Guest Hoobs Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Hello all, I've been living just outside of Brisbane for 3 years now having moved here on my partner's 457 sponsorship visa as she's a nurse. In this time having registered with many hopeless agencies, applying directly for jobs and sending my CV round local businesses I am still finding work nigh on impossible to find. As a bit of background I'd been in office admin for 20+ years with a big 3 accountancy firm as well as the NHS and the feedback from agencies on my CV has been great. This said I still have to chase agencies to be told the same old story of "nothing in, we'll contact you when we have something" and staff change over and the new person coming in goes well you could amend your CV (dones this 6 times already to no avail). All in all it's very frustrating and one agency recently pointed to the fact that a 457 visa confuses employers as they dont know if it carries work restrictions (which it doesnt) and cant be bothered to investigate so go for the easier option of an Australian permanent resident. So all in all this has left me annoyed and demotivated as by design or not it seems the odds are well and truly stacked against me. I registered with an agency called Geoffrey Nathan here who specialise in migrant workers but they pass your details onto agencies here which then starts you off in the same loop. There are plenty of admin and data entry roles advertised and even the low level ones I've been passed over for. Has anyone else had similar problems and found a way to overcome them and get work? Kind regards.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Hi, sorry to hear about your experiences so far. I am here on a partner 457 too which is valid until 2015 with my partner's position ongoing. The thing is nobody really cares that my partner's position is ongoing and that we will stay here *forever* (presumably). I have written some 20 applications in the last two months as soon as we've arrived (middle of June) but I have never gotten the possibility of an interview. I have a fairly odd educational background and not much actual work experience just some odd 3 years (I am 33), so I am not sure if the fact that I don't get any positive responses is due to my being fairly unexperienced workwise (even though, I think, I have other qualities and am fairly able and motivated to quickly adapt and learn new things - but even this is something nobody seems to care about). But yes, I started thinking about the visa thing too recently! I was naive enough to think that someone on a 457 is actually quite priviledged and should have less trouble getting a job. Well, to be fair I still do feel quite priviledged to be here that's out of the question. Also, all the Australian job agencies or job search engines I found on the internet will not even give me the possibility to search properly for suitable jobs just because I don't fall into one of those fairly general (superficial?) categories, e.g. as "being" a so-and-so (lawyer, dentist, bricklayer, hairdresser etc). It's very frustrating and I doubt any of the employers I applied with will give honest advice as to the visa question because of obvious reasons. I recently applied for a position where I was not only clearly over-qualified if I may say so (without sounding arrogant) but apart from that quite well suited for (in my eyes at least, maybe there's the mistake). But no. They sent me one of these standard rejection mails a couple of days later which said - nothing, basically. Then I dared to follow up and I got some almost rude mail back that it was obviously not the case that I was suited for the position. Hm, I am confused. Anyway I justed wanted to say that I would be very curious to hear from an Australian employer that/why one is in a bad position having "just" a 457 visa. If you find out more I would love to hear about that as we are in the same boat with regard to the visa question. However, I do think regardless of the visa question you will find a job very soon as you do have got a lot of valuable work experience. Wishing you the best of luck!!! Don't give up.:wubclub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeka Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 I am from the UK and work in HR so hopefully I can answer/help you with some of your questions but please bare in mind this may not be for every employer in Australia. My first questions would be why are you stipulating what visa you are on? Employers generally only ask for this at interview and from my experience wouldn't be looking at this information on resumes. Unless it is specifically asked I would advise not to include this. If asked ensure you simply say 'no restrictions'. A 457 visa may not have restrictions but it strictly doesnt have longevity - if the person sponsored on the 457 loses their position (for any reason) Australia has the right to ask you to leave Australia which then means your spouse would also need to leave which would be an inconvenience to the employer. When I arrived on the Gold Coast I applied for some 80 plus positions in the space of 6 weeks and only a handful replied saying I was unsuccessful. It took me 6 months to secure an admin position relevant to my skills and 18 months to get back into HR. Unfortunately perserverance is the name of this game! Try not to get too despondent about the lack of responses. As an example our organisation have advertised for an admin position and we have received over 100 resumes - it takes time to read these applicants and many organisations don't have a HR department to help with the responses. Could you perhaps speak with your preferred agency and ask them for feedback on your resume? Sometimes it could be simple words that need changing to make it 'australian'. Keep your resume to 2-3 pages long (definiately no longer) and your covering letter should be 1 page only. Make sure you do your research on the organisation your are applying to work for - adapt your covering letter to suit this! There are jobs out there - your resume/covering letter just needs to stand out ! Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Even though I am not the thread starter that was a very helpful reply! Thanks for that!:hug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hoobs Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Hello, thanks very much for your reply! I will keep you posted as I would hate for anyone else to go through this nightmare as well. I'd definately recommend anyone coming here with family to get permanent residency prior to coming here even if it delays things as the 457 is worse than useless when in our situation only one of us is working and we have two children who go to daycare and no entitlement to rebated or discounted daycare. Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hoobs Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I am from the UK and work in HR so hopefully I can answer/help you with some of your questions but please bare in mind this may not be for every employer in Australia. My first questions would be why are you stipulating what visa you are on? Employers generally only ask for this at interview and from my experience wouldn't be looking at this information on resumes. Unless it is specifically asked I would advise not to include this. If asked ensure you simply say 'no restrictions'. A 457 visa may not have restrictions but it strictly doesnt have longevity - if the person sponsored on the 457 loses their position (for any reason) Australia has the right to ask you to leave Australia which then means your spouse would also need to leave which would be an inconvenience to the employer. When I arrived on the Gold Coast I applied for some 80 plus positions in the space of 6 weeks and only a handful replied saying I was unsuccessful. It took me 6 months to secure an admin position relevant to my skills and 18 months to get back into HR. Unfortunately perserverance is the name of this game! Try not to get too despondent about the lack of responses. As an example our organisation have advertised for an admin position and we have received over 100 resumes - it takes time to read these applicants and many organisations don't have a HR department to help with the responses. Could you perhaps speak with your preferred agency and ask them for feedback on your resume? Sometimes it could be simple words that need changing to make it 'australian'. Keep your resume to 2-3 pages long (definiately no longer) and your covering letter should be 1 page only. Make sure you do your research on the organisation your are applying to work for - adapt your covering letter to suit this! There are jobs out there - your resume/covering letter just needs to stand out ! Hope this helps Hi there! Many thanks for your informative reply Agencies here tend to ask what your right to work is here i.e. which visa are you on and they photocopy your passport and the visa stamp so they have it on record. I've been trying to get work at QLD Gov which I know is a fairly arduous and drawn out affair as just like public sector jobs back in England they are very sought after. These jobs ask you to stipulate straight away which visa you are on so straight away its there to be an issue. My CV is down to 3 pages and I've had feedback and made changes on numerous occassions in reaction to feedback I've had from agencies. I was thinking of having a professional CV company have a look at it and maybe paying to have something more eyecatching and professional done, do you think that would be worthwhile with your HR experience? Thank you for your kind words, I do keep plugging away but after 3 years of moving here to make a go of the Aussie lifestyle I am worse off than I was in England as at least I was completely employable there and feel the 3 years here have been wasted from a career perspective. I'll keep at it and hopefully something will break for me . Thanks again!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Sorry. Another thought. I have been reading around a bit and one party keeps saying don't put any personal information on your resume (I also learned I should not dare to call a CV a CV round here). Well, yeah this all sounds good but here is the problem. What if I need to fill out an extra online form? For example, I keep applying for admin jobs at the unis in Melbourne and before I even get to uploading my RESUME, cover letter and five pages of addressing the key selection criteria (not fun doing such applications all day long!) I am asked to fill out an online form wich always includes questions as to if I am currently/have been working/never worked for the uni in question. - Clearly I have to choose the last option! Secondly, I am asked about my "status", e.g. PR, visa with work permission, without etc. and then I even have to key in my visa expiry date and my visa type (number). Phew. So how can I possibly get through the automatic selection when I cannot even tick the "right" boxes?? It's impossible, especially with ongoing positions. I wonder why I actually still bother addressing those selection criteria at all if my application does not even reach the recruiter due to not being able to tick the "right" boxes!? Also, I read, and please don't get me wrong, that most Australian recruiters (I am sorry, I know I may generalise here) don't even have a clue themselves what all this visa talk actually means. So here is another conflict. Either is it the case that one is not a preferred candidate being on a 457 visa because the employer KNOWS which risks might be involved even though my partner's position is ongoing. Or the employer has NO clue which then means a 457 visa would not be an obstacle while job hunting. :goofy: However, if the last is the case then there must be at least another reason as to why we are not able to find a job down under! My guess is, and I might be wrong again, that it is a disadvantage not to have any AUSTRALIAN job experience. This might sound odd but I made a similar experience in London: I am German which was not a problem at all but the fact that I never worked in London before was a problem. So as soon as I secured a crappy job in London and then started applying for better jobs I got several interviews straight away! Magical! Anyway. Now then, the lesson I have learned so far is I should try finding an unpaid job such as volunteering work or an internship first just to get a foot in the door. Does that sound reasonable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 This is all incredibly worrying. Are you only looking for permanent jobs, or casual ones - a few weeks/months here and there - as well? Really worried now about giving up my UK job to live off my husband's salary - I'm far too independent minded to be happy doing that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hoobs Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Hi, everything you've