Hello from a CT - SYD hopeful

[Muzz]

I've been a lurker on these forums for a while now so I thought I would introduce myself.

 

I made the decision last year to pursue a move to Aus, Sydney preferably since I've visited before and loved it. Plus I have some friends there. I'm a senior digital designer in Cape Town and as much as I love a lot about this place, it's a tiny bubble. Now is a good time for me to go. No wife, no kids, I can pack up and leave in 30 days, if only it was that easy.

 

Because every Tom, Dick and Harry is designing websites these days, the market is flooded in Aus with designers, despite my ten years of experience and a great portfolio, I don't have the option of applying for a 189 or 190 (unless I want to live in Adelaide). I've redone my CV in to the Aussie format, fixed up my portfolio and been in touch with recruiters. One needs lots of patience, the majority of companies will not get back to you at all, especially since I'll need a 457. But I'm staying positive, applying to positions every day and trying to grow my network.

 

Anyway, that's my 2c. I expect these forums to get even busier now that Zuma is shaking up his cabinet and tanking the Rand.

 

PS. If anyone would can check out my CV, see if it's up to scratch, format wise, send me a PM.

Edited December 11, 2015 by Muzz

[Mara]

Hi Matt

I cannot give any visa advice, but just wanted to welcome you to the forum.

 

[AFreshStart]

Hi Muzz,

 

I feel you! I've over a decade of experience in web design and development, my clients included Mweb, iAfrica, Kalahari.com, Wine-of-the-Month Club as their senior web designer and a host of other agency work with clients like BMW, Daimler-Chrysler, Bosch etc.

 

I've been out of the market for a while with having kids and spent the last year settling our family in Sydney and now looking for work in that field and have experience similar experiences. I have applied for 10+ jobs, heard back from 3, two of which filled the post already and the other who shared I wasn't the right fit, presumably because I have no 'local' experience and was asking too high a salary.

 

Sadly here creatives aren't paid as well as the equivelant position back in South Africa and jobs are a plenty in Sydney, but you only have to look at the applications to see how many are submitting their candidacy. A junior position at Ogilvy attracted over 200 applications for example, and presumably they are Aus citizens or like me have the ability to work locally.

 

I'm seriously considering doing my diploma in business with a on-line marketing focus next year because there are more opportunities and I've friends that have landed jobs from South Africa with these qualifications or focus on niche areas like rendering and architectural modeling etc.

 

My best advice is to avoid using recruiters, use LinkedIn to build a network and look for jobs with companies and agencies that have in house talent agents, you are more likely to receive a response.

 

All the best with the search.

 

Cheers

 

Matt

[Muzz]

On 12/12/2015 at 7:54 AM, AFreshStart said:

Hi Muzz,

 

I feel you! I've over a decade of experience in web design and development, my clients included Mweb, iAfrica, Kalahari.com, Wine-of-the-Month Club as their senior web designer and a host of other agency work with clients like BMW, Daimler-Chrysler, Bosch etc.

 

I've been out of the market for a while with having kids and spent the last year settling our family in Sydney and now looking for work in that field and have experience similar experiences. I have applied for 10+ jobs, heard back from 3, two of which filled the post already and the other who shared I wasn't the right fit, presumably because I have no 'local' experience and was asking too high a salary.

 

Sadly here creatives aren't paid as well as the equivelant position back in South Africa and jobs are a plenty in Sydney, but you only have to look at the applications to see how many are submitting their candidacy. A junior position at Ogilvy attracted over 200 applications for example, and presumably they are Aus citizens or like me have the ability to work locally.

 

I'm seriously considering doing my diploma in business with a on-line marketing focus next year because there are more opportunities and I've friends that have landed jobs from South Africa with these qualifications or focus on niche areas like rendering and architectural modeling etc.

 

My best advice is to avoid using recruiters, use LinkedIn to build a network and look for jobs with companies and agencies that have in house talent agents, you are more likely to receive a response.

 

All the best with the search.

 

Cheers

 

Matt

Hey Matt,

 

Thanks for your insights. We've actually met once before at Jason's Bakery in CT, before you moved to Sydney.

 

I found the salaries to be competitive, but like you say, the amount of applicants far outweighs the available positions and without PR, I'll be right at the bottom. 

 

Will keep growing the network and send the portfolio around though. I hope you find something too.

[AFreshStart]

Hey Muzz,

 

Good memory and small world! I've just accepted your LinkedIn request and we share many of the Cape Town's creative gang/stalwarts as friends/connections.

 

Have you looked at the costs of living in Sydney? It's MUCH easier being single, but it's still ghastly expensive. What I meant by salaries is check what they are comparitive to what they buy, the best equation we have found is to take your annual ZAR salary, divide it by 5 and that's what you need in AUS to survive in Sydney.

 

And when I say Sydney, I mean Sydney, Sydney, creative hot spots like Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Chippendale or Ultimo where many/most agencies are and over the North Shore, Crows Nest like Ogilvy.

 

I'm one of the few here that live in the city, many commute in an hour each way, but you know the hours of creatives, networking, late nights and so we choose to live in the thick of it so to speak, it's close for my wife as well, who can be at the office in 8-10 mins by bus and great schools for the kids.

 

Keep growing your network, look on e-lance for freelance work for AUS clients and start growing it, get more recommendations or endorsements on LinkedIn and keep working at it.

 

All the best!

 

Matt

 

[Muzz]

I actually have a spreadsheet (I love spreadsheets), which has average rentals in different areas plus other living costs, so I like to think I've done my homework. At the top-end I have Surry Hills and then worked down from that. Personally I think getting myself into an agency is going to be tough, considering for the last 7 year I've been freelancing (for some agencies though) and currently hoped over to client side.

