How long did it take you to get a job?

Gft_SG · February 2015

@wizardofOz tama yan bro. Ang lagi lang sinasabi sa akin ng mga pinoy dito persistence and faith. Every body would make their resumes as fit as possible, but only those who made it "most fit" will make it. If u are confident na "exactly fit" ka sa job reqts, ma shoshort list ka talaga. To be exactly fit, dapat you answered everything (skills, work experience and local exp if required). Dont stress too much about the local experience kasi marami naman naghahanap kahit walang experience locally. Kaya pag nakalAgay na sa job post local exp reqd, send ur resume but dont expect too much.

Hindi naman sobrang rami ang applicants dito(as compared to pinas). Hintay hintay lang talaga and be flexible rin. You may land in a diffferent field but u can really go back as long as the skill is there. I have a friend in sydney who worked in a call center for two years bago naka balik sa field nya sa IT.

I wish u all the best. I know how it feels and i have been there. Kaya i am telling u this, kasi looking back, i know i made these mistakes before and i want to share what i learned. U came to australia for a laid back life??? Then expect the procesd to be.. :-)

danyan2001us · February 2015

@danyan2001us ako po kasi ay nasi Power Generation industry - power plant engineer ako dito sa Pinas. May kakilala po kayong nandito nsa industry na ito na nakapasok na Pinoy?

I really pray that I could work in the same field when I will have my big move this year. Pero ready din ako sa mga casual jobs.

just pray hard bro...at saka tibay ng loob hehe buti nga kayo pr na kayo sa pagpuntanyo dito ..kami nga ni mrs way back 2010 student visa pathway namin..one time nag naiyk na si mrs dahil wala pa kami pareho work at saka mahal ng tuition nya...salamat sa Diyos at nakaraos din bro...anyway good luck at saka maybe kung cowboy ka hwg muna mamimili ng work habang mag uumpisa pa dito...ang mahalaga magkakaroon ka ng work para sa iyo at sa pamilya mo.....

gmad06 · February 2015

@Gft_SG batchmate! kumusta andito ka na rin pala sa Melbi...

Gft_SG · February 2015

@gmad06 oi kumusta?? May pa kami dito. Kumusta buhay dito??? Settled na?

moonwitchbleu · February 2015

Hi guys, share ko lang din sa inyo what my husband keeps telling me everytime na kinakabahan ako baka hindi maka hanap ng work. Sinasabi nya parati sa akin na the fact na tinawagan ka for an interview, it means shortlisted ka and yung skills mo ang kailangan nila sa company. Now it's up to you on how you sell yourself to the company and prove na what you declared in your CV are all true. Always keep in mind pag na iniinterview ka na pasok ka na, you just have to show them what you know.

I dont know how he does it pero he always impress me with his ability pag dating sa interview. Not to mention I was hired by his company too as a permanent home-based developer without undergoing series of technical interviews. cya na yata sumagot sa mga interview questions for me, kasi nung pumunta ako sa office nila i was already offered a job. Good luck to all the job seekers, have faith in Him alwasys coz He knows what is best for you and He already had it all planned before you even know what you want and need.

wizardofOz · February 2015

Thanks again bro, malaking tulong itong mga inputs mo.

Mabanggit ko lang din sa discussion natin, regarding pala sa “local experience”, will a company reject an applicant alone for not having a local experience?

Kasi before we became PRs in Oz, dumaan tayo sa qualification and work experience assessment which sa pagkakaintindi ko meant na comparable yung experiences and qualifications natin eventhough it was offshore… Sana maprotektahan tayo ng Labor organizations against sa ganyang classification which parang outright discrimination kasi sa mga newcomers…

Pero yun, although it is what it is right now and dapat mag-focus na lang at maging resilient na lang sa paghahanap ng trabaho, at the back of my mind sana ma-drive ito towards sa pagbabago someday

vhoythoy · February 2015

@Gft_SG thanks, what you shared were valuable inputs

Sakin naman I dont see the competition as deterrent sa gagawin kong paghanap ko ng work. Mas nakikita ko sya positively in the sense na mas paghahandaan ko ang pag-aapply...

For instance, ang thinking ko kasi is, I could make my CV as bullseye as possible to the Job being posted.. pero the bigger question is yung competition ko ba hindi naisip na gawing tailor-fit as possible din yung CV nya?

In other words, we're all in a level playing field and halos lahat pare-pareho ng strategy... Ano kayang "edge" yung pwede kong maipakita? Yun yung mas focus ko.

