Guest Hoobs Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Excellent Marta ), hopefully they will be able to help and at least do some of the work for you! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Lol, A degree is fine - I was thinking more of if you have MBA's or PhD etc Yeah I do have one on offer, meaning a PhD (in philosophy). But maybe the philosophy part is the reason why I don't get any interviews?:wacko: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoandJon Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Yeah I do have one on offer, meaning a PhD (in philosophy). But maybe the philosophy part is the reason why I don't get any interviews?:wacko: It will depend what sort of jobs you're applying for really, you could always try leaving it out of your CV for a bit and seeing if it makes a difference? If you're looking at volunteering stuff to help people, maybe check out red-cross or the SES etc? It's a great way to build up your confidence and self-esteem too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Yeah I thought of leaving it out too but then there is a time gap because I wrote my thesis for five years. Still, I don't know why employers won't believe that I am honestly interested in the positions I applied for even if I might seem to be overqualified. As I only have some 2 1/2 years work experience I am more than willing to learn whatever is needed, most of all I am willing to do jobs which other people with a PhD maybe would not want to do (because they might feel smarter than the rest of us). I am really eager to start from scratch but unfortunately none of employers I applied for seems to notice that. BTW the positions I applied for/keep on applying for are in academic administration, general admin jobs, customer service jobs (no call-centre though), publishing jobs (I have done an Editorial and Proofreading course @ London School of Publishing and some experience in the book market), and jobs in the cultural sector which are rare in any country. I feel that for most of the positions I applied for and got rejected I am indeed qualified and experienced enough. But maybe I am completely wrong?:eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 I've registered on Geoffrey Nathan online but having trouble with adding my cv and location. Not too bothered as I need a month off after we arrive so will contact them when we get there. A bit more cheer going on around here now, I'll be watching your progress marta, really hope you get some good work very soon! I think part of the issue with high qualifications is employers might think you are too 'expensive' - I had this feedback from a recruitment consultant ages ago, when she said I shouldn't have stated my current salary when going after a lower-paid job. If this really is the case, it's a shame employers find it impossible to believe some folk are happy to 'downsize'! Certainly as a hapless 457 wife new to Australia, my expectations are pretty low! Even $2k a month would make a big difference to us - that'd cover the rent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Thanks! Wishing you luck too! Yeah. I know what you mean. I would be so happy just getting a couple of $$$ every month, I am not expecting a high income. I'd rather do something than nothing at all, and I am not picky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Have I got news for you?!:yes: Well, on Monday I will talk to someone from a German Australian online forum (strange I know - but) about an unpaid internship opportunity in journalism and then I will probably get the chance to give some German lessons in a private language school from next week onwards. I mean this would be paid hourly ($30 minus tax), and as I have to prepare from scratch I would not earn anything for a while, but at least it's a start, isn't it? How is it going with you guys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Good for you Marta, keep up the good spirit. I have met with an agency yesterday, meeting another one tomorrow and again next Tuesday. At this stage no job offers but more sitting and talking through my experience and what I can do for them and vice versa. One helpful lady who is actually a British recruiter said that in Australia most companies are not interested in how much experience you have unless it is 100% perfectly aligned to the role they are offering... and to basically doctor your CV as much as possible to fit their requirements even if it means deleting or rewording certain parts. This is very different to Europe where, from my experience, companies are happy to see you have a valid and varied experience as it shows what you are capable of! Having a few concerns over our 457 to PR status as a lot of new complications have arisen and we are not debating what to do. It may be I have to abandon my marketing line of work and focus on translating in order to meet PR requirements. Or we just stay here 4 years and go back to Europe. Husband's job is ongoing but his age is likely to be a problem in 2 years time if we apply for PR then and I don't like the feeling of uncertainty hanging over us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Now we've arrived in Brisbane and are getting settled, just wondering how everyone's getting on? I had a chat about a potential job the other day and all went fine, they were familiar with the visa and it really didn't seem to be a problem. I'd be looking at contract work anyway which is fine by me. Will see how things actually