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A New Job Hunting Tactic Which Landed Me A Job


Veronique

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So after weeks of applying for jobs with various recruitment agencies and receiving no follow up, and tired of hearing "we will contact you if something suitable arises"....I got 'gatvol'.

I found a job on SEEK which I was interested in, I called the agency and in a very sarcastic tone of voice asked "Do you discriminate against South Africans?", "no of course not" was the reply...."well I am of the impression that agencies and companies in Australia discriminate against us". Poor woman was so defensive and promised me they wouldn't. I then asked "Do you discrimate against people who have owned their own business?", "no of course not" was the reply once again...."well I owned my own businesses and I am tired of people telling me I am over qualified for the jobs I am applying for. If I want to downgrade, thats my perogative". Again she was very defensive and said I should send my CV to her which I did.

About two hours later one of her colleagues called me about the job I originally applied for and arranged an interview. I met with her and she set up an interview two days later with the company. I had the interview yesterday morning and two hours later was offered the job.

Now I am not sure if it was due to my questions and them trying to prove that they did not discriminate, or if they would have called me anyway. Who cares! I got the job :ilikeit:

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Congratulations!! at the end of the day its the fact that you got the job that matters!! :ilikeit:

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Haha, that'll show them. Good work! Congrats on the job, Snufflebunny 227 (I think that was it, wasn't it?) :lol:

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As an Ex Recruiter, I had a good chuckle!! You certainly got their attention - Congrats on the job!! :ilikeit:

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Haha, that'll show them. Good work! Congrats on the job, Snufflebunny 227 (I think that was it, wasn't it?) :lol:

Hahahaha! News24 comments if I remember correctly?

Whichever way, well done!!! I'll give it a try,maybe you're on to something here :ilikeit:

A

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Hehehe, I think I would be so nervous to do that, they will not believe me if I tried to sound sarcastic! heehee. That's brilliantly done, the poor recruitment agent, I guess she'll remember this for a long, long time !!

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Haha, that'll show them. Good work! Congrats on the job, Snufflebunny 227 (I think that was it, wasn't it?) :lol:

Yes its Snufflebunny 227! HA HA I forgot about that.

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:ilikeit: Well done!

I have been trying for months to find a job and have had the very same obstacles thrown at me! I have even been told that if my CV came with Ozzie experience I could pick which building I wanted to work in but since I have no such experience, well.... Discrimination for sure! I am definately going to have to try this!!!

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Hi Veronique,

I loved your attitude and getting the result you were looking for! :)

I just have a quick question. In SA I run my own company as well. Most people I have spoken to told me not to mention that on my CV.

Thus I have been applying as someone with no qualification, but just experience. Somehow I think this counts more against me than for me in Oz.

So my question is this: Have you found people not responding positive to the fact that you owned your own business?

Does it really seem a threat to them or is it just someone's opinion?

Any input from your side would be much appreciated.

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Hi Veronique,

I loved your attitude and getting the result you were looking for! :)

I just have a quick question. In SA I run my own company as well. Most people I have spoken to told me not to mention that on my CV.

Thus I have been applying as someone with no qualification, but just experience. Somehow I think this counts more against me than for me in Oz.

So my question is this: Have you found people not responding positive to the fact that you owned your own business?

Does it really seem a threat to them or is it just someone's opinion?

Any input from your side would be much appreciated.

Hi Aldo

It depends what position you are applying for. When I first arrived 4 years ago I included my business in my CV. I applied for a Real Estate Agent position and a Managerial position at a gym. I was offered both positions because of my business experience. I declined both due to the long working hours.

I have applied for many jobs over the years just in case the perfect role was out there. Some of the applications I noted I was an ex-business owner and others I stated I worked for the businesses I owned. The responses were varied; mostly there was no response, sometimes I was told I was over qualified, sometimes I just wasn't a match. I did feel however that stating I was an ex-business owner seemed like a threat.

For this particular position I added to my email that I was an ex-South African business owner with permanent residency status. I stated: 'As a small business owner I was very involved in all aspects of the business including the roles required for this position.' I then went on to explain those roles ensuring that it was a good match to the position description. I ended off by saying: 'For this reason I would hope my status as ex business owner would not hinder my chances of being placed in the position.'

Maybe other ex-business owners on the forum have a different opinion or experience.

Good luck Aldo, and never give up trying!

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