Any tips for me? Still cant get any work :(

It's a tough enough market out there at the moment in fairness - you're not alone. I know quite a few people here in Sydney who have been looking for quite a while for work and can't get anything.

When you see Westpac/ANZ laying off thousands of people you know everything isn't completely rosy. Even the constant sales in the shops and the news reports about how slow retail is - it's all having an effect on both permanent and casual jobs.

Try for bar work in the valley or some of the catering companies, d2d is a dead duck this time of year, and retail will be slack until easter, bar staff come and go pretty quickly so with an rsa in your back pocket you hould get something lined up quicksmart to get some dough comin in, try cloudland if you can schmooze and talk sh1t, you've a good chance

Propane Nightmare wrote: »

Hey, ive been here in Oz for nearly a month now. Have applied in close to 50 stores/business's etc id say by now, but only have got 1 call back so far for a job interview.

Funds are starting to run low, and I really dont fancy heading home yet

Im in the Brisbane area and just cant seem to get anything. Im a hard-working guy with experience, and made up a good CV. Its casual work im after (D2D, Sales, retail etc.)

Any ideas what I might be doing wrong?

Is it unusual for one to come over here and not get work and have to head back home because of it? Id honestly be crushed inside if I have to leave without getting work.

My two house mates did sales for a bit (In Melbourne) and apparently there is a good bit of work in that area down here if you ever decided to come down. The downside is that its mostly all commission!

But no, your not alone mate - lots of people have to go home early. In fact our house mates probably would have had to leave if we hadn't of gotten them work at the restaurant we work in.

Anyone you know that can give you a dig out or can put a word in where they work?

zweton wrote: »

A sign of things to come?

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/anz-cuts-substantial-number-of-jobs-in-melbourne/story-fn7j19iv-1226269646858

The big 4 banks have been in cost cutting mode for a while now. Most of them have had hiring freezes since last winter, I was in process of being offered a job with one of them last august when management stopped all new contractor/consultant hires. They only offer perm jobs to people with PR/citizenship as well so it's a right pain for me at mo as most of my work comes from these 4 banks.

It must be hard for sacked staff to take when employer is making record profits but cutting 1000s of jobs, you'd wonder how much of it is really nessecary and how much is it just management taking oppurtunity to cut costs and bump profits while they can use GFC as excuse....

woolymammoth wrote: »

There's a ton of opportunity, you just have to make yourself uncomfortable and take it.

How do you mean? In fairness, I agree somewhat - no one is 'entitled' to a job here, you have to put in the groundwork.

However, not everyone can just up and leave where they are just to jump at a random job in a random place - maybe they are living with a partner etc or any other number of reasons. Life isn't that simple.

woolymammoth wrote: »

then don't visit another country on a working holiday visa. Life is never simple, but there are options.

That's not really fair IMO - everyone has certain parameters they have to/want to live within - being on a WHV doesn't mean you discard those.

woolymammoth wrote: »

it's my feeling from what i see and read that the retail industry is struggling. So I'm not surprised working holiday makers are having a tough time finding a bit of work in that sector. So yes, no one is entitled to a job, but you are entitled to a chance at working, and there are jobs across the country, and you should get out of the comfort zone and travel for a job.

I broadly agree with you but what I mean is that everyone's situation is different and there may be reasons that you can't be free to travel. For example - if you've travelled across the world with a partner then I don't think you'd want to just leave them in one city while you go set up a life elsewhere.

Anyway, I know I've dragged us onto a tangent now that's unrelated to the OP's situation so I'll stop!

I found getting a job really tough in Brisbane too, that was with 6 months work in Sydney behind me, and in the good times. Was literally on my last few pennies and went fruit picking for three months (not for visa reasons), had a bloody ball and funded 3 months travel. PM me if you want some details.

Here's another suggestion. Most backpackers are now heading north chasing the sun (whatever there is of it) so if you really want work, head south!

Melbourne and Sydney have been hit with some shocking bad weather recently so there is some vacancies in traditional backpacker roles like bars, temping etc.

And FYI, about 1 in every 4 Irish backpacker emigrants I've met tend to be a bunch a users and complainers about not being able to get work when they are going from hostel/my couch to the beach/bar and absolutely no further. It's a sad fact that many come over here with not enough cash expecting to land a job straight away and when, shock horror, they can't, expect to be able to rely upon other Irish that they barely know to "giz a lend of a score/tonne, I'll pay ya back when I get work."

Really pisses me off when these are the very people who spent a month touring drinking their way through Asia before landing here.

Batgurl wrote: »

Here's another suggestion. Most backpackers are now heading north chasing the sun (whatever there is of it) so if you really want work, head south!

Melbourne and Sydney have been hit with some shocking bad weather recently so there is some vacancies in traditional backpacker roles like bars, temping etc.

And FYI, about 1 in every 4 Irish backpacker emigrants Tourists I've met tend to be a bunch a users and complainers about not being able to get work when they are going from hostel/my couch to the beach/bar and absolutely no further. It's a sad fact that many come over here with not enough cash expecting to land a job straight away and when, shock horror, they can't, expect to be able to rely upon other Irish that they barely know to "giz a lend of a score/tonne, I'll pay ya back when I get work."

Really pisses me off when these are the very people who spent a month touring drinking their way through Asia before landing here.

