Do you believe that any job in Australia will do?

If yes, then read on…

The most common advice I hear to new migrants is get ANY JOB to get started. Migrants themselves believe that getting a job at a lower level will get you a job quicker.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of negative information on forums about how to get a job in Australia. Migrants think that their best bet is to get a simple low level job (this is different to getting a temporary job to make survival money) The truth is that this approach fails more often than it succeeds.

I have coached a lot of skilled migrants who have been in Australia for months on end who tried to get a lower level job in their field with no results. This is the most common problem I see with skilled migrants in Australia. Let me tell you a specific story about Paul. Paul contacted me after 8 months of being out of work even though he has 10 years experience. He kept applying for really low level jobs even at graduate level. I asked what he had been doing to get a job and realised that he was aiming so low he was not going to get anywhere. He had the idea (that most skilled migrants have) that someone will feel sorry for him and give him a chance.

Companies do not want to hire experienced people for lesser positions. Hiring managers know that somebody with experience is going to leave a junior position and move on quickly. Imagine you are the hiring manager and you need to hire a junior person for a position. Would you hire someone with ten years experience for this role…of course not.

Getting back to Paul’s story, I helped him change his idea about his job hunt and aim only at jobs at his level of experience. He landed a job at his level of experience (which was also better paid) After eight months without work focussing on his true skills and professional abilities landed him a job in his field after 7 weeks.

I know what I am saying here will fly in the face of all the advice out there. In the ten years I have been coaching skilled migrants success comes from being who you are and targeting roles at your level of experience.

Here is my top tip to get a job faster in Australia-

Follow your true path. Its actually easier to get a job being your authentic self and focussing on jobs at your level. You have years of experience, if you underestimate the value of that how do you expect anybody else to value it?

The truth is, it’s actually much harder to get a junior position than one at your level of experience. The best results come from focussing and targeting the job you really want. You were daring enough to make the big move to Australia. Be daring enough to follow your true purpose!