Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sidhindia]

Hi Friends,

I have migrated to Australia 4 months ago. I am a Mechanical Engineer and currently looking for jobs in Design and Quality Assurance. I have moved to Melbourne and getting rejected with all the companies with any proper reason. These guys are sending the same standardised format of rejecting. I call them to follow up and this is their response " You don't have local experience". Is there any other way getting local experience like working as a volunteer or an internship . I am also applying for Graduate jobs. Currently the scenario for Mechanical and Manufacturing Industries are totally flat. Moreover, I am ready to relocate because I am a Bachelor. I am flexible with the salary and available anytime. Can you please give me some contact reference anywhere in Australia and it would be very helpful for me. Please do reply. I am interested to increase my network. Please suggest if any conference, meeting or any skills expo occurs.I am also interested to work in Production, Maintenance and Service, Sales, Supply Chain Mangement and Logistics.

Regards

Sid

[Incata]

Sid

 

I am really sorry for how hard you are finding it. Unfortunately the lack of local experience issue is a big one and gets many of us. It took me 9 months to get a job. I got the 101st job I applied for (yes I was anal enough to count them all). I had to take a 50% pay cut and go back to a job at the level I was doing 10 years ago. The only reason I got the job was that they were paying significantly less than the market rate and could not get a local person with the amount of experience they wanted. Therefore they decided to drop the bit about "must have Western Australian experience".

 

This won't give you much comfort, but suffice to say, I think that the issue is the same in Western Australia at the moment, so I can't give you any advice, other than to keep looking and keep trying.

[Rupert]

Just another perspective, but I don't truly believe in this local experience thing, it is just an easy line to fob you off with, so I wouldn't agonise over it too much. If it were not possible to find work without local experience then no migrant would ever find a job and there wouldn't be quite so many 457 visas.

 

I think you should just keep plugging away at it, sometime it takes time to find work. Not sure how experienced you are but don't do yourself an injustice by applying for graduate roles if you are much more experienced than that, graduate roles can be hardest fought for and it also sends a message that you don't believe in yourself. You have to hold your head high and believe in yourself if you want anyone else to believe in you. By all means get feedback from agents, but I wouldn't be pestering employers directly on a regular basis. I also get from your post that English is not your native language, just make sure tat your English is always perfect in any communications.

[Petals]

The job market is a bit flat in Melbourne and obviously employers can pick and choose and they will choose through word of mouth and also on local experience and as has been said if your English is not up to Aussie scratch that will go against you especially if you have to deal with the public. If you are able to move then I would be looking at moving to get a job.

 

A lot of aussies in the market for jobs presently and with the university courses ending there will be a lot of graduates about and they get picked up as they are cheaper.

 

We who have lived here a long long time are always surprised at what skills are wanted from overseas migrants as we know that the employment situation is often not as good or short of people as they seem to think in Canberra

[DBC]

The local experience thing depends on your job - engineering is very hard to get work in if you don't have local experience, for example. My husband took a step down to come over here as the Australian codes are slightly different to British ones. If you look at job ads on Seek they will very often specify that they want Australian experience, with many asking for 5+ years Australian experience, with at least 3 in a certain state/city. The economy is not what is was a couple of years ago and so companies don't want to spend time training people up, they want someone that can come striaght in and do the job.

 

 

 

Just another perspective, but I don't truly believe in this local experience thing, it is just an easy line to fob you off with, so I wouldn't agonise over it too much. If it were not possible to find work without local experience then no migrant would ever find a job and there wouldn't be quite so many 457 visas.

 

I think you should just keep plugging away at it, sometime it takes time to find work. Not sure how experienced you are but don't do yourself an injustice by applying for graduate roles if you are much more experienced than that, graduate roles can be hardest fought for and it also sends a message that you don't believe in yourself. You have to hold your head high and believe in yourself if you want anyone else to believe in you. By all means get feedback from agents, but I wouldn't be pestering employers directly on a regular basis. I also get from your post that English is not your native language, just make sure tat your English is always perfect in any communications.

[sidhindia]

Hi Rupert,

Thanks a lot for giving a lot of suggestions. During the period from the day I arrived, I was patient,motivated and was also persistent. There is no specific reasons for rejecting the application even though you have around 4 years of experience in that sector. Yes,Graduate jobs are a bit tough because they prefer Permanent Resident whereas I am a Temporary Resident. I am trying to fill in a position where their prerequisite is Australian work permit. I am trying to get some networks or a person who may be a lead to start my career. I always try to contact the agents for getting the feedback of the application so that I can update it in the next CV. Yes, English is not my native language but I try to be on par with the local people from writing till speaking. I would be happy if you could give me some reference or contacts in the field Mechanical Engineering.

Regards,

SID

[starlight7]

For mechanical engineering I would think you need to look at fairly big companies like Fords, Holden ,Toyota- but a lot of those are going offshore. Maybe research where those large companies are based as a start. Have you looked at the Latrobe valley- power generation etc?

[colinmaclec]

If you are not a permanent resident then i am sorry to say but you have no chance of getting a job unless some company looks to exploit your situation.

[silencio]

Have you also taken into consideration doing a tafe course in mechanical engineering? With an Australian qualification in your resume from tafe you could also get one of your trainers/principal lector as a referee which would make a good impression on potential employers and substitute your missing 'local work experience'. Okay, you need at least 6 months to finish courses at tafe and some money. In South Australia we have this 'skills for all' initiative, where you are subsidised by the state regarding not paying the full amount of fees (I know that temporary visa holders are also eligible).

At the moment potential employers are very picky due to the slowing economy and because for 1 advertised job they get at least 100 applications, sometimes up to 400.