Do's and Don'ts: How To Get a Job in Australia for Overseas Jobseekers

It is never easy searching for a job from overseas in Australia.

Here is a summary of the do's and don'ts for overseas jobseekers in the Australian employment market place.

Do

• Do visit the various Australian job websites BEFORE deciding to emigrate to familiarise yourself with the job opportunities in your field.
• Do check eligibility and, where possible, apply for your permanent residence visas. Very important. Prospective employers will ask about your immigration status and having your residence visas (or at least being knowledgable about the application process) is a "prerequisite" for many Australian job vacancies.
• Do start applying for advertised job vacancies from OVERSEAS, but only 1 to 12 weeks before a possible start date or a visit to Australia.
• Do send a cold letter of application and C.V. to EVERY potential employer and recruitment agent in the region of Australia you intend settling in to let them know that you are available. Use www.yellowpages.com.au to locate details.
• Do prepare your C.V. in the Australian style and write a short but clear covering letter indicating your visa status.
• Do provide an Australian postal address and Australian mobile/email address in your C.V. where possible.
• Tell employers you are available for skype webcam or face-to-face interviews.
• Do make a positive impression in the interview, be flexible and have copies of your residence visas and references available for employers to sight.

Don't

• Don't apply for job vacancies OR visit Australia for job interviews more than 1 - 12 weeks away from a possible start date. Employers may not be interested.
• Don't expect everything to work like home. Be flexible and willing to fit in with local ways of doing things.
• Don't expect a job at the same level or higher than you had overseas. You may lack Australian local knowledge and may need to take a step back in order to advance later. Wait one year.
• Don't expect the same salary or more than you had overseas. The cost of living and income tax rates are lower in Australia than some other western developed nations, so look at your NET INCOME not the gross amount
• Don't expect a job offer in the first week. On average, it can take local resident Australians 1 – 8 weeks or longer to find a new job.
• Don't "over negotiate" the contract with your first employer. Be flexible and under-stand that employment law and contract terms may be different in Australia

Source: http://www.migrationnews.com/

Cover Letter Writing Tips : How to Write an Effective Cover Letter

This cover letter guide is designed to assist job seekers who are prepared to look at their accomplishments, skills, and experiences in relation to a job target.

When writing your resume cover letter keep in mind that the reviewer is only interested in one thing - the facts. Your  cover letter should be brief and to the point. The purpose of the cover letter (and resume) should be to demonstrate that you meet or exceed the requirements listed in the job description. It should convey that you’re interested in the position and that you're available to accept the position, if offered.

Here are seven tips for writing an effective cover letter.

1. Your cover letter must be perfectly centered and printed on plain white paper and use black ink.
2. Your cover letter must be perfection itself. A typo, a poor printing job, a misspelling - mistakes will make a poor impression because they imply that you don't care.
3. Ilustrate your qualifications with examples. Give concrete specifics of achievements that illustrate how you could advance the company's agenda. In one or two specific sentences, describe your work experience.
4. Don't cut and paste from the job description. If you're applying for a posted job, do keep the requirements in mind, but don't use the exact wording. Cutting and pasting a phrase from a cover letter or resume book is not impressive.
5. Thinking about the layout of your letter. There are literally hundreds of cover letter templates available online. But if you are not sure how to write a targeted and personal cover letter, we suggest using a professional cover letter writing service.
6. Your cover letter should be addressed to a specific person - avoid the "Dear Sir or Madam". You usually can find an appropriate contact name at the company fairly easily. Go to their company website, and search the "about us" pages for names of individuals to address your cover letter and resume to.
7. Your cover letter should be one page in length and perfectly centered. So keep it short..!

You'll already stand out as an impressive candidate!