PEDESTRIAN.TV has partnered with the Australian Government‘s jobactive website to make sure their ace job search site is on yo’ radar. There’s over 100,000 positions listed on the site – many of ’em entry level, casual and part time roles that can help you get your foot in the door. Every career’s gotta start somewhere, so get yours going by heading HERE.
If you’re one of the many good folk out there who didn’t spend their teens slaving away over a chip fryer, you might currently find yourself in a bit of an unemployment pickle. That’s chiefly due to applications calling for 1 / 2 / 3 / 20 / 1381238 years of relevant experience – relevant experience that, no matter how you spin it, is noticeably lacking from that damn-fine CV of yours.
Fret not, jobless human of the internet, ‘cos we’re going to help you get your foot in the door.
To do this, we chatted to the team behind the jobactive website (obvious authorities on all thangs employment) for their thoughts on what you can do to secure your first gig.
EXPECT TO LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS
“Don’t set out trying to achieve perfection first up,” says the jobactive website’s team. We’d like to echo this sentiment with a big ol’ AMEN.
“Everyone has to start somewhere. Except for a lucky few, your first job – and sometimes second and third jobs – aren’t going to be amazing, high paying and in exact alignment with your goals and aspirations. However, all jobs build your overall skill set and employability and will help you get to where you want to be in the long run.”
FOR EXAMPLE: Obama‘s first gig was in an ice cream shop. It ain’t exactly a space that you’d think fosters presidential potential, right?! Just ‘cos you’re stacking shelves at Woolies or flipping burgers at Maccas doesn’t mean you don’t have, what we’re sure will be, a booming career ahead of you.
Another thing y’all need to be realistic about is assessing your suitability for a role.
“If a job specifically asks for something like a forklift licence and you don’t have one, it won’t matter how good your resume is – you are not going to get the job.”
“You might have a good case for applying for jobs slightly outside of your skill set or experience level if you can demonstrate strengths in other areas. But, if you are just starting out it’s not likely you will be considered for a managerial role.”
GET OUT THERE & DO SOME STUFF
We’re sure you would’ve heard this one before, but it’s worth reiterating the value of participating in literally anything that reflects your competency for a role.
“Doing things like volunteering, joining clubs and participating in community activities can really help your resume stand out. Volunteering nowadays doesn’t just mean standing around with a bucket collecting money, there’s heaps more opportunities than that. Just do a google search for volunteering and your area and you’ll find lots to choose from.”
When actually applying for jobs, you’re going to have to put in the hard slog too.
“Sometimes you just have to pound the pavement. Walk around your local shopping centre and hand out your resume. Identify a company you want to work for and send them your resume and/or portfolio – whatever you think provides the most compelling evidence that their company needs you.”
GET CONNECTED WITH SOME CONNECTIONS
Here’s a lil’ slice of info you’ll probably find interesting:
“Research from the Department of Employment revealed about 1/3 of low-skill and entry level jobs are never even advertised. Increasing your social networks (online and in person) can help you tap into these opportunities.”
Yes, believe it or not but we’re strongly encouraging you to get all over your social channels like a rash (not that you aren’t already).
KNOW WHAT MAKES YOU EMPLOYABLE + WHO’S HIRING
You’d be surprised by what’s viewed as favourable qualities by employers, especially when they’re chasing folk entering the workforce.
“Employers generally care more about soft skills than technical skills when recruiting for entry level jobs. They want to know you have people skills, can communicate politely and effectively and that you are reliable. They want your personal grooming to be on point.”
“It’s often said technical skills are easy to teach, but soft skills are not.”
Also, if you’re a clever cookie and are thinking about your long-term employability (you go, Glen Coco), then suss out the Department of Employment’s Labour Market Information Portal (HERE). It gives a whole heap of breakdowns on what industry’s gonna be popping off / on the decline in the future.
The jobactive crew gave us the TL;DR version for those of y’all who don’t love themselves some data analysis:
- The Health Care and Social Assistance industry has the biggest projected growth to 2020.
- The Mining industry has the biggest decline projected to 2020.
- From a skills perspective, education is increasingly important.
- People with a Bachelor Degree or higher are, and will continue to be, highest in demand.
- If uni isn’t your thing, employers want to see you with a Certificate III at a minimum.
GET CLUED-IN BEFORE APPLYING
Wanna know a solid way to get your foot in the door? Ask someone’s who already has, y’all.
“If you know someone who already works in a similar job – have a chat to them about expectations. For example, if you’re going for a job at a café, don’t drop your resume off at peak lunchtime period when the employer doesn’t have time to meet you properly. Pick a time when they will be quiet and have time to chat (and remember how good your communication skills were).”
TO APPLY, OR NOT TO APPLY, THAT IS THE QUESTION
As we mentioned before, one of the biggest barriers to landing any given gig is the, ‘X number of years of experience required,’ stipulation laid out in a job’s description. In these instances, is it worth applying?
“This is a pickle. Very common feedback we get through jobactive from employers is how frustrating it is to wade through heaps of applications from people who aren’t qualified or don’t fit the selection criteria as outlined in a job advertisement. At the same time, when you are out of work you are told to go for every opportunity to try and get a job.”
“If you don’t have a year’s worth of experience, it could still be worthwhile to apply if you think you fit all or most of the other criteria attached to the job. This is where the strength of your application will serve you.”
We’ve gotta agree with the jobactive crew. There’s been plenty of hires made here at P.TV, for instance, of peeps who don’t (at face value, at least) meet experience requirements.
REVAMP YA RESUME
Now that you’re across what you can use to beef up your resume, how to tackle distributing and what industries you should be targeting it at, let’s chat about what should actually be in it.
“It is helpful to think of your resume as your sales pitch. You have about seven seconds to grab the interest of your potential employer. It is not enough to just list your skills – an employer wants to know what you can do with those skills.”
“Remember to ALWAYS tailor your resume and cover letter to the job you are applying for.”
“It’s also helpful to consider what NOT to include. Some immediate turnoffs to employers are:
- Spelling errors
- Poor grammar and punctuation
- Unprofessional email addresses (hotlegs88@gmail.com doesn’t cut it)
- Photos
- Bad formatting
- Resumes longer than two pages (this doesn’t mean changing your font to size 6 to fit more on the page)
- Non-standard fonts (Brush Script might be nice for your party invitations, but not suitable for your resume) – use Times New Roman or Arial to be safe and use an appropriate font size (normally size 12)”
There you have it, folks. With a bit of hard work, your journey to securing fruitful (initial) employment might be a lil’ bit easier.
In terms of next steps, we reckon you should head over to the jobactive website HERE. It draws job ads from job sites including CareerOne and Adzuna (which is around 100,000 posts ‘n counting), saving ya the hassle of jumping from site to site. Additionally, jobactive’s the home of Harvest Trail – a harvest job hunting tool that hosts positions year ’round across Australia. Heck, you can even plan a working vay-cay across the country using the tool.
GOOD LUCK, FAM.
Photo: The Hills.