 

Thanks for reminding me about e-lance. I've got some work from there before, it could be a good opportunity for networking and getting some work in the meantime.

[KnoxFamily]

Hey Guys,

 

Not sure if you know the corporate Sage. http://www.sagesoftware.com.au/sage-contact-us/   . All their marketing and web solutions are done in house. 

 

For my husband I have dropped the recruiter thing. I look up the industry giants and some small guys. Hit the website and check if they have a careers tab. If they do I create a profile and check for jobs. I have had more response from them, than I have had using seek and recruiters

 

 

[AFreshStart]

22 hours ago, KnoxFamily said:

Hey Guys,

 

Not sure if you know the corporate Sage. http://www.sagesoftware.com.au/sage-contact-us/   . All their marketing and web solutions are done in house. 

 

For my husband I have dropped the recruiter thing. I look up the industry giants and some small guys. Hit the website and check if they have a careers tab. If they do I create a profile and check for jobs. I have had more response from them, than I have had using seek and recruiters

 

 

 

Done the same, just today I found the contact person who is overseeing a post and shot them a direct mail to introduce myself and ask a few questions before submitting my CV and it least it gets you on their radar and don't forget to thank them for their time.

 

Cheers

 

Matt

[Muzz]

Yeah it seems the recruiters are flooded with hopefuls. I also want to try contact companies directly, however that takes a bit more work in order to track down contact details of someone in the company, etc. But you've gotta exhaust all options, especially when you don't have PR.

[RYLC]

I'm in the accounting field and thought you should know that Sage Software is not a well known name in Australia (their dominant market is the UK).  Their Handisoft product is used by some accounting firms for their practice software but out in business people use MYOB, Quickbooks and increasingly Xero.

 

Not sure what sort of job you are looking for but I would think twice about sales for sage software. In my opinion it would be a hard sell.  In my 15 years in accounting here (in two states across multiple industries), I have come across 1 Sage client (who could NOT find staff as nobody knew the program).

 

If you are talking about Sage Automation then they have a good reputation and are well known in the industry.

[KnoxFamily]

I am coming over as Software support specialist. Working with Sage software, but also the BI software from Alchemex and others. I will cover the whole Oceania region for the company I am coming to.

[Riekie]

I've worked for a recruitment agency and what they often do is visit the websites of companies, track down their vacancies, find prospective applicants and offer them to these companies - something you can do directly.   Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and start scanning the company websites.  Their vacancies are often hidden under the contact us "small print" at the very bottom of the page and not easy to find (they make you work for it...)  Some websites also have their "careers" option right at the bottom and not up the top as an obvious tab.  Other times, there will be a link under the "about us" tab.  Contact them directly as obviously they'd prefer to deal with an applicant directly and not pay the placement fees to a recruiter...

 

Good luck!  Hope you find something soon!

[AFreshStart]

Riekie,

 

Exactly! I don't want to jinx it, but I did just that for a post that I wasn't even looking at in a field I never thought I'd be able to go back to, though love and miss. Mailed the HOD and received a phone call from him, he called to share that I was highly qualified and they are VERY interested and asked for my CV and asked me to put in my cover letter that we had spoken about the job in person and to submit a formal application through the companies website. They close applications mid-Jan and will be hiring in Feb, holding thumbs.

 

Cheers

 

Matt

Edited December 22, 2015 by AFreshStart

[Riekie]

39 minutes ago, AFreshStart said:

They close applications mid-Jan and will be hiring in Feb, holding thumbs.

 

Cheers

 

Matt

 

Sounds promising...  Hope you get it!

[Muzz]

Looks good Matt, good luck!

 

I've had much better success dealing directly with companies instead of recruiters. I have my first phone/skype interview set up for tomorrow which is equal parts exciting and scary.

[Guest]

Good luck with the job Matt. My cousin in Sydney is in recruitment also, and he said the same as Riekie that they look through companies websites and our people pages and contact them directly. The recruitment costs for a firm can be as much as 20k dollars for a candidate so if you can cut out the middle man I.e recruitment agency then the firm will be quite happy.

[Muzz]

Just a bit of an update for anyone who is following this thread.

 

I've been offered a position at a small company. This all happened rather quickly, I applied to about 13 advertised positions (some of those were through recruiters - this was direct). They are covering the visa and 4 weeks of accommodation. I should get receive the contract tomorrow and then it's onto the visa application. Needless to say I'm extremely excited, but once the visa has been sorted it will REALLY start to sink in.

 

 

[KnoxFamily]

Congrats. 

 

I hope all is smooth sailing for you.

 

 

[Deedle]

Hi Muzz

 

You're a million steps ahead of me! You know the visa names!!!!

 

Where do you get the Aussie CV format?

 

Thanks! 

[Deedle]

Congrats on the offer!!!

 

Any advice of where/sites to look for jobs?

 

Thanks! 

[Chips]

Congratulations Muzz , all the best.

[LisaActually]

Well done! Congrats

[Mara]

Deedle, the most popular job hunting site in Australia is probably http://www.seek.com.au/

 

[Deedle]

Thanks Mara!

[Muzz]

13 hours ago, Deedle said:

Hi Muzz

 

You're a million steps ahead of me! You know the visa names!!!!

 

Where do you get the Aussie CV format?

 

Thanks! 

 

Hi Deedle,

 

I used these two sites as base for my CV structure:

 

http://www.migrationnews.com/australia/how_to_prepare_your_cv

http://career-advice.careerone.com.au/resume-cover-letter/resume-writing/resume-writing-the-basics/article.aspx

 

In my profession, your design portfolio does all the talking, so I spent a lot of time getting that right.

 

For jobs:

 

www.seek.com.au (this is probably the best site)

www.linkedin.com (make sure your linkedin details are up to date, then check the jobs section)

 

Good luck!