Its also true na kailangan maraming baon na lakas ng loob, diskarte, kaunting swerte, at maraming dasal.

for me, CV is only important to get employers attention and be invited for an interview. Pero ung interview talaga ang mag-dedetermine if ma hire ka ba or hindi or mas may edge ka sa ibang applicants or mas unique ka or fit ka sa role. During the interview, employer will decide based on lot of factors such as your personality, the way you carry and present yourself, if you will fit on the culture, etc. Basta ang goal lang for CV is to get shortlisted. The reason malaking bagay talga kapag nasa Australia na, kasi majority of employers wanted na makita at makausap tlaga ng personal ung applicant before sila magdecide.

gmad06 · February 2015

@gmad06 oi kumusta?? May pa kami dito. Kumusta buhay dito??? Settled na?

@Gft_SG,,since July last year pa din ako dito..ok nman hindi pa fully settled kasi currently naghahanap kami ng whole unit house to rent. nakikishare plang kami ngayon, cguro pagnakahanap na I can truly say fully settled na..hehe..saang suburb ka ba?

gmad06 · February 2015

I would agree to most of the forumers here..As always eto dapat baon mo as a migrant who is looking for job.. Pera - Patience - Perseverance - and Pera.

Don't be intimidated by "local experience" reqmnts..They won't say no to you if you don't have that, in most cases hindi ka lng ma prioritize.

Tackle each step one by one. Do your best to customize and fit each CV for each application. grab some keywords from ads and use it on your CV. Some recruiters run a software that will sort and match all the applications they receive. But beware not to overdo this because they will call reference persons and confirm your previous jobs. This is true for both offers I received. If ur called for an interview don't assume ikaw lng ang candidate. Prepare as much as you can like this is the only chance you will get. Research about the company, have a look at your interviewer from social sites, use that to bring smiles to your interviewers. Most important try to impress them by showing you could communicate properly and understand their questions- this is the key factor that will cancel out your lack of "local experience".

Those from SG, never expect the recruitment duration will be as fast as there. Sometimes i receive calls for interview after two months pa lng from date of application. So with this, you need buffer, PERA for survival.

Lastly, always ask guidance and confidence from The Lord.

goreo · February 2015

I arrived here in Sydney last Feb 8 and had a job at a warehouse in Belrose after 5 days. Minimum lang ang rate pero ok na kesa walang pumapasok na pera. Kung gusto nyo rin dito just PM me. 8:10am~4:10pm ang pasok M~F.
OT: naghahanap rin kami ng ka flat share. Sa chatswood kami. Ayaw nila dito ng may bata e, couple lang kaya nahihirapan kami.

Hi @jepoy527, galing naman nakahanap ka agad ng job.. 5 days lang! how did you do that? interested ako sa job mo sa warehouse kaso this july pa kami mag-move and also to sydney.. makahabol pa kaya ako?

and about house share, interested din kami..kaso nga lang sa july pa.. hehe sayans!

Gft_SG · February 2015

@wizardofOz hindi naman sila outright magrereject pero napaka slim talaga ng chance. Very straightforward lang sila mag sort ng resume dito. Pag wala ka noong hinihingi nila hindi kana ishoshortlist.

Hindi naman lahat ng opening nag rerequire ng local experience. Pag ganun eh hindi na sana kami nakahanap ng work. :-) Pray, lower your expectations, persevere and focus. H

Your skills assessment for migration wont have any bearing when you apply for a job here. In fact, they don't really care whether you have Phd, high school or whatever. What they care is your experience and skills.

Hindi mo talaga maiiwasan that you have to work twice as hard as compared to the locals to prove that you have what it takes to do the job. Isipin mo na lang that some engineering graduates here still work in retail for a year before they can get into a Graduate Engineer Program.

if you feel na yong local experience talaga ang bottle neck mo into landing a job in the industry you want, you can enroll sa tafe. I don't know sa ibang state, pero dito sa Victoria, pwede ka kumuha ng cert 4, wherein after 1.5 months of fulltime class,they will send you to have a 2 month apprenticeship in an industry of your choice. the tuition is 5k but if you are a PR nasa 700 lang. My wife, pursued this path. 2/10 are hired by the company after the apprenticeship. My wife, unfortunately wasnt hired kasi walang bakante but she was referred by the HR to another company where is now permanently working. Kaya its very important rin na magbaon ng pera, in case na pag walang pang trabaho, you can take some courses. maraming paraan. all the best

Gft_SG · February 2015

Those from SG, never expect the recruitment duration will be as fast as there. Sometimes i receive calls for interview after two months pa lng from date of application. So with this, you need buffer, PERA for survival.

Lastly, always ask guidance and confidence from The Lord.

