What steps do I take to search for a job in Australia?
Every country’s job market is slightly individual, and if you’re trying to get a job in a state or territory of Australia, or if you’re trying to change jobs within Australia, there are certain steps you need to take. If you’ve been in your current job for a while, you may have a desire to move on to another position when the opportunity arises.
Implementing smart tactics that help you with your job search can make it feel less time-consuming and tedious, especially when you are juggling full-time work and other regular commitments. While it may be easy for some to use up their lunch break to look for another job, not having a proper strategy in mind can make job searching feel meaningless.
How often do Australians change jobs?
According to the Australian Institute of Business, Australians on average change jobs every 3.3 years. This varies depending on the age of the individual as people who are under the age of 25 tend to change jobs within 1 year and 8 months while those who are over 45, tend to stay for 6 years and 8 months.
The benefits of changing a job could potentially increase your salary, offer career advancements and can help build your professional network. It also gives you the opportunity to meet new people, experience different workplace cultures and management styles. However, it’s important to keep in mind that while it’s good to job hop every once in a while, changing positions too often could hurt your career prospects as some employers may look into your work history and assume that you have a time limit and aren’t committed to be in a position for the long haul.
Despite the facts mentioned above, if you’re physically and mentally prepared for your next shiny job opportunity, it’s encouraged you follow the tactics below to make your job search as smooth as possible.
What steps do I take to search for a job in Australia?
- Take time off from your job when searching for work.
- Have a focus on the skills and qualifications needed for the position.
- Set up job alerts to be sent via email and SMS.
- Put aside some hours during the week when job hunting.
- Know when the peak periods for job role competition are.
- Keep searching, even if you’re not sure about a specific job role.
1. Take time off from your job when searching for work.
A Forbes article mentions that taking time off when undertaking a job search is called a ‘Job Hunting Sabbatical’. When you have some annual leave saved up, it’s a good idea to take off work for a day or two and use it as time to focus on your job search. You can take the opportunity to update your resume, create tailored cover letters and ensure that every job application you submit is well-enough to be considered for a job interview. This is a good tactic to implement, especially if you’re working full-time and would rather not fill your weekends of scouring through the internet to find that new job opportunity.
2. Have a focus on the skills and qualifications needed for the position.
When it comes to developing a winning job search strategy, Hays Specialist Recruitment says that you must identify your ‘must haves’ in your next position. If you are after a role with more responsibilities, flexibility and a great workplace culture, this should refine your options when it comes to job hunting since these are specific to your own career needs.
Don’t be afraid to be picky when it comes to applying for your next position. The last thing you want is to land a job you hate, so learn as much as possible about your future employers and read each position description carefully before applying.
3. Set up job alerts to be sent via email and SMS.
The good thing about job search engines such as Seek, Indeed and Jora is that you are able to save any searches you make about specific job roles and have these sent via email on a regular basis. This is handy for those who don’t want to manually search everyday since you automatically receive daily alerts specific to the job titles you want and the location you’re based at, saving you time and hassle.
4. Put aside some hours during the week when job hunting.
If you don’t want to use any hours of your accrued leave when seeking a new opportunity, allocate some time during the week where you will commit to sending out job applications and/or updating your cover letter and resume. If you’re about to graduate from a course or simply want to leave your current position, you may need to dedicate a minimum of 8 hours per week to job hunting. If you have been recently unemployed, you can dedicate a maximum of 40 hours a week, treating job hunting as a full-time job in the meantime.
5. Know when the peak periods for job role competition are.
According to Business Insider Australia, the peak period where everyone starts job hunting is in January. Most people have changing jobs as one of their top resolutions for the new year, which explains the spike in numbers of people submitting job applications during the time period. However, since it’s after the Christmas holidays, most hiring managers may have extended leave, making competition for specific job titles high as there are less job postings available.
The best time to look for a new job in Australia is around Spring time since job postings are at its highest and there is less competition for work. This works well for those in the retail and hospitality sectors since most companies are looking into filling casual positions for Christmas around September. Furthermore, in the first quarter (July - October) of the financial year, hiring managers tend to have more flexibility when it comes to their budgets and are more likely to make new hires during this time period.
While there is a drop in hiring once summer kicks off, it’s still a great idea to keep job hunting since you’ll be competing with less people and are more likely to land a job interview. Some companies still want candidates to fill positions in December since it’s the perfect time to transition into a new role with plenty of time to train up new hires, attend Christmas parties and get to know new colleagues that could enable a smoother induction process.
6. Keep searching, even if you’re not sure about a specific job role.
If you’re ready for a career transition or simply want to do a new role in your existing industry, check out Upskilled’s ‘Your career’ section where you can explore industries such as accounting and finance, marketing, IT and management, learning more about what they have to offer for you.
Once you have selected the industry of your choice like Marketing, you will be able to see the job roles of Marketing Officer, Marketing Manager, etc. and view job growth predictions, salary expectations and key skills you need to be able to successfully do the role. If you find that you lack the study qualifications for the position you are after, start your course search here and enquire about our diplomas, certificates and short courses by speaking to one of our friendly education consultants.
Do you need to Upskill to find a job within Australia?
Following the tactics above can help you with your job search, however, there are other important factors to consider such as your goals, motivation and how much time you’re actually willing to put into job hunting. Just remember, no matter how determined you are with finding your next position, it’s also important to take time out and avoid job-search burn out.
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