Job Hunting for Dummies: Australian and New Zealand Edition

Australian edition

On Friday an article published in the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) confirmed a rise in job vacancies in the regions referred to as the mining states: Queensland and Western Australia; and highlighted significant competition for job vacancies in New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria.

“In NSW…there were 4.1 unemployed people for each vacancy…in Victoria the figure was 3.6 unemployed people for each vacancy.” “In Western Australia, there are just 1.6 unemployed people for every vacant job, down from 1.9 in May.” Here is the full SMH article: NSW job seekers battling for limited openings.

How long does it take to find work in Sydney?

When we planned our move from London to Sydney (NSW) we didn’t have jobs to come to. Mr Mum’s gone 2 Aus is the main earner in our family so finding work for him as soon as we arrived was a priority. We talked to Australian friends and recruitment agents and calculated that three months was the maximum amount of time it would take to find work. We optimistically thought it would be much quicker but planned our move with savings to cover three months living expenses once we’d paid for the big expenses like our property rental bond and critical furniture.

Mr Mum’s gone 2 Aus works in I.T. in the financial sector; the reality for us was that he got his first pay cheque 3.5 months after we arrived. We weren’t sure how we were going to survive another month so waiting for confirmation of his final job offer and start date was stressful.

The length of time people take to find work in Sydney and elsewhere in Australia depends on where you live, what line of work you’re in and how flexible you’re willing to be about the employment you take.

When asked how long to budget for when moving to Australia without work we tell people that the worst case scenario might be six months, realistically it is three – four months and you’ve done well if you get your first pay cheque before that. Do you agree? How was the job search in Australia for you and \ or your other half?

The interview process and the timing of your move

When searching for work in Australia we found the interview process to be long. Mr Mum’s gone 2 Aus had two telephone interviews, two face to face interviews and completed a psychometric test before receiving a job offer; there was plenty of waiting around between each step. It didn’t help that we arrived in Sydney in January and had the holiday season to contend with. In When is the best time of year to move to Australia? we talk about why we feel we didn’t pick the best time of year to arrive down under.

In our case, moving from London to Sydney, we found the interview process and red tape between initial referral and the final job offer to be longer than we were used to. What was the interview process like for you?

Articles to help with your Australian job search

The SMH article highlights how tough it is becoming for people looking for work in New South Wales and Victoria, but provides positive news for those considering the move to Queensland and Western Australia.

If you’re planning your move or have just arrived in Australia and are looking for work, we’ve published a number of articles that will help your Australian job search;

Please share your job search tips and experiences below, especially if you think you can help other readers during this stressful time. Thank you.

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