Job Club! What's working what's not.... Just have a moan about pants recruiters!!!

[Alipally]

Job hunting in Melbourne seems to be a bit of a challenge for a bunch of us at the moment and I suspect is driving us insane!!

So I wondered what's working for you and what's been a complete waste of time and effort!!

From what I can gather sending an anonymous letter of application and CV online, even if it's an advertised job, isn't really getting a response, even from Agencies.

For me I've found that speaking to the recruitment consultant before sending your CV is a lot more successful. I've also found that telephoning and talking to the consultant at least once a week keeps you in the forefront of their mind when they get a new job in....This has gotten me a couple of interviews in Australia, both recently and in the past.

Has anyone found a successful way of hunting for those jobs that are never advertised? Is it a case of knocking on actual door, or are speculative letters and emails getting any response?

Ideas, tips and tricks, gratefully received.... Feel free to moan and groan too!!

[The Pom Queen]

Sorry to hear you are struggling, I will be honest and say agencies seem a complete waste of time and it's not unusual for them to make a fake role up so they can harvest cvs. What do you do?
I think the best way is by word of mouth, as it's always who you know not what you know. Try and call in at some companies, offer to work a days free trial etc. Good luck

[Alipally]

I'm in an industry (Pharmaceuticals) that recruits almost exclusively via specialist agencies.... and it's the same worldwide.

I've only ever secured jobs in my field via an agency both here, in Australia, and in the UK.

I know a lot of people have found agencies to be a complete waste of time, but it's not the same for every type of job.

[boomerang]

I think the main thing is to remember that the recruiters are working for you. You need to be asking them on a regular basis what they have been doing for you how they have been promoting you etc.
Also as word of mouth and networking are important I think for people who are new and dont have a network its important to create one. If this means dropping into similar companies and talking to the staff/managers etc about what you are looking for it may not get you a job straight away as they may have nothing but it plants a seed in their head about you and dont know who they may talk to. Get some cards printed with you name and number and hand those out when you feel you have had a successful conversation with someone in your industry so that they have it at hand if they get to talk to someone about you. Also get your recruiter to have someone professional look at your resume to see if it can be tweaked in any way, this is what they are getting paid for so make them work for their money!

[Zoot]

Check out the websites of companies that are in your field as often they advertise vacancies on their own website.

Speak to as many people as possible to see if you can find something that way - someone may know someone. THat seems to be very common in Oz that someone gets their friend, family etc into the company where they are working - one place I worked the boss said to the staff check out these CV's if you recognise anyone or the company they worked for we will interview else bin them.

Agencies are best for temporary work but once they have you temping for them they are not inclined to put you forward for permanent roles and companies have to pay a fee to the agency for "finding" you so many companies are hard pressed to justify that additional spend.

[Petals]

If working in a trade, Friday afternoon at the local pub is a good place to network, make yourself known and its word of mouth.

Also make sure you get the Leader Newspaper for your area on line. Lot of local jobs in these papers.

Age on a Saturday or Wednesday

Local supermarket walls where messages are left.

All you need to do is get foot in door.

Join the local RSL club or Footy Club, cricket club, do not have to play social member. The footy club has a Cub in Hastings, cheap meals etc. Also contacts.

Meet up with each other have a beer in a specific place and see what comes. Old timers in pubs are often a good source of information.

Volunteering if you have a skill that is needed, often leads to a good job.

[Tea4two]

I was the first person to say agencies are useless here...I wrote a thread about it I think lol. But, some of my most positive experiences have come from agencies since then. As you said Alipally, specialist recruiters have also worked for me here...I managed to get a full time, permanent job at a fantastic organisation through a specialist Marketing/Comms agency...But the role wasn't right for me and I left shortly after starting. Just yesterday I had a call from a lady at an agency for a job with them and she had remembered speaking to me when I first arrived ...in Feb!!! I went to an interview yesterday with a different company so I told her I was hoping to hear back from that but if not, it's a lead :)

Not to dampen anyone's spirits, but the job I went for yesterday had 170 applicants and they whittled it down to just 4. Very daunting prospect when you hear that eh? But for me, agency or advert ... I have found that in this climate, if I am applying to a company and they have no knowledge of me (ie. not through a contact or someone you know) then I don't get a look in unless I completely fit the bill...you know yourself when you are reading a job spec and JD whether you are completely qualified and experienced for the role...regardless of whether you know you COULD do it...I seem to have a feeling when I am completing the application as to whether I will be shortlisted or not.

It's easy for people to say 'apply for everything' even if you don't have this or that ... but in reality, in a city where there are heaps of skilled people looking for work, unless you tick most of the boxes for what they are looking for, I don't think you will get in. Especially as a lot of companies now ask you to address selection criteria with specific examples. I'd advise you select the ones you think you are perfect for and spend your time writing a good solid cover note and email.

Having said that, the role I secured through the agency is a role I wasn't entirely qualified for (experience wise anyway) ... but I got an interview as they only seem to recruit through this agency. Had they advertised externally, not only would I have not gone for the role but I wouldn't have got an interview. So sometimes these agencies can get you a foot in the door where otherwise you wouldn't have been looked at.

On the plus side, I enjoy interviews over here. From the two i've had and ones with agencies, they are much more job related and less generic with silly standard interview questions. So long as I research the company and think about my work in relation to points on their JD and person spec, I seem to have a good answer for the questions they ask.

So I hope to hear from the job interview yesterday, today and hopefully the daily chore of spending my days on the internet searching will be no more :)

Good luck to those of you trying to secure work...it's the most depressing thing ever but you have to get up every day and somehow find your mojo again :) xx