go, but it's encouraging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Thanks for checking. And wishing you all the best!:wubclub: Well, I am still in my unpaid internship in journalism, and the funny thing is that I was told that most of the employers don't even know what an internship is (unless you are becoming a medical doctor). I already started looking for jobs but I am not sure if it makes sense right now as a lot of jobs in the cultural sector are given to people by people who know other people who know other people...:wacko: I hope to meet some of these "other" people and am currently trying to network for another month or so. I hope something will come up by February as I need to find something paid in the next year - We need the money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Good luck Marta, sounds like networking is key! I know the job market is fairly quiet between now and Australia Day anyway, so gives you a couple of months to get some good contacts. Do you use LinkedIn? I don't find it massively helpful but hubby does! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 I haven't tried LinkedIn yet as I am a very private person (I don't like putting my details on the internet) but as a last resort, if I know it would help, I would do it. Best of luck to you too!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JaimieDee Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Hi, I'm new to this site but my family are hoping to move over to Perth within the next 4 months and I just wanted to ask a couple of questions. I have been offered a permanent sponsorship as a site manager in Perth. I thought this was a good thing as we are also in the process of applying for our skilled visa and can continue with that process while in Perth. I note that you have concerns regarding the 457 visa. My wife is an accountant and would like to look for work once our kids are settled at school etc, do you think she will have trouble obtaining employment on this visa? we have done a lot of research and my sister in law lives in Sydney and has been helping us but it is still a daunting process! Any help and information anyone can give us would be great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Hey Jaimie, sorry you haven't had an answer yet. I know little about accountancy work in Perth, but hopefully the 457 should't be an issue particularly for temp/contract work. I would research agencies that specialise in accounts work and maybe get in touch with any questions. I had an agency interview & registration on Friday and it went well. Having the passport label was handy as they took a copy of it along with the photo page as proof of right to work. My interviewer commented on the nice long expiry date too ) best of all, although I was looking for general admin work (to keep me going in case Q Health job doesn't work out), an analytical position had just come up - these must be rare as hens teeth at temp agencies! - and I've been put forward for it. If I get it that's me working til at least the end of January *fingers crossed* Hope all the other 457 dependants are doing well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 How's it looking guys? I know, it's almost Christmas but I thought I would quickly check. I have started searching and applying for jobs again and it's obviously quite hard right now as we are in the middle of December, and in January there isn't usually a lot going on in Oz (at least so I was told) as well. Right now I am not even sure anymore if my problem really is this strange 457 de facto visa. I have got the impression that every Melbourne job (well at least in the areas I have been jobhunting) depends on contacts and networking! The most evil part of all this (and the reason why I am not yet enjoying life in Australia) is that my boyfriend's boss, basically the very person who did the interviews with him, literally promised me several times he will find me a job in academic administration in Melbourne. Well I have applied for a number of jobs@Melbourne Uni and all the other Unis in Melbourne but not even one interview. It cannot be that hard, can it?? And if I talk to my partner's boss directly regarding my unfortunate job situation he just blushes and tries to talk about something else immediately. Great! So frustrating. And obviously it means he lied!!! BTW I still have a couple of weeks in my current unpaid internship (which is already the third one for me as I have done one in Germany and one in Italy before that one - no I am not rich, just desperate......). But surely I need a paid job soon down here and something worthwile to do anyway. It's not very relaxing be be under constant pressure finding a job even though I don't have much to do, theoretically. Did I mention? I also sent out a couple of applications for volunteering jobs. What happened? Nothing! That means I am not even good enough to become a volunteer?? I am really disappointed. Also, I kind of get mad when I read that someone who is still living outside Oz and doesn't need to find a sponsor wants to know how much she/he would get paid in Oz in such-and-such job without being overly qualified. I mean, I am not even looking anymore how much certain jobs pay I just want a freaking job - without having to clean toilets and working at some dingy bar down Fitzroy Street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Hi Marta, sorry to hear things are still not going well. It is a crappy time of year now as well, nobody seems to