It is never easy searching for a job from overseas. Here is a summary of some of the Pro's and Con's for overseas jobseekers in the Australian employment market place.
Things to be sure to do
- Do visit the various Australian job websites before deciding to emigrate to familiarise yourself with the job opportunities in your field.
- Do apply for your permanent residence visas. Very important. Prospective employers will ask about your immigration status and having your residence visas (or at least being in the application process) is a “prerequisite” for most Australian job vacancies.
- Do start applying for advertised job vacancies from oversea's, but only 1 to 12 weeks before a possible start date or a visit to Australia.
- Do send a cold letter of application and C.V. to every potential employer and recruitment agent in the region of Australia you intend settling in to let them know that you are available. Use www.yellowpages.com.au to locate details.
- Do prepare your C.V. in the Australian style and write a short but clear covering letter confirming that you have been granted permanent residence visas (or that you have been assessed as eligible and are in the visa application process).
- Do provide an Australian postal address and Australian mobile/email address in your C.V. where possible.
- Do visit Australia or arrive permanently (once your visas have been approved) to attend job interviews, as very few employers will engage candidates on a “sight unseen” basis.
- Do make a positive impression in the interview, be flexible and have copies of your residence visas and references available for employers to sight.
Things to be careful of doing
- Don’t apply for job vacancies OR visit Australia for job interviews more than 1 - 12 weeks away from a possible start date. Employers will not be interested.
- Don’t expect everything to work like home. Be flexible and willing to fit in with local ways of doing things.
- Don’t expect a job at the same level or higher than you had overseas. You may lack Australian local knowledge and may need to take a step back in order to advance later. Wait one year.
- Don’t expect the same salary or more than you had overseas. The cost of living and income tax rates are lower in Australia than many other western developed nations, so look at your net income not the gross amount
- Don’t expect a job offer in the first week. On average, it can take native Australians 1 – 8 weeks to find a new job.
- Don’t “over negotiate” the contract with your first employer. Be flexible and under-stand that employment law and contract terms may be different in Australia
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