This!!!!! inabot ng 2.5 mos ang buong process bago ako nakalipat dito sa bagong work ko. ahahahaha. Hindi talaga sila nagmamadali

jepoy527 · February 2015

@goreo swerte yun boss hindi galing, hehe! nagtrabaho na kasi dun yung pinsan ko kaya referral lang. pagdating ko nga dun pirma na lang agad ng employment contract. iba pala talaga pag referral dito, hehe! kaya nga maganda sana makausap mga pinoy pag nagsisimba kami dito baka mairefer nila tayo kaso parang suplado mga pinoy dito sa sydney...

nakow tagal mo pa pala, sayang... kailangan na namin makaalis dito sa pinsan ko nakakahiya na e.hehe!

wizardofOz · February 2015

@jepoy527 actually based on my experience mababait ang mga Pinoys sa Sydney.. sila yung unang bumabati or approach sakin kapag narerecognize nilang mukhang pinoy ako.

Ang mga suplado yung mga pinoy na turista, dont know why :-??

goreo · February 2015

@jepoy527 oo nga medyo matagal pa kami..hehe baka sakali laang..

pero parang agree ako kay @wizardofOz about sa mga pinoys sa sydney. Nung nag initial entry kami, mukha namang mga mababait and nag-smile back naman..
ang di talaga nagssmile e yung mga chinese ata..pero siguro kasi busy lang and pagod na..

brad if ever ha, pasok mo ako sa warehouse nyo

TIA! hehe!

kangarookoala · February 2015

@wizardofOz kasi tourista naka holiday mode.... Medyo defensive sa stranger danger. Hehehehee! Normal lng yan for tourists.

IslanderndCity · February 2015

Job hunting in Sydney = effort (resume, cover letters, interviews) + confidence + prayers

It takes a lot of effort to make sure employers will notice you. I applied for hundreds of jobs and went to a handful of interviews. You have to tailor-made your resume to your applications. You have to be early and prepared for your interviews (and sayang sa pamasahe if rejected T_T).

Confidence in proving you are suitable for the position and that you can exceed their expectations. It's a bit intimidating at first, pero practice makes perfect.

Prayers all the way. Amen.

It was pretty hard as I have a temporary visa and this would cause some employers to automatically turn me down. It was disheartening at first. But you have to keep fighting or else talo ka.

After three months, countless emails to and from Seek, and a number of rejections, I landed a job (Business Analyst) that I like and still currently hold.

@pororo congrats! IE din ako. is this "business analyst..." related to supply chain?

pororo · February 2015

@IslanderndCity Haha thanks. Three months din before I landed the job. Karamihan ata ng openings dito Business Analyst hahaha.

In my case, Logistics pa din naman kasi from a Logistics background ako sa Pinas. Pero naiba na yung role ko. Operations kasi ako datin sa Pinas, ngayon more on project and systems na.

Sa mga naencounter ko na IE Business Analyst, maraming data crunching. Meron din Business Analyst na process improvement.

Ano pala background mo and saan ka dito???

IslanderndCity · February 2015

@pororo sa supply chain and sa operations/production. sa south au ka din?

pororo · February 2015

@IslanderndCity Sydney. How's the market sa SA?

IslanderndCity · February 2015

@pororo mahina benta ;(

dominick · February 2015

Sirs, sa mga nasa Sydney area and looking for a job, baka meron sa inyo ang interested for a casual tax job in a small gel ice manufacturing company in Rydalmere NSW. 2 days/week lang muna ang trabaho pero promising na maging permanent. They need an all-rounder in the factory/warehouse. Easy job, hindi masyadong demanding, at kasama sa trabaho ang may-ari mismo nung company. Mabait siya at madaling kausap. And it pays really well. To quote him, "Money is not a problem." Sobrang kelangan nila ngayon ng worker. PM me for further details if interested.

jepoy527 · February 2015

@wizardofOz, @goreo sa akin kasi di nangyayari yan lalo na sa simbahan. di naman namamansin mga pinoy pagtapos magsimba at nagkukwentuhan sa tapat ng simbahan.

siguro dahil mukha akong korean/japanese kaya di ako pinapansin. haha!

@goreo sige boss PM mo lang ako pagdating mo dito walang prublema dyan.

kurzanne · February 2015

@rareking hi baka pede po pa email ng cv and cover letter format. thaaanks po. [email protected] $:\$ ">

ava_garde06 · March 2015

Finally, here is my story.

Please bear with me, it’s lengthy but this is how I think I can pay it forward to other new migrants seeking jobs.

It took me almost 2 weeks to get a job if I will just count it from my day of arrival here until the job offer. Pero kung isasama yun mga online applications while in Pinas, it will be around 4 months.

