's hope. The process works slightly different here and at times can be very slow. So plan properly , have a backup plan and be as rational as you can.


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## VKB (May 28, 2013)

raghalan said:


> Anybody moving from Bangalore to Sydney during this June or early July with family ?
> 
> Regards,
> Ragu


Hi Ragu, 
Myself n my son are moving to Sydney with my husband on July 5th. Are you also in Sydney??
When are you planning to move??
Cheers


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## sam_lloyd1881 (Jul 1, 2010)

Ashish&Deepa said:


> Hi All,
> I have a question for expats who've been there, done that..
> Here's our situation. We recieved our grant letter on the 19th April 2013. My husband who has 5+ years of IT experience as a Business Analyst has been actively looking for jobs on Seek, LinkedIn, and with other recruitment agencies since even before that in anticipation of the grant. We have acquired a local Australian number through one of those inexpensive services and even mention our relatives Australian addess on the CV. Still, we have not recieved any calls so far.
> 
> ...


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## va13 (Aug 16, 2012)

Ashish&Deepa said:


> Hi All,
> I have a question for expats who've been there, done that..
> Here's our situation. We recieved our grant letter on the 19th April 2013. My husband who has 5+ years of IT experience as a Business Analyst has been actively looking for jobs on Seek, LinkedIn, and with other recruitment agencies since even before that in anticipation of the grant. We have acquired a local Australian number through one of those inexpensive services and even mention our relatives Australian addess on the CV. Still, we have not recieved any calls so far.
> 
> ...



Hi Deepa,
All I'd say is keep patience.
I tried that Ozi number and got a call at 4AM in the morning. With my sleepy voice itself, the consultant found out that I am in India and using the number transfer idea. Guess they are coming across lot like us..
I then dropped the idea thinking it may effect the credibility with consultants.
Its definitely better to go there and search for a job.. you are given priority being at offshore.
Also resume should be prepared in australian way and cover letter must be added.

I understand its a big step and there is involved a lot of risk.
But believe me, its worth once one of u secure a job.

Gudluck for the steps ahead.


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## ozbound12 (Mar 23, 2012)

va13 said:


> Hi Deepa,
> All I'd say is keep patience.
> I tried that Ozi number and got a call at 4AM in the morning. With my sleepy voice itself, the consultant found out that I am in India and using the number transfer idea. Guess they are coming across lot like us..
> I then dropped the idea thinking it may effect the credibility with consultants.
> ...


I talked to a recruiter about this and they said that they find it really annoying when people "pretend" to be here using a relative or friend's Australian address and a Skype phone number. When they figure out that the person is in fact still overseas with no imminent plans to move (usually they glean this information after talking to them on the phone for a few minutes - or right away if they're calling at what would be 4AM for you and you're half asleep), they get really annoyed and it's a pretty easy way to get your CV thrown in the bin. It makes you look flighty and pretty untrustworthy.

My suggestion is that you not do this. Either be upfront about where you are - or wait until you land (or when you have a plane ticket and you're moving within a few weeks) to start applying for jobs. The job market works fairly quickly here - they want to be able to interview you within a week and make a decision within a week after that, with the hope that you would start within two weeks of the decision date. They are not going to wait for you to move here. There are plenty of local candidates for them to choose from that can start far more quickly than you.


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## ozbound12 (Mar 23, 2012)

Ashish&Deepa said:


> Hey there,
> 
> Just a few tips when you send out your CV.
> In Singapore, when i sent out a Cv, i would list down all the informaiton as it was standard, and also put in a picture. If you are doing the same as me, you might want to take out any pictures, personal info ( like Marital Status,etc...), and just list your experience.
> ...


Haha - to me, a short CV is one page. But yes, the Aussie CV (which seems long to me) is about three pages maximum.

Definitely DO NOT include your photo or personal information on your CV - that's a sure fire way to get your CV thrown in the bin. It shows that you have absolutely no understanding of how the recruitment process works here. And it's considered silly to post your photo on a CV here. Don't do it! Your CV should only include your education and work experience information. If you're coming from overseas, it makes sense to add a sentence for each company you've worked for explaining what it is they do (unless it's a big MNC that everyone knows or it's something obvious like a university or a hospital).

