Is it hard to get professional work and start your career in Australia? The short answer is yes but the long answer is no – it’s not too hard to get professional work in Australia.

Getting professional work in Australia just takes patience, commitment and an understanding of what Australian employers are looking for.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a local candidate, and international graduate or a skilled migrant who has just arrived. Getting professional work in Australia isn’t straightforward. But everyone has the potential and ability to find professional employment in Australia – including you!
elementary school teacher helping student in classroom
There are a couple of things that you need to get right to improve your chances of getting professional work in Australia. Here are some of the key elements you need to consider when preparing for work in Australia:

  • Am I qualified for the role?
  • Are my communication skills strong enough to write good job applications and perform well in interviews?
  • Do I have relevant experience (technical and soft skills)?
  • Do I have good references?
  • Will my cover letter and resume lead me to an interview?
  • Have I got good networks to find jobs in the hidden job market?
  • Do I have the right personality and attitude to succeed?
  • Do I hold the right working visa or permanent residency?

It took me a while to get professional work in Australia.

Did I submit over 100 applications for just two job interviews? I was well and truly over rejection letters! It took me nearly eight months to get my first ‘professional’ job in Australia after finishing my degree.
At that time, I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t start my professional career in Australia. I was qualified, I had excellent retail experience and I was a private school scholarship student yet nobody wanted me! I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Light bulb moment: my resume and cover letter needed work.

One day after receiving yet another email rejection I had a light bulb moment. I thought “I’m not getting job interviews because my resume and cover letter aren’t telling the selection panel what they want to hear. I’m not getting their attention.” I was competing with hundreds of other Commerce graduates and so I needed to make my application stand out.

So what did I do?

I went to work on my cover letter and resume. I researched, studied and worked for hours and days on perfecting my cover letter and resume.

What was the result? Did my new cover letter and resume work?

You bet it did! Instead of receiving rejection emails, I received phone calls for job interviews. Then came the next hurdle! Preparing for interviews (I’ll save that topic for another blog!)

Final thoughts on how you get professional work in Australia.

If you keep getting rejected don’t feel disheartened. Something isn’t working and you need to make changes to your cover letter and resume.

Don’t keep sending the same cover letter and resume if you aren’t being called for interviews. You need to change it up when looking to start your career in Australia. Look at the structure and look at the key messages and selling points about you – in relation to what they want.

There’s a famous saying – If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. If you aren’t getting interviews then it appears your resume and cover letter is ‘broken’ and needs fixing!

If you need some help writing your resume, contact us today! We’d love to help you improve your resume and cover letter.