Step 2: Looking for a vacancy
Planning your job search
The more effort you put into job searching, the more likely you are to get something out of it. You should spend as many hours each day preparing for and looking for work as you expect to spend working. In order to do this, it is a good idea to have a plan for each week or day of your job hunt. You will not only improve your skills in writing job applications and handling job interviews, but also gain some experience planning and carrying out a day’s work.
Knowing where to look
There are many places you can look for job vacancies, including the following.
Employers: Telephone, write or visit organisations you would like to work for and ask if there are any suitable vacancies.
Friends and relatives: Ask friends and relatives who work for organisations that you are interested in to see whether there is a suitable position for you.
Newspapers: Local, state and national/interstate newspapers publish job vacancies. Wednesday and Saturday are the main days for job advertisements.
Centrelink: Go to your local Centrelink office (or Job Network member) and use the touch screens to view jobs on the Australian JobSearch database.
Career advice services: Employers often notify schools of positions, and provide application forms for school leavers. Your career adviser should know about any job vacancies that your school has been told about.
Employment agencies: Agencies match job seekers with employers’ vacancies. You can find agencies in the Yellow Pages or employment section of the newspaper. Most agencies will ask you to complete a registration or application form and, for some jobs, a short test to check your typing speed or computer skills.
Internet: There are many websites that list job vacancies in Australia. Some examples are:
You can lodge a résumé online and subscribe to email alerts about job vacancies in your area of interest.
Many companies and organisations have career information and job vacancy listings online. Check the home page or 'about us' section for a link to 'recruitment', 'careers' or 'human resources'. Some companies, such as large retailers, now do all their recruiting online.
Government jobs are also listed online. Vacancies in federal government departments are advertised in the Australian Public Service Gazette, which is published each Thursday, and can be accessed at www.apsjobs.gov.au .
Vacancies in state and territory government departments are listed on the following sites:
Vacancies in the ACT are listed under individual department websites: see the 'employment' section at www.act.gov.au .
Notices: Check notices in shop windows, on community noticeboards, on signs at the front entrance to a business, near on-site projects and outside factory gates.