PDA

View Full Version : Job Seeking Tips - Australia



OneTime
11-06-08, 01:29 AM
Just thought I'd add some tips on my experiences on searching for employment in Australia. Bear in mind that these are only based on my experiences, and relate mostly to the corporate/office environment and experiences probably vary in other niche industries such as teaching, services, construction, etc.

The job market is very strong in Australia, and although there's been a slight downturn in the last couple of months due to rising interest rates, the market has so far been able to prove predictions of a downturn wrong. It is still a very good time to find work in Australia.

At the moment, in many sectors, it is a candidates market as employers are struggling to find the right candidates with the right skills and cultural fit.

In this post I'll concentrate on Selection Criteria.

I'm not sure if this is also a popular thing in other countries, but Selection Criteria is something that Australian employers love!

When applying for a position, many employers expect potential cadidates to address the selection criteria that they set for the position and explain how they meet them.

These criteria are usually outlined in the job description of an advertised position and the idea is to repeat them in your cover letter, or in a letter that's separate to your CV and explain where you fit in and how you meet them. A good idea would be to head the section - "Statement Addressing Selection Criteria" or something similar so it's clear what you're doing.

For example, the job advertisement might state that the selection criteria for a certain position on top of the desired qualifications and years of experience. Something like -


Ability to multi-task
Ability to work under pressure
Organisational or planning skills
Attention to detail


The idea is that you outline each criteria and write a little paragraph for each one, explaining why you have these particular skills and giving an example of how you showed them in a previous role. For example -

"Ability to multi-task - In my previous role I was exposed to a number of ... .... where I was expeted to .... .... and I managed to effectively .... ...."

And so on.

More to follow...

Nyala
11-06-08, 01:48 AM
Another pointer is to make your CV simple putting your most recent experience first and go back for 5 years from there. The reason, there are so many applications for jobs that the agencies don't have the time to read all the CV's through. They flip through them scanning for what information is relevent to the position advertised. I have been told by one agency that they want to see are your qualifications and experience going back 5 years. As always, attach all your diplomas, certificates and papers. Basically, dazzle them with your qualifications and most recent experience.

As posted by OT, selection critera and all the other bits and bobs are usually addressed in your cover letter.

(Back to you, OT...:grin)

OneTime
25-07-08, 04:30 AM
there are so many applications for jobs that the agencies don't have the time to read all the CV's through


I was reading this and it reminded me of a "recruitment technique" I heard of. :grin

You can eliminate the chances of hiring "naturally unlucky" or "misfortune prone" candidates in the following way.

Before reading and of the CV's on your desk, simply take half of them and dump them straight in the bin.

The unlucky ones will be eliminated and you can take your time reading through the rest.

:laugh3: