Any Australians here? Need help.

(before I start, I gather I'm gaining a reputation for being melodramatic and always disappointed with any country I land in, but this is a new low and I need to vent! - Ultimately I know nobody really cares and there are bigger issues in the world).

What do I have to do in this country to secure a job?

I don't get the whole 'trial' system. I have worked in 9 different bar/restaurants back home, I have management experience, stupid amounts of training, Barista experience, cocktail experience and yet I cannot get anything in this country.

I have been given 6 interviews, worked over 20 hours unpaid in trials only to be told the next day that I wasn't what they were looking for or someone else had more experience!!!

My girlfriend on the other hand walked around for 2 days only to be given an awesome bar job just like that, I on the other hand have been looking for nearly two months. Although she denies it, it has to be a sexist thing, I've had a girl chosen over me almost every time. It's putting a big strain on our relationship as she has the ability to go out have fun without a care in the world and I can't do squat, she's loaned me money here and there but I can't ask for more.

Never in my life have I found getting a job so difficult, infact until I got to OZ I've never failed an interview. Ever.

It's really disheartening, I stopped travelling the country two months ago while I still had a couple of thousand dollars left so that I could get into Sydney, find a job and secure myself for further travelling. It's all gone disastrously wrong. I'm down to my last $10 no prospects, no way out, on the verge of being homeless, what a total nightmare!!

Back to the whole trial thing. Surely it has to be illegal, I worked for 5 hours one night with no pay and didn't get the job, surely they could staff themselves for free like that, yet everyone here is telling me it's just how it's done.

In hindsight I could have gone for something not in hospitality but didn't want to at the time because I couldn't afford to wait a month for pay, hospitality jobs pay weekly.

I have money coming from Apple on monday, not a lot and I may have a job fruit-picking down south starting next week but it'll be a squeeze to get down there and to make matters worse, my GF is saying she's enjoying her job too much to want to leave and do that, just what I need to here. I have a ski-season set up on the 30th of June for 3 months so once I get there it's all good.

In the meantime my Australian friends, please help me in the right direction.

 

There must be a bar that chooses male staff over female staff, if you catch my drift.

I feel sorry for you, hang in there!

 

Well there are, but either they don't want me or are full.

I started by handing out 50 resumes across the city. I got nothing back, not a phone call, thinking back to what I used to to with them when people handed them to me when I was working (trashed them under orders from the boss) I changed tactics, I went to every place I could and asked to speak to managers directly in an effort to find out if they really needed people and to impress if I could...not interested.

The last place I did a trial was the biggest put down I've ever had. I presumed it was half bar half waiting, they sat me down and said they wanted to trial me as a simple food runner, something I'd have to do for a month before being "trained up" to something better. I wasn't happy but I kept smiling and did the job for a few hours and found it a breeze.

I noticed all of the way through that the manager never looked at me once, at the end of the trial the assistant manager called me through and said that the boss usually deals with it but he didn't have time and would call me tomorrow.

The day passed and my phone never rang once. I was in Sydney the next day and my GF works close by, so I decided to wander in and put him on the spot, again I got the whole "we found someone more experienced" line, a food runner!!!! I nearly flipped but I remained polite all the same. For a few hours after that I wanted to petrol bomb the restaurant.

I just can't work out what I'm doing wrong, I smile, chat with the members of staff, don't show off, show initiative, dress well. It's really pissing me off.

 

I've just applied for a job working as one of those annoying people who stands on the street getting people to sign up to give money to charity.

It's actually something I would probably enjoy and it's for the Australian red cross.

They're paying $1000 a week so I'm gonna be the most enthusiastic interviewee they've ever had.

 

Like that episode of Seinfeld?

But in seriousness, sometimes people just make no sense and will have no good reason whatsoever for their actions. Sounds like all the employers you've run into are nothing but morons who have peculiar standards that pretty much fucks any worthy applicants. Especially the food runner, that's gotta be a joke :banghead: I really hold it to you for keeping your cool, knowing I wouldn't get the job and probably never run into the guy again anyway, I would have gone off about how stupid and idiotic it all was.

Pretty much the only advice I think anyone can give you is to just keep trying. There's nothing you're not doing right, you've just run into more idiots than anyone needs!

 

No prob man! one thing is whinning for pointless shit, but when you're in deep trouble is OK to talk about it.

Anyways, if you want a safe albeit boring job, why not try a state/government job? Sure, you'll become a desk monkey, but at least you wont have to worry about being fired for no reason (and in those jobs it has to be a VERY good reason, like stabbing you boss...)

But since you have experience with coding on the iphone, why not becoming a freelancer app designer? you could charge companies to make them promo apps, and the competition is not nearly as big as with web design (not yet).

BTW that red cross gig sounds great, but $1000 a week? man are they gonna go broke in no time! unless of course you're the ONLY guy on a very fancy street.

 

I think he is talking Australian dollars.

 

hmmmm...
several replies but doesn't seem to be ones from Aussie... ^ ^

since the global economic melt-down things definitely tighten around here.
heck the company I'm working has had the policy of new hiring unless absolutely necessary and approved by the region office. So when someone left the rest of us took on his/her jobs...

anyway, I've heard that the industry you are trying to get in is indeed the most hardest hit and unless you are drop dead gorgeous blond with assets(!) to juggle around it won't be easy ticket.

joke aside, the best advise would be sign up with temp agency and also get to know people as word of mouth does wonders sometimes...

no, I'm not in the hospitality industry.

and I don't work for the gov nor am one of those desk monkey, yeah~

 

Wow. Get that job. Great deal!

How much would you get on a monthly base, working in a restaurant?

 

:drool: I want that job. Now.

 

I'm having a problem just getting a visa to work in Australia working for a local government run gallery even though I am getting paid by my UK employers. Although I found out that the government have tightened the rules regarding immigration so that employers have to prove that the people they are getting in are required staff and they have to prove that the new employee is being paid much more then the standard rate for someone in a similar job within Australia. I assume to stop employers importing in cheap labour, although it sounds like they are finding ways around this.

 

Whoever needs some cheap gardeners or teenage thai hookers is going to find them in australia.

 

who needs teenage thai hookers when you can find teenage white h**kers... at cherchi
(provided your job description starts with p and end with t)

 

Correction, teenage FEMALE hookers

 

Well Tuesday is the day. I have 2 Restaurant interviews, an interview for that charity company and was at my gf's hostel yesterday and there were guys there who worked for a recruitment agency who were desperate for workers to do all sorts of jobs.

So by wednesday I'm pretty sure I'll be doing something but I'm not sure what.

 

Best of luck for your interviews!

 

Thanks, I really need something to work out.

 

So I went for another trial on wednesday at a cool little wine bar. I absolutely loved it, cool staff, straightforward work, nice environment. I took to it straight away got on really well with everyone, made no mistakes, showed initiative without appearing cocky.

Got a call from the manager yesterday saying my trial had been unsuccessful I asked him why and his reasons were: You showed up without a corkscrew/wine knife and you need more experience!!!!!

I wasn't told I needed to bring a wine knife, usually places supply them and as for more experience well, sounds like another bullshit excuse.

I DO NOT GET THIS COUNTRY!

Got an interview as a waiter at the shangri la hotel on tuesday and was recommended to the manager by a friend. If I get that job I'm gonna photograph myself in there (it's really up market) and post it to the places that rejected me in an envelope full of dog shit.

 

I understand your frustration, but that kind of attitude isn't going to help you out man.