Hard part done (supposedly) now for the real stuff!

[OfftoOz]

Hi all,

First post!

Firstly, this is a great forum and from the brief time I have spent reading through it it appears that there are many people in the same shoes as us which does indeed help!

My wife and two children have now obtained our PR visa after a fairly lengthily process but thankfully that is now out of the way.

We decided that we didn't want to eat through whatever savings we will have after we sell our house by going over and looking for work so we are looking for work from here hoping there would be interest.

Proving not so easy. Im in IT, specifically in general IT Management over many years and even though there seem to be a lot of jobs on Seek which I even appear to be over qualified for, I don't seem to be getting much response. I only started 3 weeks ago so Im assuming its still early days.

We have put our house on the market and are 'stamping in' in December.

Hopefully by next month when I apply for roles, I can say I will be there in a few weeks time and maybe people would be more willing to speak to me?

Im assuming employers would rather deal with people who are in their own time zone and easily accessible for interviews and not hampered by life decisions such as moving etc. but Im sure as most of you know, once you have made up your mind to leave, you would leave asap if you were given an opportunity. My company also has offices in Australia but they don't currently have opportunities open so Im waiting on that too whilst applying for others.

Good luck to all of you who are in the same boat as us!!

[w777]

Hey there, welcome to the forum

[OfftoOz]

So it took as a grand total of 1 week to sell our House!! Guess luck is definitely on our side on that part.

Still battling to get anyone to speak to me around job applications I apply for on Seek. Been just over a month now.

Is it really that hard to get a job from SA (or at least some interest?).

We are going to be in Sydney in December so hopefully someone will see me then.

[OubaasDik]

So it took as a grand total of 1 week to sell our House!! Guess luck is definitely on our side on that part.

Still battling to get anyone to speak to me around job applications I apply for on Seek. Been just over a month now.

Is it really that hard to get a job from SA (or at least some interest?).

We are going to be in Sydney in December so hopefully someone will see me then.

Not trying to be negative, but ..... as my grandmother used to say.

Yes, it is hard to get people to pay attention from so far .... think how many CV's come across someone's desk. Unless you are the perfect person for a job that they've been trying to fill for 6 months, I'm afraid it's just "too hard".

Being here should see a big jump in interest. Having said that December is usually a slow month here. Everyone is making ready for Xmas holidays - most businesses close between Xmas and New Year.

I'm sure someone will jump in and back me up on that.

Best of luck and well done in selling the house.

[OfftoOz]

Thanks for the feedback. Pretty much what Ive heard from others as well. I agree that its true its just that Im so scared to go over with no job and eat through our savings in dollars which could have potentially been a deposit on a house in a years time. We will set a deadline to when we will go without jobs but think will continue till at least March from here. We have to go either way in December to stamp in. Need some more luck!!

[OubaasDik]

At least 50% of the people on this forum had the same problem and felt what you are feeling now. It's quite normal. Frightening and not good for the nerves, but normal.

Remember that except for the tiny minority, we've all felt it.

Embrace the adventure, go commando (figuratively at least).

Edited October 25, 2012 by OubaasDik

[HansaPlease]

Hang in there, it is difficult to get even a response when you're not in the country, especially if you're in a field that's not a niche field with skill shortages.

Once you arrive I think it will be easier to get in front of agencies and potential employers. Your first job is the hardest to get, it does get easier with Aus experience and contacts.

Glad to hear the property fairy has smiled upon you, many people struggle to sell their houses...

Best of luck...

[OfftoOz]

Thanks all!

[HadEnoughofJuju]

Hey there OfftoOz

Congratulations on the PR and welcome to the forum. Selling your house in 1 week, I hope that happens for us to. Good luck with finding jobs before you go I hope it works.

[buzz]

Welcome! We are in the same boat where we've decided that - for the moment - we'll stay put in sunny SA until we can secure a decent job in Aus. If nothing happens in the next year, we’ll probably just move. At the moment my husband has connected with a few head hunters with whom he speaks on a regular basis. All of them had warned him that although the Australian job market is picking up again, it might take some time to find employment. At the moment it just makes more sense for us to stay here, save money and be able to afford a plane ticket should a potential employer wants to meet him. Some may say it’s wishful thinking, but I’m sure everything will happen when it’s supposed to. Good luck!!

[OfftoOz]

Thanks buzz, we are thinking the same way and doing the same but agree that it does seem like wishful thinking. Good luck to you too!

[AlBrough]

congratulations!

[Magic]

Finding a job in Oz can be quite difficult, and the requirements and expectations here are often quite different to SA.

A few hints: In SA they usually expect some generalisation within your "specialisation", and problem-solving is often sought after. Here they look for specialisation to a far greater extent, which South Africans might describe as "silo thinking", but in Australia this is often the norm.

This means you will probably have to tailor your CV accordingly. Read through the job ad carefully and make a list of all the specific qualities they are looking for. Write your CV from the point of view of what you did that made the company more profitable, better organized, improved staff relations, whatever - describe how you were of benefit to the company, using the word list you made from the ad, rather than simply naming your responsibilities.

This can be quite difficult to get your head around, so what you can do instead is write a cover letter using the key words/ qualities in the ad. Make sure that your CV coordinates with your cover letter by tweaking it, and always keep the focus on what the company is looking for - they want specialisation. Try to put some of the words from the list into your CV as well, but don't go for overkill.

Go through the same process with each job you apply for. Most job websites ask you to post your CV online, but opinion is divided as to whether this is a good idea or not. Recruiters and employers often have software that filters CVs.

