Bermudashorts

Absolute rubbish. If the jobs you have applied for on seek were not real jobs then you have either been very unlucky or arguably you have been fobbed off because agents have taken one look at you and been put off by your attitude.

You have got a job in 2 weeks but have done nothing but whinge and moan about how hard done by you have been and how difficult it is for newcomers to find work and how prejudiced everyone is against you. Did you expect to be met off the plane by hoards of people competing with each other to sign you up or something?

wookiee06

It a well known fact that 40% of the jobs on the job boards are use by the agents to troll to gain work. What normally happens, they call an applicantion up, and ask where they have interviewed, and about references.

Once the application gives the information on where they interviewed, the agent calls the company up and sells other people.

When an agent asks you for references in even before you have been submit to a job, it a sign they are trolling.(I have lost references due to this). A good agent will ask for reference once you have near the final stages on the recruitment process,"

I have encountered the same tricks with Australian agents as that as ones in europe. I know all the tricks

Best excuse i have had heard is " due to the snow, the manager is not going forward

charw

As you rightly said,after this agent's act I m running risk of losing my references too. Will my former boss, director of a large MNC, have time to respond to time wasting emails for non confirmed jobs.

Just fed up of this. This time no way for snow. It's training for which could have otherwise being "immediate"

Bermudashorts

You do need to be more discerning about when you let people check your references. I am sure mine would not have wanted to have to take calls at 7am in the UK every week. Put that one down to experience.

Still I will maintain that this "all or most of the jobs on seek are made up" is rubbish mainly spouted by people a little bitter because they have not been successful. I made several enquiries on seek when I was still in the UK and was called back about every job, certainly no agent was fishing for information from me as I was still in the UK. The job I ended up getting was on seek, the job I was offered but turned down was on seek and my husband's job was also advertised on seek (although that was not where he first heard of it).

There is no harm in being wary of agents but as an accountant Charw, you are going to have to find a way to forge positive and professional relationship. Being negative and slagging off everyone in the profession isn't going to get you anywhere.

shuvo27

@Bermuda, I am not such a selfish guy to think of only myself, lot of my friends are already here for few months and some are about to come. The industry and the Govt. itself should look at itself and decide how they are gonna welcome us.This is bulllllshittt man. If you are really running out of skilled people and you really need outsiders then why don't they just arrange a training and teach about this Local ways of running business for the new recruits. Instead of making people frustrated. The govt\DIAC itself is spending a lot of time and money for selecting and smoothing the process of bringing in Engineers. And if those engineers come here and work in the shops, loose their technical edge and some of them go back or move to some other countries, whose loss would it be?

sonlymewalter

Mate, Australia doesn't care. Tradies give up a good life in UK and some of them have to go back to training once they arrive in Aus in order to do their job out here. Some of them have run successful busineses in UK and also think Aus is behind the times in the training etc. It doesn't matter....it is what it is regardless as to how frustrating. The only way to come to terms with it is to recognise how it's done here and work within the system and that way you'll enjoy your new life for what it is mate

Build a bridge and get over it mate, it's Straya and they don't pull out any red carpet just because you think you deserve it. Harsh as it is, it is what it is mate.

charw

@Bermuda. I strongly disagree with your comments. I ve not landed from a first world luxury like UK but DIAC gave the authority to come here & work. But after visa why it's quite large number of my friends who have come here waste their professional life in cleaning, factories/Super markets etc.

Gov invite skilled to come here & just dump here to queue up in Centerlink forever for many. You may be already excempt but its not the case for majority.

As shuno27 says why there isn't any bridging programs to at least to attract/train/sponsor new comers to gain necessary skills. Look around & see how many landed here have lost faith in the way skilled people program is functioning. I found many decided to go back/already back without wasting time here.


Look at the Birell report for accountants alone done . Governments has admitted accountants pathway alone being a failure .

sonlymewalter

And they say poms are whingers

shuvo27

@sonely..Yup mate thats the attitude, to understand the problems and deal with and share it with other people who are coming here. I got private msg from several members here appreciating the fact that I am bold enough to put up this issue and warn them how to prepare. You have been understanding, but there are some stubborns who are not at all ready to accept what is wrong as wrong and dying to support the things as it is. My experience gives me the impression that australia is not suffering from shortage of skilled immigrants, but skilled recruiters, DIAC should really think about bringing in some smart HR people now.

@charw: I completely agree with you. This is just unprofessional and idiotic attitude by the agents and corporates. Why don't they introduce trainee\intern scheme and introduce people to how they do it and if people fail to impress then say you are not cut for it..instead of saying no with a 5 minute tele-call. I just can't understand how u judge the skills of an Engineer in a short telephone call..

charw

Hi Sonly. I’m not kidding mate. It’s their lives. Hopes, families. Parents, & finally morale.

It's the hardest thing to digest for many that its someone's life being robbed & cannot be compared to dumped product in foreign market.

sonlymewalter

Mate this is nothing new. Aus is not the land of milk and honey and just because you got the stipes doesn't mean companies will fall over themselves in factif you understand tall poppy syndrome you'll *get* the culture here. The more you know the less you show so what if Aus is behind the times in the workplace. Who cares? If you care too much it will kill you

BadgeIsBack

There is no doubt that it is a tool and ploy used by some agents but my experience is that many agents call you often in minutes and an interview organised sooner rather than later.

I was wary of seek due to secondhand stories but I have been pleasantly surprised.

I have never had references taken up prior to actually being offered a job.

I will reiterate that agents make it all too easy. There are stories of people filling in application forms, having to answer STAR type questions this seems like hard work to me - an interview in the main is yours with a cut and paste paragraph and primed CV.

Pollyana

Depends what jobs you are going for Badge, you try getting into somewhere like Qld Govt with a " cut and paste paragraph and primed CV" I've seen people submit stuff like that. What they want is an application form and selection criteria, as do many other similar organisations and govt depts. And if you don't submit what they want, you are in the bin.

sonlymewalter

I once applied for a government job. It took a week to put together all the info they required and after a few tries I found out through mates in government that usually the jobs are alrady earmarked anyway

Cut and paste paragraph and a primed CV - not for the kind of positions I go for

Pollyana

Unfortunately thats often true. After a few years around the place I woukld say that there are some positiions earmarked for specific people, but overall I have experienced more totally open recuritment processes, including some which we have all believed would go a certain way, only to find complete outsiders brought in. Varies from department to department, and even depends to a huge extent on the panel.

Thinking of the thousands of hours I've spent over the last 7 years doing selection criteria I am still at the "Cut and paste paragraph and a primed CV" comment