Tips for finding permanent job within 6 weeks
My Job-Seeking Story In Sydney

I have come to Sydney for three months as a skilled migrant. It looks like I have successfully passed the probation period for Australian life. I want to share some of my experience, with the hope to give you some practical ideas.

I got my current permanent job 6 weeks after coming to Australia. It is the same functional job as what I did in China. Jobs-seeking is never an easy thing for first time Australian job seeker, even if you are born local. I consider myself having average-above luck in job-hunting. Here are some tips which I used and may help some of you as well.

1. Attitude! Attitude! Active Attitude Decides Everything

Attitude makes big difference, and actual makes the whole difference. Always remind yourself “Never give up” and “God help those who help themselves”.

I have received many rejection letters for my applications from employment agencies as well as hiring companies before I found my current job. In the first month, there was almost no hope to get chance for interview. Everyday, when I browse the e-mail, there were always some batch letters informing me “your qualification is good, but we found some applicants more specific to this position”. For a moment, I felt quite bad. I knew some of the application even did not pass through the agency secretaries. Those secretaries screened most of the applications out before they pass to some consultants. Thus I have now a list of agencies that had rejected me and I will never use them again for my career in Australia. I do not understand why my working background did not fit their job. I know that local experience is important, but without first job, where could I get local experience? I sometimes became a little bit angry with these companies and agencies that refused my application. I have done the job matching, and I know I could do those positions very well. Thus I build up self-confidence again, and did not give up, although occasionally asking myself “why I come to Australia for those rejections after giving up my comfortable job and well-paid salary in China”

In the new environment, the best policy is to take any job you could find, and keep yourself busy. It is much easier to find a horse when you are riding a horse. So take any casual job you could find, even if it is labour work. I got three causal labour jobs offers, but did not take any of them, as I got my permanent offer before I began the casual job.

If you have active attitude, you have already got a permanent well-paid job, and do not need to read the following.

2. AMES Is Of Great Help In Job Seeking

AMES stands for Adult Migrant English Service. This is more like a free job-seeking skill enhancement seminar sponsored by Australian Education Department. I enrolled and joined an AMES at Burwood two weeks after landing in Sydney. There were 22 classmates of different working backgrounds from different countries.

As a Chinese, I felt the most advanced skills learned there is how to make telephone interviewing. After each job application, we should always make a follow-up call if a telephone number is provided. This is a chance to stand out from the rest of applicants as you know 90% of application letters are not read. So when you called the recruiter, normally they will look up your application and have a read to show their professionalism and courtesy. In such case, your phone strategy and skills will enhance your positive images on the agent.

Another advantage from AMES is your network with your classmates. I have attended two interviews and got their offer as casual worker. Both chances are provided by my classmates. I talked to every body that I was looking for casual jobs. Two classmates happened to know some chances which are not suitable to them, but gave me a try. The success of the casual job interviewing enhanced my self-confidence for permanent job-seeking.

3. SEEK: The Web Site Which Found The Job For Me

I have a belief on internet job hunting, although only 2% of people found job through internet. It is easy, and working, at least for me. In fact, my last job in China was hunted through internet as well. In China, the web site working for me is www.zhaopin.com and in Australia, it is www.seek.com both are very good sites where you leave your resume and the site match jobs for you. Then you click to apply, and call or e-mail to follow up the applications.

In the Australian web sites, I also tried career one, TMP, my career. Etc. and for newspaper, I just tried Sydney Morning Herald. I do not know about IT field, as I work in supply chain field.

4. Company Research Is Very Important On Job Interviewing

Believe it or not, one reason I was hired by the current company was “we are impressed about your research on our company”, quoted my manager. One afternoon in early Nov last year, while I was taking my driving lessons on the road in Strathfield, I received a call from a company, asking me to go for an interview. The man on the other side of phone said you have very good qualifications. I felt very happy and we made an appointment. When I was back home, I immediately log on SEEK, and found out which application it was (I applied for ten jobs at the same time!). Then browse the company’s and its competitors’ web sites, and call the company again regarding what I collected as questions about the company. The conversation on the phone went very well. I felt the man on the other side of the phone was impressed on my questions. Well begun, half done.

It is very simple logical, company research shows you have spent time to confirm your job interest. And this is the responsible attitude every company required from its employees.

5. Driving Learning Is Great Help To Strengthen Your Positive Attitude

I live in north Sydney, walking distance to everything. But in job seeking, I emphasized to every agency and company that I was learning to drive. I believed this gave them impression that I had strong desire to be adapted to local environment. Every localization effort you tried worth a word during interview.

6. Keep Good Contact And Relationship With The Employment Agencies

Our career was driven more or less by the employment agency. Actually it is the agency that creates the idea of job seeking and career development. And they provided every convenience for you to hunt your job. Only in this way, they could made money.

I have applied a job in a big Korean company in Rydalmere. It was quite far away from where I live. When I called the agency following my application, she said, “try to find how you could come to work, then we talk”. So one afternoon, after finishing the AMES class, I went by train to Rydalmere, and write down the time table on the station notice board, and called her, saying, “I am now out side of the Rydalmere Train Station, it will take me one hour to come to job, totally no problem, and I should have my driving license in two months”. I could feel she was very impressed about my personal check on the route and timing.

However, I did not get this job at the end, as the company behind the agency regarded me over-qualified for that job. The agent felt very sorry about this and proactively offered me an interview first and would let me know when they have suitable chances. This kind of agency is worth keeping very relationship for future career development.

7. Join The Professional Society, Use The Employment Agency In Your Field

One initiative I took in job seeking is to ask some local people in the similar field as to which employment agency to use in Supply Chain and which organization I should join. In the job market, each employment age