Siguro yun pagsisimula ko ng maaga pag aaply even outside pa is nakatulong. It helped me developed strategies like:
• review how effective my CV and Cover letter is to catch recruiter’s attention.
• Sandamukal na versionings, format, proof reading yun nagawa ko.
• Ilan blogs and career advice site na din napuntahan ko.
• I think the most effective is yun Human Voice in the workplace. Google it and read the articles. It can make you standout to the right employer you should belong.
• While in Pinas, I also tried buying skype credits to have an Oz number para mailagay ko sa CV and put in local address of my friend but that didn't work for me.

Upon arriving here, I treated job application a full time job. Diko namalayan I had already spent a day updating CV and cover letter. That's because I customize it every job application. Ang analysis daw kasi dun, treat every job requirement in that role as a pain of the employer. So in your CV, write on how you can cure that pain. That's how they'll pick you are the right person for the job.

Other than pala submitting CVs sa mga 3rd party site like seek or taleo, I will research the company and hiring manager of that job ad in linked in. Then email the HR directly. I followed up email if I do not get any response, good or bad, after a week.

Kahit din nasa bahay lang ako, I tried dressing up na pang office para lang ba inspired ako to work and write my CVs. Kumbaga naka in character

there will be a some instances I will cry because of frustration with the rejections kasi confident ako makukuha nila ako.

Meron kasi ako company na lakas ng confidence ko tatawagan ako after I wrote and polish my CV and CL for 2 days for them, binisita ko in advance yun location nila para familiar na kagad ako sa pag-travel dun. HR manager replied naman personally to me, rather than the rejection email template. It just proved me that reaching out to them thru other channels rather than in their ATS can get their attention. I just was not the right candidate for the job.

So while applying IT jobs, I tried searching for partime within the suburbs. I found an opening in gumtree for customer svc rep just 3 blcks away from our apartment. I said to myself, “yeah maybe I can do this while waiting for the IT jobs to come.” At least I’m still inside the office and in front of a computer.
Instead of submitting my CV via Gumtree to reply to that job ad, I walked over there. Unfortunately, the manager said they just hired someone earlier that morning. Made me sad I can't even score a part time work.

Bummed out, I don't want to go home away so I hang out muna dun sa malapit na park. Then I overheard the 2 Pinays chatting over their lunch in one of the park bench. I walked over and introduced myself. I am usually shy but timidness won't get me anywhere here. Turns out one of the Pinay is an accountant in a medium scale IT consulting company also within the suburb. She asked for my Linked in account and mentioned she'll refer me to their HR.

2hrs later that the same afternoon, I got an email from the Manager of the Customer Svc position ad from Gumtree. He mentioned he was kind of impressed with my effort in coming over there to inquire for the job but it was not partime and he needed someone fulltime. I replied I just lived across the highway and but I only can do a partime work since I am waiting for my IT job applications. Then he said, if I can come over for an interview the next day to discuss some agreement.

The following day, the interview went great. I felt I just wanted a bite of the pie, but I got a whole cake. I was just looking for a partime work with them, but the manager said they are in a verge of expansion for their company. After the manager saw my CV, he mentioned he can see some value in me to help out in their expansion of their e-commerce product from planning, budgeting, process improvement, trainings. They are looking to source out their customer service function to a call center Manila.  I can be part of that team that build that project. I started working with them last Monday.

My happy story could have stopped here, but one of my target IT companies I applied way back January called me for an interview that same day I started on my first job. HR said she remembered my persistent follow up on my application and reaching out to her personally. Since I am at this point of wanting to grab all opportunities, I took advantage of my first job’s flexi hour and went through the interview process of this 2nd job offer. Also, that company where the accountants whom I met in the park had also contacted me this same week.

So if last weekend, I was praying hard for a job, now I am praying to God to help me choose the right job for me.

So long story short, I just want to say, coming to live and work here is definitely NOT EASY. It does push you to your boundaries and comfort zone. But it is definitely worth it. It makes

As long as you focus on your goals, step up your game, pray hard and loud and NEVER lose faith, God will always lead you to the right place, right people and grant your prayers at the right time.

jepoy527 · March 2015

@ava_garde06 galing! congrats! sana tuloy-tuloy na ang swerte sa lahat sa atin dito.hehe

J_Oz · March 2015

@ava_garde06 nice story. Thanks for sharing. I wish you all the best. God bless your journey in OZ.

Jer 29:11

sprggn · March 2015

hello all.

thank you for these inspiring stories, tips and tricks regarding job hunting!

just arrived here today in sydney and planning to start job applications on wednesday.
i hope to land an engineering job asap, if not, maybe a part time job will do. hihihi.

good luck sating lahat mga mates!