[saaron]

Hello all,
I want to discuss my situation with you guys and am looking for suggestions from you. I have been in OZ for a couple of weeks now, came on 175 visa. By profession I am a software engineer. I am still searching for a full time job in my profession but in the mean time I wanted to take up some casual work so that I can pay my rent etc.
So far I haven't had any luck. Where ever I drop my resume for a temp job, they immediately turn it down stating you are not qualified for this job and some say you are overqualified for this job.
I am in such a dilemma right now. Please suggest how should I tailor my resume so that it doesn't portray my engineering career. Should I put in false information about having worked at convenience stores back home? If so, how will I explain my 175 visa then? As nobody gets a 175 by working in a convenience store.
Please help, especially those who have been through similar situation.

 

[Maz25]

Employers only check that you have the right to live and work legally in the country - they do not bother with details on how you got your visa.

I think the issue you have is that you are competing with students and backpackers for part time work. That said, it's not impossible to find a part time job, especially if you are not fussy and pretty much willing to do any sort of work.

Have you registered with any recruitment agencies? Some agencies specialise in temp positions and they may be better placed to help you. If you register with an agency, do make sure that you regularly follow up.

Try also looking for full time/ part-time/ temp positions in other fields - work that actually requires you to have certain key skills that a student would not necessarily have. For e.g. you could try finding work in a call centre, as a delivery driver (if you have your license), etc.

Have a look on Gum tree as sometimes there are jobs advertised there. You can also put an ad on there to advertise the fact that you are available for part time work.

Sometimes, if you do volunteer work and you work well, a paid position may come out of it.

 

[naoto]

Agree with Maz, employers don't even remotely care about your visa class/subclass as long as you have the right to legally work for them they are happy. One thing you need to note, in Australia employers value their employees, few will employ a qualified person for a job in supermarket! They are simply overqualified for that role and will never be happy, they will leave in couple of months...
Look for a job within your qualification framework, dont be too fussy about location or pay. After you get your first "break" it become much easier afterwards.

 

[kaz101]

A friend told me to get my resume updated for the roles that I was going for. I paid $5 on fiverr to have my resume updated for call centre / telemarketing roles and it worked. Citizenship info was removed as was anything over about 7 years ago unless it was relevant to my roles.

I had been turned down for so many casual jobs that I had lost count!

For call centre work from home try Unity 4 - unfortunately I couldn't keep my sales rates up high enough for them but they pay by the hour and not on commission.

Cheers,
Karen

 

[saaron]

Thanks all for your valuable info especially kaz101. I'll definitely try Unity 4.