7 tips on how to land a job in Australia

Australia is the perfect country to work and save up a bit of money. The wages are fairly high compared to most European countries, and since traveling is quite expensive it is a great way to fund your travels. Many travelers therefore end up in Australia on a working holiday visa. If you’re from overseas it’s sometimes hard to figure out where to start when trying to find a job, so Eef Explores to the rescueeee! I have just found a new job myself (hooray!) so in this blog I’ll give you some tips ‘n tricks to help you find that awesome aussie job in no time.

Tip 1 – First things first: your CV
A couple of days ago I met up with a recruiter. If you have a certain skill or have certain work experience it never hurts to meet up with a recruiter because they know the right people and companies where you can possibly start that dream job. The recruiter I met up with pointed out some very interesting facts about my CV:
– It is not very common to have your photo on your CV in Australia.
– Your date of birth and your marital status are not relevant here.
– Most recruiters in Australia only read the top half of a page. Therefore include all relevant information about yourself in the top part of your CV, and add a short section with keywords about yourself. For example I could say: “Data-driven email marketer, social media strategist and social influencer with experience in A/B testing, database segmentations and AdWords”.

Tip 2 – Go on Gumtree – www.gumtree.com.au
Gumtree is a classifieds ad website where you can pretty much buy or sell anything and it is also a great place to find jobs. If you’re looking for a more casual position then Gumtree is the place to be, as you will find many hospitality and promotion jobs being offered on this platform. You can also post your own ad stating that you’re looking for work, but from my own experience I can tell you that your ad might attract a loooot of weird people with ever weirder proposals…

Tip 3 – Bring your CV around
Going to cafes or stores and handing out your CV is probably one of the most effective ways to find a new job if you want to work in retail or hospitality.  I have never actually found a job this way myself, but my friends have been very successful. One of them was invited for a trial shift the same day, and heard she was hired the day after. That’s how fast it can go…. 😉

Tip 4 – Facebook
Facebook Groups are a great place to look for work. I am, for instance, a member of the Dutch Group ‘Dutchies in Australia’, where all Dutchies share their questions and experiences. You can either post a message that you’re looking for work, or you can simply keep an eye out until someone posts that hey or the company they are working for a hiring. There are also Facebook Groups dedicated to finding promo staff like Melbourne Promo Staff or Brisbane Promo Staff where casual, one time promo jobs are posted.

Tip 5 – Seek on SEEK – www.seek.com.au
My favorite website for the job hunt: SEEK! Seek is one of Australia’s most used job search sites, and I totally understand why. You can search by keyword, classification and/or location. Hundreds of new positions are added every day, so there’s gotta be something there for everyone 🙂 Of course, don’t forget that writing a good cover letter is key to getting invited for an interview.

Tip 6 – Patience, my friend
I arrived in Brisbane almost three weeks ago and started my job search straight away. Because finding work was my main priority I literally applied for any job I could find, even the shitty outbound telesales jobs. The first week I didn’t receive much response, but the second week I received a couple of rejections, all because I am on a working holiday visa and the companies are looking for long-term employees. Also, I think I haven’t heard back from 80% of the jobs I applied for. Even after sending a polite email asking about the current status of the job opening you get zero to none response, which is apparently very common (but sooo unfriendly!) in Australia. This can be very discouraging but hang in there: with the right attitude and a a lot of effort you’ll be fine.

Tip 7 – It depends on the city
When I arrived in Sydney I started working a week later, but, like I just mentioned, it wasn’t that easy in Brisbane. I think Sydney and Melbourne are the best cities to find a job in, because they’re the biggest cities in the country and many companies are used to hiring working holiday makers. Also, the season can make a big difference. Many travelers go to Sydney during summer which means there will be fewer jobs available.

I hope these tips help you find that desired job Down Under. Should you be looking for farm work then don’t forget to read my blog post on how to find farm work *here*, and if you have any questions or comments then you can post them below 🙂

❤ Eef