be doing anything! As you say I'd also anticipate January to be even worse, being the height of the holiday season and with Australia Day coming up. Hopefully things will pick up after that. I have had no news on the analyst position at QLD government, I had a courtesy call a week ago to say no decision had been made, and I rang again Monday to find the position hadn't changed - so it's just taking time. At least it's not a 'no thanks' just yet, just frustrating - things happen slowly round these parts and the time does drag when you're out of work! I also sent my CV to another agency recommended by one of hubby's colleagues, but no reply there yet either. I wouldn't mind, but with initial costs and an expensive repair we have absolutely no money coming in from renting our UK house out and any money I could earn would be sent to the UK to cover the mortgage payments, so every day not working is like losing money. Hubby's salary is enough to live on here but the UK end is far from comfortable ( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SupportPants Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 I don't think it's a 457 visa issue. We're on 475s and it's still been an absolute nightmare even finding enough hours to comply with the 35 hours (for one of us) to apply for PR. We're working now but at jobs we haven't done since Uni - it seems like all our degrees and high level work experience just means nothing here. So after a year of unemployment we lied through our teeth and just went really low! I think it's a case of not what you know but who you know. Networking is key. Another very frustrating thing is the fact you can have interviews but still never get a response despite chasing for an answer for weeks. I'd also remove as much as you can from your CV that doesn't directly mirror the job you are applying for. And don't be snobby - do anything as if you are stuck spending pounds it will be very painful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Thanks guys! It's good to know I am not alone out there. Interesting to hear about your experiences. Doesn't sound too good. I find it actually really strange (and most of all rude!) that they never reply, not even if you went to an interview! Sorry to hear about that. I have heard a similar story from my American friend who is also here on a 457 partner visa but luckily she finally got a job recently (she is a social worker). So she told me that she got a couple of interviews which is why she firstly thought oh well that must be a good sign then but then they never got back to her and she ended up being disappointed all the time for the last four months. Especially the ones who said, 'oh we will get back to you this week' never rang her or sent an email to say anything. Yes I already changed my 'resumé' a lot so it now looks very 'plain', and I even took out the PhD but now there is the problem with the timeline as four years of my life seem to have gone missing... Oh sure, I would do quite a lot of jobs even for bad payment as long as I got a job at all! But honestly I will not work as a cleaner or barista, I don't think I could do that. I have done a lot of stupid jobs for zero or bad payment before coming to Australia without ever complaining, even when I had my PhD. So that is not a problem for me. It's just that I am almost in the middle of my 30s now and still don't have something like a proper 'career' path behind me or ahead of me. I cannot even think of having children or what the future will bring because I don't see any point right now, apart from the fact that we don't have much money left at the end of each month. You know what I mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SupportPants Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 It's very frustrating isn't it? We aren't intending to stay so it's not so bad and we are just seeing this as living 'ironically' until we get PR and leave. My partner is a barman here - he has a Phd and was head of a company in the UK. I have two masters degrees and had a managerial career in the UK and here I am a waitress. Keep your chin up! It's life as an immigrant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Oh god I am so sorry, your story is really heartbreaking! I feel quite bad now! I now understand better what you meant by taking any job. How brave of you two. It sounds easy for other people but for someone who has done a lot for his and her education and career it's quite demoralising and degrading, isn't it? Well, the PR etc situation it's slightly simliar for us even though my partner is at least in a good and well-deserved job if I might say so. He has been struggling to find academic work for years on end, is over 40 and has worked at the most stupid placest in Europe but now he got this lectureship @Melbourne Uni which really came as a surprise. He has a strange four year probationary period (is this normal @unis in Oz!?) but his position was actually advertised as ongoing so it's not really clear what that means exactly. Right now we are just not very pleased with the situation, well, especially my job situation, and nobody talks openly about the future at the university with regard to the probationary/ongoing discrepancy. So far we are also not impressed yet because my partner has started working straight away after we moved here from Italy (he is British, I am German) which was very stressful as you can imagine (as it is for everyone who moves internationally) and he is still working 80 hours a