mentioned there definately makes sense. I've had a few very short temporary assignments and done in total about 2 and a half months work at a paving factory just to get work on my CV (Resume as they like to call it here) but this still hasn't opened any doors to the office work I so desperately want to get into. Here is an example of a common thing that happens and this is a real example. I was contacted via an agency that my resume had been circulated to at the beginning of July this year via Geoffrey Nathan (a Brisbane/Sydney based agency that specialises in getting employment for migrant workers - 457 Visas, working holiday visas in all sectors). The guy was so keen to put me forward for the role (a 9 to 18 month fixed term contract role) he actually travelled out of Brisbane to meet me where I lived for a coffee and to chat so he could gauge me as person and get a bit more information about my work history and experience. This all went great and he said that he'd like me to start asap but needed to speak to the client to tie up loose ends but it may be a slow process as it was a government dept. I waited for a week with no further news so contacted him and he said he'd speak to the client and get back to me. This pattern went on for 4 weeks and then a further 4 weeks until I tried to ring him, no answer, left a voicemail no reply, text him asking no reply.... This left me extremely annoyed as if the job had fallen through or they didnt actually want me, why not say at that point rather than stringing me along! A similar thing happened with another role just before Xmas where a company wanted to take me on 6 week role and because of the visa they had to re-write employment procedures??? in order for me to be lawfully employed... as you can guess this came to nothing again with little or no explanation as to why from the agency involved in placing me. I think that the employment community here in Australia has to start educating themselves on what the various visas entail or they risk losing the skilled people they brought in as their partners have been unable to work and it makes life too difficult to manage financially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hoobs Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Hi, I'm looking for temporary long term work or fixed term contract work as the 457 visa we have runs out in 2012. We do have our Permanent Residency in at the moment but that's taking a long while to get sorted out. It's not even worth applying for permanent work here on a 457 as they either dont know what it is or don't want to know unless you're a permanent resident here. I wouldnt be put off by my experiences though there's a lot to be positive about... even though I'm doing an awful job of promoting the place lol, depending on where you are in Australia and the kind of work you do it may be that everything works out fine but I just felt that I was alone in a dreadful experience here of trying to get work and wanted to at least find out if it was commonplace or not. Do plenty of research as to what job opportunities are available in what you do before getting here. I wouldn't speak to any agencies prior to arriving about available roles as they will only ask that you come in to see them once you are here before discussing anything. Congratulations, I'm sure you'll love it, we came over in November 2008 ). The frustrating thing is that work apart its a great place to live. Like I said just do plenty of research and speaking to people just so you are as prepared as possible and there's sites like this which is great for that or to vent your spleen if things are getting on your nerves so you at least know you're not the only one in that situation ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 See now, I'd worried about this before and posted this thread: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/jobs-careers/118239-prospects-wife-457-er-brisbane.html Very positive responses but only 2 of them! I was intending to try and work for Queensland Health either in my specialised field or as an admin temp in the ongoing job pool, but I'm not feeling too confident about this now. Need more positive feedback, I feel like pulling the plug on all this now! Or letting hubby go and staying behind ( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Louey Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Hey All It is hard to find jobs out here I was very lucky. It is a case of getting your foot in the door and that is the hardest bit. I am a UK qualified Physiotherapist who came out on my partner's 457 visa and am currently working my way through the Physio registration process here. I applied for a physio assistant job whilst in the UK and was told I wouldn't be considered as I wasn't living in Oz. I guess they didn't want to have to interview someone from the other side of the world. Fortunately they suggested I get in touch once I arrived in Oz as there maybe some temporary work I could do. I contacted them when I got here and sure enough I got about 6 weeks work. Then someone left and I got asked if I wanted to do their job on a temporary basis. Of course I snapped their hand off!!! Check out smartjobs.au which is the Queensland Health/Government website. I know they are advertising for admin staff at the moment. I would recommend giving them a call and getting an email address and sending your resume. Then keep in touch and let them know when you arrive in the country. It worked for me but then I might just have been lucky. All the best with the job search :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Hoobs - this ad looks right up your street: http://www.seek.com.au/Job/temp-jobs-available-now-government-clients/in/brisbane-brisbane/20399625 - it's certainly the kind of thing I'd be responding to if I can't get data analyst work! Louey, smartjobs looks ideal - think that's where I spotted the continuous pool for temping. I have been emailing a contact at Q Health, and have an opportunity in a couple of weeks to network with relevant people from other parts of Australia - but need work in Brissy! Just crossing my fingers that things have been quiet mainly 'cos it's still over 2 months til we arrive. Another joyful bit of news is I keep reading on another (less pleasant) expat forum that it's a waste of time looking for work any time between November and March 'cos employers don't recruit in summer. I kind of find that hard to believe - 4-5 months with no