bronwen Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Hi folks - I know, this going to be a hugely variable topic and probably covered elsewhere, but I wanted to hear others (relatively recent) experiences of finding work in Australia. My husband is a mechanical / project engineer and I'm probably going to be looking for work as an environmental consultant. Did anyone manage to secure work before moving over on a skilled 189 visa? And if not, how long did it take before you secured work after arriving? Any experiences (on all professions) much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainC Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 You're probably expecting this answer but how long is a piece of string? It's all relative and some people will pick up the phone or email a CV and get a job the next day, others will send hundreds of CV's and make loads of connections and not get anything. I don't know much about your occupations but from other posts on here everything seems to be fairly hit and miss. There are very few occupations that are in demand to the point where jobseekers are sought after, rather than the other way around. Some job seekers find it easier to be located in Australia and it is also more convenient for the employer to employ somebody who is already in the country. It also may be that you may have to move around a bit to find the right job and possibly even take a job in a regional or rural area where employers struggle to find employees that are willing to stick around. My advice is to get on the Internet, register with employment sites like Seek.com.au and careerone.com.au and get notifications of any jobs that you or your husband can do. Also have a look at joining any professional unions or associations related to your occupations, often jobs advertisements are released on those types of sites long before they get released into the public domain. This will be the second time living in Australia for me. The first time, I walked straight into a job. This time, despite having more experience and qualifications I'm finding it more difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itegoa Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Hi folks - I know, this going to be a hugely variable topic and probably covered elsewhere, but I wanted to hear others (relatively recent) experiences of finding work in Australia. My husband is a mechanical / project engineer and I'm probably going to be looking for work as an environmental consultant. Did anyone manage to secure work before moving over on a skilled 189 visa? And if not, how long did it take before you secured work after arriving? Any experiences (on all professions) much appreciated! I've just secured a job after having a Skype interview. I applied, chatted on phone for approx 20 minutes to the agent, they got me the interview, had that within less than 1 week, had a tech test (online), then a couple of days later got the job offer. My particular skill is quite rare though, and during the interview the company said that they had trouble finding people. I guess if they'd have had found someone similar to me on-shore, they could have offered them the job instead. When I wrote the covering letter to the recruitment agent, I put text in bold clearly stating that I have full working rights. I even did a screenshot of my VEVO details and pasted it into the letter. I stated that i'm available for Skype interview immediately, and that I have the funds ready to fly out to Australia if offered the job. I made it clear that I did not need any financial or other assistance. If you have family, as I do, tell them that you're coming over by yourself at first. You may want to do this anyway, and in the agents/employers eyes, it eases their mind that they wouldn't be sending a full family home packing if things don't work out. Recruitment agents (and companies themselves if you go direct) will always want to go down the path of least resistance. One other thing... research what you're worth. You may get asked what salary you want. Pick a number that you think you're worth. Add 5% to 10% on top, and say plus super on that as well! They could haggle down a little - and you get what you wanted anyway! If they don't, well... that's a bonus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 It mainly depends on occupation. Have a look at seek.com.au to get some indication of the number of jobs available Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 My OH just sent his CV to all relevant companies within a 30 minute drive from our chosen starting suburb. I just called up Google and put in his profession and all the locations come up. We then emailed his CV to all of them whether they were advertising or not. This was about 6 months before we were due to fly. We didn't hear anything back until about 6 weeks before, then he had two telephone interviews and 2 job offers. When we arrived he's been offered many more since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sussex boy Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 All good advice etc. My own experence was from the Uk, almost a year, after migrating and moving from the Nt to WA about 6 weeks. Definatly hit up any companies in your line and research what projects they have going and tailer your CV to the application if poss. Good luck, and dont forget linkedin -) pS, I think that the most important thing is the job, find a job, then take a breaklease or short rental nearby, then choose where you are going to live. Have seen a lot of threads saying we chosen to move here.... but there is no work so we have to move back to the Uk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robfromdublin Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I'm an environmental consultant and I know a few mech engineers. The market is a bit suppressed for both at the moment, with the mining development downturn. Nevertheless, things are better than they were and I'm seeing a bit more activity so you might be in luck, especially if you have niche skills that are not easily filled onshore. All the above is good advice from other posters. Definitely make it clear you are not in need of a visa, make it clear when you will be arriving in Australia and ensure you know the difference between 'plus super' and 'inclusive of super' during pay negotiations if it gets to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronwen Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 Thanks everyone - appreciate all the advice. I think that I'm most interested in time scales - is it ever too early to start applying for jobs? From Que Sera, Sera's experience it seems we might only want to start looking 6 weeks or so from expected date of arrival. Considering we're aiming for Feb - April 2016 arrival, it might be too early just yet, plus with Christmas slow down approaching, might be best waiting for the new year to arrive? Does anyone have experience of companies willing to wait a good few months for you to arrive - again, I understand this would depend on the particular position and skill set etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainC Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Thanks everyone - appreciate all the advice. I think that I'm most interested in time scales - is it ever too early to start applying for jobs? From Que Sera, Sera's experience it seems we might only want to start looking 6 weeks or so from expected date of arrival. Considering we're aiming for Feb - April 2016 arrival, it might be too early just yet, plus with Christmas slow down approaching, might be best waiting for the new year to arrive? Does anyone have experience of companies willing to wait a good few months for you to arrive - again, I understand this would depend on the particular position and skill set etc. The question that you have to ask yourself is 'if I was offered a job tomorrow, and they wanted me to start next month, would I go?' It's never too early to start making contacts for jobs. I'd say to go all out applying now if you're prepared to move at a moments notice. If you wait, then you may miss the job opportunity of a lifetime. Unfortunately you may have to just play into an employers hands and tell them that you'll be there whenever they want you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robfromdublin Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Thanks everyone - appreciate all the advice. I think that I'm most interested in time scales - is it ever too early to start applying for jobs? From Que Sera, Sera's experience it seems we might only want to start looking 6 weeks or so from expected date of arrival. Considering we're aiming for Feb - April 2016 arrival, it might be too early just yet, plus with Christmas slow down approaching, might be best waiting for the new year to arrive? Does anyone have experience of companies willing to wait a good few months for you to arrive - again, I understand this would depend on the particular position and skill set etc. I was offered a job in September / October and started in February and we've someone starting in a few weeks who we offered a role to in July. Definitely worth looking now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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