FYP

Not at all, I had a great time on my way over here doing America. But then again I worked hard to save for my travels and budgeted my money well and realised the limitations of my visa and finances. Unlike most people, I didn't piss all my money on an inflatable tube up a river or against the wall in whatever ****ty Irish bar I could find, only to land in Australia and have to rely on people who are a friend of a friend at best to bail me out because I didn't realise that Australia is not the land of golden footpaths.

Call me jealous all you want, I will direct you to the pair of twats on my couch who have been there almost a month because they cant afford a bond to move out and don't like the hostel scene. :eek:

While common sense dictates that I should, common courtesy (towards other housemates who's "mates" they are) leads me not to.

Don't get me wrong, I've tried. The old "but sure they've no where else to go until they get enough money saved up for a bond" has been bounded about. Here's a novel idea, stop going Tea Gardens & Cock n Bull every Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun and you mite just get enough money together for a bond???

Sorry OP, I've gone totally off topic. Advice is: work harder, be prepared to move/commute, network...and if all that fails, you probably know my housemates so I'll no doubt see you on my couch shortly... :P

http://www.davidmcwilliams.ie/2012/01/11/tremors-from-australias-crash-will-reach-our-shores

He wrote this article on Oz recently. It's interesting and informative. He could be spot on. The Australian banks don't have as much cash from the Chinese buying mine resources, thus they are raising interest rates and sacking workers to balance the books.
China is clearly exposed. They are in Europe this week in talks with various governments and they were in the US recently as well.
Everybody is connected now with this globalised world. We're like a boat on the sea, up and down together on the waves.
The OZ economy just like Ireland was is becoming uncompetitive. It's currency is overvalued. It could happen that the currency will be devalued down the line.

Mod Guys back on track please, let's help the OP, rather than bickering

Hi OP

Just wanted to let you know that 10 resumes a day isn't exactly whoring yourself out.

Depending on what you are looking for (and you have said that you are not being picky) I would say that 10 applications a day is the minimum someone who is serious about getting a job should be doing.

You are looking for advice on how to get work. There is no magic formula. You just need to put yourself out there and hope somebody bites.

At the end of the day, competition is fierce and while you may tailor your resume to the position perfectly and look great, your one issue is that you are ON A WHV!!! The only way you can overcome this when applying for jobs is by sending as many as possible and hope that someone needs the staff urgently so as to not have the time to wait around for an applicant with PR.

Charlie Haughy wrote: »

....

Ok i'm a bit late back to the party, but Charlie Haughy, seriously? And ever heard of F3? Or such a thing as truth and tough love? If someone cannot accept the hard truth, don't ask for it. It gets on my nut when fools like you come on and try to lambast me for having a very negative outlook. I have a very realistic outlook. And i have it because I've been in the position of searching very hard for jobs that are simply very scarce. I've spent endless weeks looking for all kinds of labouring watching my savings dwindle. I've spent time in the blistering heat laying concrete for nothing, so i do know exactly what it's like, and it's not fun. You haven't made a single valuable contribution to the thread, positive, negative or indifferent, except bagging me for being honest. It's very clear to me from the OPs response to my implying questions that he's tried incredibly hard to find work, but he hasn't tried everything. I'm merely trying to encourage a point of view I believe he already knew when he created the thread. What he does at the end of the day is up to him though.

6ix wrote: »

That's not really fair IMO - everyone has certain parameters they have to/want to live within - being on a WHV doesn't mean you discard those.

I broadly agree with you but what I mean is that everyone's situation is different and there may be reasons that you can't be free to travel. For example - if you've travelled across the world with a partner then I don't think you'd want to just leave them in one city while you go set up a life elsewhere.

Well, imo, you kind of do have to adjust the parameters you want to live with if you're on a WHV. Yes, everyone does have a different situation. But the simple fact is, a WHV is a WHV, and people ought to know the limitations it has before getting it. If people were really intent on coming out to make a life here, they'd apply for a different visa, or, they'd be off getting some regional work to apply for a 2nd WHV, not waiting around for retail jobs that might never appear in the middle of one city. Plus, if you've really travelled the world with a partner, then you're gonna be more world wise the possible difficulties, and be better adapted to travelling a little further.

I hate to be a downer sometimes, but I don't believe in sugar coating this stuff so as not to hurt peoples feelings! So what I say may sound harsh, but i'd rather see people well informed so they don't ruin themselves. What do you tell someone, for example, who's come over on a WHV, with say 5,000 euro in the bank, and tries quite hard to get a particular kind of job, in an environment where they're scarce, and cost of living is high, and they don't try outside 50km of that location, for 6 months? Can you answer that? I can, you tell them the truth before they're there for 6 months, before they've spent their savings on accomodation and food. Is it expensive to travel? Yes. Is it expensive to stay in the city and not work? yes.

I know the mods have said no bickering, and i hope this all doesn't read that way. Just telling it like I see it. Without meaning to be sarcastic, what do i know about the aussie economy anyway? Nothing. I look at what's going on around me and I form my opinions on that. And if you look just at figures, Australia says it created what, 46,000 jobs last month? That despite all the reported job losses, unemployment actually fell!!! So my argument is pretty much either sh!te or well justified who can really tell.

OP, Tip #2 before i leave this thread altogether; Make your own luck. Don't take anything i've said to heart, but keep it in mind. That is all.