Job Stability In Australia

With the Australian economy weathering the GFC extremely well, and an increase in job ad placement during January, you could be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief and looking ahead to a brighter economic future. However, recently the UN has warned that the global economy could experience a “double dip recession” if state stimulus packages are stopped too early.  Even though economies have stabilised globally, many countries still have increasing rates of unemployment as corporate and consumer confidence can be described as shaky at best.

So while the average job seeker cannot do much about the governments’ decision to maintain or cut stimulus packages, by making yourself appear more attractive to potential employers, you could secure that full time position before the potential second downturn.

Online time equals Face to Face time.

Job search websites are fantastic time saving tool. Gone are the days of sitting in front of the classifieds circling potential jobs and applying over the phone. Online searches narrow down prospective jobs and most use an online initial application procedure. However this can be impersonal. If you do make it to that first round of interviews, make sure you let your personality and passion for the job shine through. It may be what separates you from the rest of the interviewees.

A friend of yours is a potential boss

At times like these, don’t be afraid to make business contacts or employment opportunities via mutual friends. If your feel awkward, don’t think about it as “looking for help”, it’s a networking opportunity. As long as you don’t make a complete fool of yourself, and you don’t come across as too upfront or desperate, your friends shouldn’t mind giving you a bit of a foot up in the employment stakes.

Refresh that resume

Don’t forget to include skills that you may have learned off the job. Perhaps you been involved at the organisational level of a sporting club. For example working as the president or treasurer of a club demonstrates high levels of organisational skills and some financial experience. Perhaps you organised working bees, or coordinated a work roster. Even some sporting achievements can be included. Having to train for a long period of time to achieve a single goal, like training for 6 months to be able to run a marathon, demonstrates long term commitment to meeting set targets.

So you’ve had the interview now…

Make sure you follow up, especially if the interview was more of an informal get to know you situation. Make sure you sell yourself and remind them of who you were. Again, there is a difference between genuine interest and desire for a position, and a desperate and annoying interviewee calling for the 6^th time to see if the decision has been made about a vacant position. Don’t cross that line.

During your job search, keep in mind that the average time people spend looking for a full time job is 3 months, so be prepared for the long haul, and maybe have a source of casual income on the side to reduce the stress on your finances. With this unstable economy, a casual job doesn’t need to be something can you can turn into a career, it just a job for now.

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