Don't throw away any references, certificates of courses completed/attended, proof of any qualifications, etc. - you might have to go through a certification process in Australia, e.g. with the computer society, to prove that you have all the knowledge/qualifications you say you have. Keep everything that proves you worked somewhere and performed certain tasks satisfactorily, etc, even 10 years ago or more.

If all this sounds daunting, bear in mind that the ovewhelming majority of South Africans have found jobs here, many of them while they were still in SA.

Good luck!

[OfftoOz]

Thanks for the advice Magic!

[deroche]

Welcome to the forum.

[OfftoOz]

Just an update, so had my CV and cover letter professionally redone by nabthatjob, must say it was a pleasure dealing with Nadine!

Havent had much of a greater response to applications though. Will be meeting with some agencies and my company's office in Sydney when we are there next week.

Finalising our choice of movers, we met with Crown and Baileys, they will move our stuff into storage in the middle of January until we give them the go ahead to ship it out.

Have bought some new furniture items (mainly bedrooms and beds) and the race is now on to have it all in the house before the movers arrive so they can take it all into storage.

All thats left now is the elusive job!!

Hope something comes from the trip (our stamping in trip), that can lead to a job. Otherwise I guess I will be off on my own without the family in March or April and continue looking from there.

[HadEnoughofJuju]

@OfftoOz

This is the part I am most looking forward to, the actual move, I think the visa application and document gathering was the hardest, besides the waiting that is. Congratulations and good luck with the rest of the journey. you don't say though who you decided on to use for the move though.

[OfftoOz]

Should have the quote from Baileys today and will then decide.

[Smitte]

Hallo OfftoOz,

Just wanted to let you know that we are in the same boat, husband is in IT and doesn't get much respones from recruiters and we are also so scared that we eat up all our savings!!! So, just wanted to let you know that you are not alone!!

Best of luck

[OfftoOz]

Thanks Smitte, and good luck to you too!

[AlBrough]

Hallo OfftoOz,

Just wanted to let you know that we are in the same boat, husband is in IT and doesn't get much respones from recruiters and we are also so scared that we eat up all our savings!!! So, just wanted to let you know that you are not alone!!

Best of luck

I am in the same boat... I am just saving as hard as possible now so that I can try my hardest when I get there. I read a while back that if you don't have a job make your job hunt your job until you have one. Devote the 10hrs a day you would normally work to finding a job and the right one will come along. IT seems to get dismal response from overseas

[Jody]

Folks,

Dont give up trying...NOTHING is impossible. My husband also refused to come over without a job after we got our PR. (we didnt have money for a LSD). I was pretty much done with Africa and all I wanted to do was to fly out, so I started job hunting with a passion. I remember sending my husband's CV for at least 10 vacant positions on seek before breakfast every day...and 2 months later he had a telephone interview. We got more than what we have ever dreamt of.

The company paid for our move (with business class airline tickets) paid for our dogs, and gave us $10,000 reloction. They also set us up in hotels and a furnished house untill our stuff arrived (didnt take much, bought everything new). Thats not all. I started looking for a job after my husband managed to get a job. I was so suprised when I got a telephone interview for a administration job in Government...and two weeks later they phoned me to say that I got the job and that they will be waiting for me, as we only left South Africa two months later.

Needless to say we are not looking back. Australia and us are like oil on fire, it just work so well (we really lived below the breadline in South Africa). We have two paid off cars a house full of beautiful furniture and the kids have all the latest technology, and we have seen most of the AUS states. Looing back my husband said that we would have been OK, even if we came to Australia without jobs. I always did tell him....."A day in South Africa is a day wasted"....(for us anyway).

[Annelie Siemens]

Hi,

With regards to the job hunting, our friend, was without a job for 8 weeks. He spent 8 weeks applying for jobs, saw agents etc, and in week 9 all of a sudden everyone phoned him. Here they wait for the application period to be finished first(which isn't a week), the. Only do they match the cv's to the position(and you must use exact words on your cv as what they use on the ad, make it easy for them to match you with the ad).

So after weeks of panic and them thinking of moving up north to the mines etc, he got 7 interviews in one week, and could choose between offers.

So you might not get a response now, but in a couple of weeks you might. But yes it is easier I think to be here and be job hunting. As you can put on your cv avail immediately, which is a bonus.

Good luck with your decisions, it is a wonderful move.

[OfftoOz]

Thanks all,

Yup, part of my early morning routine, is log onto Seek, apply for jobs, file my automated canned decline emails from recruiters , and continue planning the move.

No question around decisions anymore, more about just stressing about it the closer the time comes to leave and making sure I have covered as much as possible!

So decided to go with Bayleys, they seemed to be more accurate around what would fit and not and somehow just had a better feeling around them even though they weren't as slick as Crown. Just waiting for them to reply on one or two emails for me.

All required furniture bought this weekend.

Now just to time things as well as possible around furniture arriving and moving out in January and then when to leave on my own if nothing arises in the next couple of months. Looks like I will probably leave early April.

We leave for our visa activation trip on Thursday, should have a better idea after the trip!

[OfftoOz]

Right, Activation trip, done, Resignation Done!, One way ticket for myself to go look for work, Done!

House gets packed up in two weeks time, then into storage.

Im off first week in March to find work, then find a place to rent, then have my wife and kids join me.

Most people I met with whilst in Sydney in December said I shouldn't have any issues finding work once Im there. Obviously there are no guarantees. Going to take the leap and hope for the best!

Scary but exciting, lots to do in the next 8 weeks!