On The Hunt...

Being unemployed is great up until your cash starts to run out, then as every day goes by you start seeing dollar figures on everything. Thankfully my budgeting worked as I was able to survive on about $50/day in this bloody expensive country (not including accommodation which is on average $30/night). Nonetheless once I got back to Melbourne at the start of January I realized that I needed to start looking for a job as my cash was starting to dry up. So the hunt began...

As a traveller, your best bet on getting a job is mostly through employment agencies or in the hospitality industry. I decided to go the hard route and apply directly with companies (through seek.com.au) for higher positions than your typical backpacker jobs. This was definitely a harder route to take, and one that was making me a little bitter as well. Being here on a working holidaymaker visa limits you to 6 months with any employer. This limitation as well as a lot of bad apples out there have closed the doors to many of the better jobs. The agency that assists me down here has job listings but many are waiter, kitchen hand, and barista jobs that don’t necessarily pay well. Every day I would get calls from employers about jobs I had applied for, but as soon as my accent came out the question: “What’s your situation?” would come up, and then a prompt rejection from the job. I also got TONS of rejection letters through e-mail.

The best way I can sum up my view of job hunting, is like going to a nightclub. Obviously I want to hit on all the hottest girls (best jobs) first, but they’re also the ones with the most guys hitting on them (choice of candidates). As the night goes on, if I’m unsuccessful, I’ll start hitting on the more regular girls (reg. jobs). If things get REALLY bad, well... there’s always that ONE girl who will go home with anybody (think fast food!). But you wouldn’t want to be caught going after her now would you...

It's all part of the game...

The key to being successful is persistence. Now nobody likes to strike out... but if you never swing for the ball you’ll never hit it. If you just stand there and hope to be walked onto base, you’ll never get anywhere good. Thankfully my persistence and confidence payed off with an interview invitation, where like a boss I was confident and smooth about my skills and experience.

Many of my friends here have found work in restaurants and cafes quite easily. If you put yourself out there and visit every restaurant and confidently talk with the manager, you just might score yourself a try. This is usually a one hour session where you’re given a shot to prove yourself, because c’mon really what would a boardroom interview accomplish in a job where more practical skills are involved. Just don’t act a fool and say you’re something you’re not...like a bartender or barista, you WILL get busted at some point if not on your try, when you screw up your customer’s martini or espresso.

While you’re out here in Australia, the key to getting a great job is to remain confident and to not get bitter after all the rejections you’ll get. I did manage to remain cool and confident in myself and therefore managed to score an amazing job. I also kept my cool in the interview, but I can tell you that I was shaky beforehand.  I now have an amazing opportunity to add international experience on my resume