A cover letter is not a "list" of experiences - that's what your CV is for. The cover letter should clearly explain what aspects of your experience and education meet the requirements for the role. If for example the role requires project management experience, you would explain what sort of experience you have managing projects and provide examples. The cover letter needs to be tailored to each job you apply for and address every point in the job description. If it looks "canned" then you're probably not going to be called back for an interview.

Try not to start the letter with "To whom it may concern" - try to address it to a specific person. Usually there is a name and contact information in the posting - address the letter to that person. Small details like this will mean the difference between getting an interview and getting your CV in the bin.


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## happybuddha (Sep 28, 2012)

ozbound12 said:


> I talked to a recruiter about this and they said that they find it really annoying when people "pretend" to be here using a relative or friend's Australian address and a Skype phone number. When they figure out that the person is in fact still overseas with no imminent plans to move (usually they glean this information after talking to them on the phone for a few minutes - or right away if they're calling at what would be 4AM for you and you're half asleep), they get really annoyed and it's a pretty easy way to get your CV thrown in the bin. It makes you look flighty and pretty untrustworthy.
> 
> My suggestion is that you not do this. Either be upfront about where you are - or wait until you land (or when you have a plane ticket and you're moving within a few weeks) to start applying for jobs. The job market works fairly quickly here - they want to be able to interview you within a week and make a decision within a week after that, with the hope that you would start within two weeks of the decision date. They are not going to wait for you to move here. There are plenty of local candidates for them to choose from that can start far more quickly than you.


Seriously !! And the collateral damage is that such stupidity of supposed smart asses is then sticker-ed on to all people from the region and everybody is effected. In this case India.
Since mostly, no body really goes on a vacation with their resumes afloat on job sites, one way to avert this is for DIAC to tie resumes to visa. Any false information on resume leads to visa forfeiture.


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## nachi (Jul 31, 2012)

happybuddha said:


> Seriously !! And the collateral damage is that such stupidity of supposed smart asses is then sticker-ed on to all people from the region and everybody is effected. In this case India.
> Since mostly, no body really goes on a vacation with their resumes afloat on job sites, one way to avert this is for DIAC to tie resumes to visa. Any false information on resume leads to visa forfeiture.


+1 to this. My friends did the same thing using Skype accounts and the recruiters have found out eventually. Now a days recruiters are very skeptical even to have discussion due to this. First this is morally wrong that we are pretending to be in Australia by providing local address and local numbers through skype. Because of few people, the credibility seems to have gone. 

Please do not try this. Instead if you are running out of cash, please work in part time like MC Donalds or kfc or woolworths. If you trust your skills and be confident, you will definitely land in a job. Also let us save face for other friends who are yet to arrive in Australia.


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## sre375 (Feb 18, 2013)

ozbound12 said:


> Haha - to me, a short CV is one page. But yes, the Aussie CV (which seems long to me) is about three pages maximum.
> 
> Definitely DO NOT include your photo or personal information on your CV - that's a sure fire way to get your CV thrown in the bin. It shows that you have absolutely no understanding of how the recruitment process works here. And it's considered silly to post your photo on a CV here. Don't do it! Your CV should only include your education and work experience information. If you're coming from overseas, it makes sense to add a sentence for each company you've worked for explaining what it is they do (unless it's a big MNC that everyone knows or it's something obvious like a university or a hospital).
> 
> ...


Very informative indeed. I would certainly keep these points in mind, while I apply for jobs.


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## mandanapu (Nov 2, 2012)

raghalan said:


> Anybody moving from Bangalore to Sydney during this June or early July with family ?
> 
> Regards,
> Ragu


Hi Raghu


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## bugsbunny (Jul 16, 2013)

Hi all,

I am a software professional & planning to land in Sydney in Jan 2014. Since this topic of jobs hunt has came up can anyone guide me about the process of recruitment in there ? In India, we simply upload resume on a job portal and they give us a call, all this for free even after we get a job.
I have no idea how it will be in Sydney. However, I have heard that, we need to approach the recruitment agencies and pay them. They find recruiters for us for 3 months and after that again pay them. 

It will be really helpful if you could tell me how will I find a recuiretment agencies there ? and how seek is useful ? Do companies in Syndey still require local experience ? 

-Thanks,
bugsbunny


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