recruitment?! Someone please tell me that's rubbish! Every time I look at jobs in Brisbane on Seek there seems to be around 2 or 3 times the amount of suitable vacancies I ever saw in (say) Glasgow at any time, and I'm talking pre-recession. In my mind, this just doesn't add up to huge difficulties getting work :GEEK: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Louey Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Keep in touch with your Q Health contact seems to be the way to go over here. It can be very much a case of who you know and being in the right place at the right time. As for the no recruitment in the summer never heard of that I was recruited in January!!!! Will keep my fingers crossed for you just be really persistent is my advice :biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Yeah, never seen such a bunch of naysayers as that other forum! I will keep up my pestering. Hubby says he's fine with me volunteering while I look, would love to do something for RSPCA! May even fit in some PT paid casual graft. Another thing - how do folk on WHV manage to get work if it's apparently so hard on a less restricted 4 year visa?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Any more positive experiences from 457 dependents? There must be loads of you out there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 I was the 457 visa holder and my husband landed a bus driving job within six weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 I was the 457 visa holder and my husband landed a bus driving job within six weeks.I think you were one of the folk who replied to my own thread - thanks for that! Just panicking that more people may be having problems, than those having success! :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Because then there must be something true about it. Hm I haven't had any luck yet. Still writing application after appliaction. We are not sure if we can stay here long term if I don't find work one day because we need the money. And I need something to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tafflass Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Im so pleased I found this thread, my husband is in the exact same position. We are here on my 457 visa and he's found it so difficult to find an engineering job- despite having a 1st class degree and 4 years experience in the UK. He's become so frustrated whilst job seeking over the last year, esp with agencies- who just seem to string him along. Its nice to know that we're not the only ones in this situation, fingers crossed for some job success soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tafflass Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Yeah, never seen such a bunch of naysayers as that other forum! I will keep up my pestering. Hubby says he's fine with me volunteering while I look, would love to do something for RSPCA! May even fit in some PT paid casual graft. Another thing - how do folk on WHV manage to get work if it's apparently so hard on a less restricted 4 year visa?! Its strange but my hubby actually had more luck with getting a job when on a WHV than now with the 457 visa.......:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Good question. Probably your husband was looking for different types of jobs with less responsibility, and it was clear from the beginning that these jobs were just temporary due to the Working Holiday Status. I am just guessing. Interestingly enough most jobs in Australia are ongoing. I am very surprised as there is not one job in Germany out there which is ongoing so that is really a good thing, actually. I personally think that employers in Australia expect one to start from scratch which is fine by me. So right now I am just looking for jobs I am kind of over-qualified for (I have three years international work experience and a doctorate) as I just want to get a foot in the door. Right now I am not even thinking of starting any kind of a career or of making real money. I would be happy enough with some simple admin or similar job for a start. Well, but not even this seems to be easily available round here when you are on a 457 partner visa. Some days I am very depressed about my current situation because the last two years before we came here have been very hard for us and we haven't had a holiday for years on end, and we won't have any as long as we don't have money. And no, not having a job doesn't equal having a great relaxed life - quite on the contrary. But that's a totally different subject. Also, I know from someone else that the number of applications for certain jobs I applied for is not really that high in comparison to other countries where there are hardly any jobs around (Germany and Italy), or too many people applying (UK). In London it's really the case that a huge number of applicants try for one and the same job (at least in certain job areas) and that is not the case in Melbourne. I also don't understand why I never got a reasonable reply as to why I was not successful when I tried to follow up some of the applications. So far I am not impressed to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 I'm only really looking for temporary, pocket money work! I honestly don't understand why it would be easier on a WHV :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Yeah that is really strange. I would love to find out from someone who got in with a 457 partner visa what the reason is actually that nobody wants us. Me too I would be fine with some temping for now. But. Hm. Also strange that not many people seem to have the same problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Yeah that is really strange. I would love to find out from someone who got in with a 457 partner visa what the reason is actually that nobody wants us. Me too I would be fine with some temping for now. But. Hm. Also strange that not many people seem to have the same problem. Not many are reporting having this problem, but at the same time I don't see that many posts from 457 dependents having success either! Hopefully that's because it's easier to dwell on the negative :wink: Honestly, a part-time data entry job would do in the short term - must be loads of those, right?! You see assignments advertised lasting only a few days or weeks - how can the visa be an issue?? Couldn't do it full-time or long term though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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