DaveMac27 Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Hi all! Im Heading out to Melbourne in august on a WHV. I plan on traveling for a month or 2 before finding work. I have a Degree in Construction Project Management and 7 years experience. Im pretty laid back on the location so could someone point me in the direction of where best to find work. Also would i need a blue/white card? Cheers, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakeboard1980 Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 Hi all! Im Heading out to Melbourne in august on a WHV. I plan on traveling for a month or 2 before finding work. I have a Degree in Construction Project Management and 7 years experience. Im pretty laid back on the location so could someone point me in the direction of where best to find work. Also would i need a blue/white card? Cheers, Dave Start by having a look on seek.com.au. good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColCFC Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 Mate, yes you will need a white card. Although Melbourne is quiet at the moment in construction. I don't want to dampen your spirits but the following are facts. construction companies are generally avoiding WHVs and 457 and want to see some longevity in employment and commitment. If you can demonstrate this then there is a hope that you could be given an opening. employers do not want to run the risk of expending costs of employing you only to bugger off in 12 months or less. There are lots of Aussies here at the moment with quals and experience. Having said that some companies do like poms as UK degrees are generally better quality. There is not much work in Sydney or Brisbane either but there are signs of it starting to pick up, however it's very competitive. There have been a good few tier 2 builders going under in the last 12 months and this has spewed out alot of people in to the market place. Some good people and a lot of dross, and trust me there is a lot of dross in the industry. This abundance of available people means employers can be extra selective in their staff so you need to pull something special out of the hat. The industry is very incestious and if you are an unknown then his can go against you in terms of negotiating a salary. Be under no illusion, it is difficult. I came to Sydney at a time before the GFC kicked in, if I had left it another 2 months I would have missed an opportunity. If you don't get a job straight away try getting some Aussie experience by being an agency CA (QS or commercial manager as they call them in UK) or PM. Look on seek.com.au to see what is out there. Most of the recruiters are poms and will give you some good advice. However, the flip side of this is that if hey can't sell you as a product hen they may not show much interest in you, they will take your CV for their records but that may be about it. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeegieDave Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 (edited) Hi Dave, The issue with WHV's are that you are only permitted to work for the same employer for 6 months and not many companies would be willing to invest in a Project Manager who will need to leave after 6 months. WHV's are definitely more geared towards backpackers who will work in bars, restaurants and shops for a while then move on. It was perhaps different when the industry was booming, companies would employ skilled guys on WHV's then sponsor them on a 457 but things have been quieting down in the industry over here and there is a lot of Aussies looking for work. Just letting you know mate. I'm not saying it won't happen but I don't think you will walk into a job easily. Edited June 22, 2013 by WeegieDave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srg73 Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 Interesting, I am a chartered cm/pm (MCIOB) with 16 years constant experience and a valid 189. We are looking at SA for a soft start although Brisbane comes in 2nd. Sounds like starting from fresh maybe hard work however do you feel there is slight discrimination against offshore applicants? Is it worth joining Australian institutes to vouch for your qualifications? Other tip I've been given and need to sort it out is to have a good LinkedIn profile! Thanks S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakeboard1980 Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 Interesting, I am a chartered cm/pm (MCIOB) with 16 years constant experience and a valid 189. We are looking at SA for a soft start although Brisbane comes in 2nd. Sounds like starting from fresh maybe hard work however do you feel there is slight discrimination against offshore applicants? Is it worth joining Australian institutes to vouch for your qualifications? Other tip I've been given and need to sort it out is to have a good LinkedIn profile! Thanks S The Aus experience may work against you at this current time but if you have a really good cv then this may go someway to outweighing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColCFC Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 Chartered qualifications are not really a big thing here compared to UK. It's more about experience. Your qualifications may get you to interview but its what experience you have that employers are interested in. It doesn't matter how good you are or think you are, you have to prove yourself. Sounds harsh but it is a reality. The linkedIn thing is a load of bollocks, recruiters say they insist on you having a profile but I found out that's just their way of keeping track of you. I don't have a LinkedIn account, nor do I want one, and it hasn't affected me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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