Still figuring out how to find a job or an internship in Australia? Australia is a country that really values working experiences; therefore, if you looking to develop a career in Australia, part-time jobs and internships are the perfect places to start. Whether it is to support your living here, or you’re trying to accumulate work experience, I would highly recommend every international student to work a bit while studying in Australia.
Where to find job vacancies and internship opportunities?
Career Webpage on your student portal
Once you access your student portal, you can find a page with a list of job vacancies and internship opportunities (see the picture below as an example of a career webpage on QUT’s student portal). That is a career webpage available for students. The hiring managers will have to go through the process with your education institution to be listed on the webpage; therefore, the opportunities on the student portal career webpage will be more formal and safer.
Job Seeking Sites: SEEK, Indeed
SEEK and Indeed are the two largest job-seeking sites in Australia. You can find all kinds of job vacancies on the two websites. Moreover, one of the biggest benefits of using job-seeking websites is you can create, update and save your resume on the websites, so you don’t have to prepare a resume by yourself. This will be so beneficial when you are applying for many similar positions.
LinkedIn is a worldwide professional networking social media, and I recommend everyone to have their profile set up on LinkedIn. You can follow the companies you like on LinkedIn and get notifications from the companies if they have any vacancies. You can also use the search bar and keywords for similar jobs in your selected areas. Additionally, you can follow the industry leaders for more recent information. Although following those leaders doesn’t guarantee you get a job, it is always good to have a bit of what is happening in the industry.
Company’s Career Site
Going to the company’s career site is the most direct way to find a job vacancy if you’re highly interested in a specific company. Most companies will have their career site placed in the footnote of the websites [variations include: Career, Join Us, Job Vacancies]. If there is no suitable position, you can also submit an EOI (expression of interest) with a resume and a cover letter. You will go into the HR system of the company, and if there is a suitable opportunity, they might contact you directly.
Referrals
This is the most ideal situation to know about a job vacancy. Knowing someone internal in the company is a big benefit for your application. From the employer’s perspective, they can know more about you from the mutual connection; from the applicants’ perspective, they can also know about the company and the information about certain roles.
Manual of Australia: Comprehensive Guide for International Students (FREE)
What should I prepare before applying for a job in Australia?
Check your visa and work right in Australia
For student visa holders, there is a working hour limit of 40 hours fortnightly during the semester, but there is no limit during the semester break.
TFN Number (Tax File Number)
You must get TFN before starting your position. Since the process might take up to 28 days, I recommend you apply for TFN as soon as possible. You can get a TFN free via TFN application information page for foreign passport holders.
Superannuation Account
Superannuation is a retirement fund. From 1 July 2023, the Super Guarantee is 11% in Australia. When signing the employment contract, your employer will ask you to provide your super account details. You can choose from different providers (a list of Australian superannuation providers). It is not compulsory to have a superannuation account before applying for a job, you can also wait for the company to see if they have a preferred provider.
Write a resume that can help you get a job
What is a resume? Is it different from a CV?
A resume is a summary of your education and work experiences. There is no big difference between a resume and a CV. If the company asks for your resume or CV, it asks for a summary of your related experiences.
There are a few points you have to be aware of when drafting your CV:
- Do not put your photo on your resume/ CV: it is not common to have a photo on your resume/CV in Australia. This might be different for people coming from different cultural backgrounds.
- Keep it within 2 pages: Try to put all your experiences in 2 pages since the hiring manager might not have much time to read through a long resume. Make sure you put the most relevant ones and keep it short and easy to read.
- Referees are important: Referees are essential when you apply for a job in Australia. They could be your previous supervisors, your tutor or your colleagues.
- It is best to quantify your performance at work: e.g. I increase 30% Instagram reach in 90 days
- Put your preferred name on the resume (optional): If you’re from a different cultural background and have a preferred name you use in Australia, it would be better to put your preferred name on the resume. It is just easy for people to pronounce.
- Use the terms in the job description: When there are many applicants competing for the same position, using the terms written in the job description can help the hiring manager to match your skills with the criteria. Moreover, they might use AI in some big companies when there are too many applications, and using the same terms will get more chances for the machine to recognise your skills and experiences.
Resume Template
What is a Cover Letter? How to write a Cover Letter?
A cover letter explains why you are interested in the position, why you are a qualified candidate and a short summary of your experiences. You can view this as a pitch in letter format. Before the hiring managers open up your resume, they can have an idea of what experience you have.
Cover Letter Template
Personally, I will use Canva when creating the cover letter. It gives you more flexibility in the design.
How to write a cover letter?
What is the Selection of Criteria? How to write?
Not every job requires a selection of criteria. Selection of criteria is a statement of you meeting all the criteria they are looking for as a suitable candidate for this position. It is optional, but I will HIGHLY RECOMMEND you submit a selection of criteria when the hiring managers ask.
An example of a selection criteria question will be “Demonstrated ability to work under broad direction, exercise initiative in undertaking responsibilities and work effectively as a team member.”
Examples of answering a selection of criteria
How to prepare for a job interview?
It is hard to predict what questions are going to be asked in the interview, but there are still some questions I will definitely prepare before going into interviews. Those are:
- Tell me about yourself. / Can you walk me through your resume?
- Why do you want to work here? Why this position?
- Tell me about your strengths.
- Tell me about your weaknesses.
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
- Tell me about an experience you work with others.
- Tell me an example of you faced difficulties and how you solved them.
- Any questions to ask?
More resources for you to prepare for interviews:
*Biginterview is a paid service. It is free for all QUT students. Biginterview can help you prepare all kinds of interview questions and do a mock interview with you. For more information, click on the link above.