week, whereas nobody else at his department works that long. His payment is ok for a start, at least he would earn less as a lecturer in the UK. To cut a long story short, ideally we would be offered PR by the uni and might leave afterwards, or we don't even get that far and leave after three years or so (our visa is valid until 2015). We'll see. It's a shame actually because most of the foreigners are here because they always wanted to live in Australia. I am ashamed to say that we are just here because of my partner's job and not because we always wanted to live in Australia. To us it doesn't matter where we live unless we have work. I know it's a gift to be allowed to live and work in Australia but I am still frustated. Wishing you and your husband all the best! May be future be brighter for the two of you. You deserve it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Marta, re the four year probationary thing, I would assume that what this probably means is that he's got a lectureship, but it's not tenured. if he passes the tenure application, then he'll get the permanent position, with PR sponsorship Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Still no joy here, and with 2 working days til Christmas it's time to chill! I was put up for a couple of jobs by agencies, yesterday was told one had been filled internally but they have another post interviewing in Jan and it sounds interesting so I asked to be put forward for that. The other job is a puzzle - the dept seemed really keen to get someone in ASAP, like this week, but apparently haven't made a decision. But in the meantime the consultant at the agency has scheduled me in for a meeting to discuss other opportunities in the next year. In the meantime I've started training myself in SQL, as it comes up in so many data analyst jobs advertised. I had to pass up applying for a great job in the Australian Tax Office right here in Chermside because I didn't know SQL! Anyway, I found an easy-to-follow course online that's free, complete with videos and sample data and scripts, and also downloaded SQL Server for free so all it's costing is time - I have plenty of that! Anyone else needing to learn SQL, PM me for details! Hope things are better for us all in 2012! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Hey all, how are things now we're in mid January? I had my first bona fide interview and rejection first week in Jan, and have another interview tomorrow, with another application in the pipeline that shortlists very soon. Only 457 specific issue I've had is that I was all ready to upload my CV and letter for a gov job when I realised it was permanent and I wouldn't be eligible ( The biggest frustration has been agencies. They will NOT put you up for more than 1 job at a time, and in one case it took 3 weeks for the employer to come back and say a 2 month post had been filled internally (this keeps happening!!) - so it's a remarkably slow process. When one agency rang last week to ask how I was getting on I stupidly said I have an interview Monday (not through them), and she therefore won't put me forward for anything til I feed back on that interview!? So I'll keep completey shtumm on any other opportunities in the future. And Queensland Health, the opportunity that looked so promising back in my first week in early November? Thanks to some fake Tahitian prince stealing several million bucks, slim to no chance. And my contact has now left due to restructuring. Shame, as it was highly specialised work I'd love to continue with, and it really won't be an option unless we move to WA now ( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeka Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 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!!! A 457 visa shouldn't stop you from getting work with QLD government or any other company as it doesnt hold any restrictions. I would explain that your other half is sponsored but you don't require any form of sponsorship to work nor do you have any restrictions. Be mindful when completing applications on-line as they are often powered by systems which ask you about your visa - for example Taleo is a system some companies use to initially screen applicants - if you apply and a question is asked around your visa complete the section that say's you have PR (unless you have the opportunity to explain on the application form) - this justy may help you get to interview. If you tick 'requires sponsorship' then companies can legally reject you based on their policies and lack of funds to sponsor (hope this is making sense!). There are a few agencies that recruit for QLD government - each looking after different sectors/departments - Sarina Russo is one of them. When being interviewed by a recruitment agency I would say that you are looking for temporary work as this suits your family life.....yes, it maybe a blag but you just need a foot in the door and if temp work gives you this then fabbo.....also has great tax benefits !! Be prepared to travel !! There isn't a lot of work on the GC....Brisbane CBD is easy peasy to travel to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeka Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Hays recruitment agency is typically a 'finance' specialist - maybe worth making contacting your local branch in the UK in the first instance and then work with them to liaise with the office in Perth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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