bubblelou

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone can shed some light on how recruitment works around here. My wife and I moved to Sydney from HK where I was working and have been applying for IT jobs here and have some questions...

Can anyone tell us what have been your experiences with regards to how long before a recruiter/company calls you back after you submit an application or seek.com or careerone?

And if it is unsuccesful, how long before you receive a rejection email?

I know there's a lot of competition/busy recruiters but can't get my head around how there just seem to be silence after applying. I've applied to about 50 jobs so far since we've been here and haven't heard anything in over a month...

I'm only been applying for jobs that strictly match my previous experience/degree/certifications but haven't received not even one rejection/call back.

DeadVim

Sounds about normal, the recruitment agents are, by and large, shocking ...

My best advice is to take a short-term contract if you can just to gain some Aussie experience and make some contacts, it's not what you know it's who around here anyway.

It doesn't even matter if the contract isn't 'ideal', just take a 3 monther if it comes up ... I did that, got extended 3 times and was made permanent eventually.

sassie

Yep sounds about right. My partner was made redundant a few months back, and literally put in hundreds of applications over the course of about a month and heard absolutely nothing, then out of the blue, he ends up having 5 interviews in 5 days, which resulted in employment, so all I can suggest is keep plugging away, something will turn up sooner or later.

bubblelou

Thanks for the feedback guys.

bubblelou

Hi all,

Had a very interesting morning today. Got 2 calls from recruitment agencies regarding a role at the same company. Problem is I have also applied directly to the company but haven't heard anything back. They didn't mention in the ads which company it is so I didn't know it was all the same.

Can anyone give some advice regarding what is the best thing to do? Should I withdraw my application from the company and ask recruitment A and B to submit my CV on my behalf? Or should I call back the 2 recruitment agencies to let them know that I've already applied to the company directly?

isgraham

I thought the job seeking process was update your linkedin profile with your location (Sydney or London) and wait for the phone calls

dedicate2

The recruitment industry is driven by money since the agents are paid on commission - typically 10% of whatever your final salary is negotiated to be. And it's a very competitive landscape.

This means they will not generally spend time on candidates who are aspirational, unqualified or present badly.

In a typical process they will only put forward two or three candidates at a time, and keep that going until the role is filled.

The trick is to convince the recruiter that you are a sure bet for their commission. If you can present yourself and your resume as already being qualified for the role then you have a good chance - and a good recruiter will sell you to the client - calling, chasing and responding to queries.

So don't make the mistake of assuming that recruiters are rubbish - particularly with regards IT roles. I maintain excellent relationships with a number of trusted recruiters so that I can call them when I need a role filled.

Icecube

I agree that you need to separate the wheat from the chaff. It is a meat grinder business and the agents only invest time in candidates that they deem to be racing cert's.

bubblelou

Had a lot of recruiters call me since my first post. All said they will put me forward. Got asked to go to some of their offices for a 'meet and greet'. Out of the 6 recruiters who put me forward
1) got rejected, never got to interview stage, feed back was my CV was 'strong'
2) got invited to interview. Turned up at my interview only to be told by the recruiter via phone that role was canned. Never saw interviewer even though I was already at their office
3) got an interview. Interview went well but during the interview the interviewer said they wanted something completely different to what was advertised. Got a phone call from them after 3 days saying "apologies but will keep you in database"
4 to 6) still waiting

In all honesty getting quite depressed over the who job search thing...

Chortlepuss

[QUOTEIn all honesty getting quite depressed over the who job search thing...[/QUOTE]

It's very frustrating - Many recruiters haven't worked directly in IT and it's challenging being told that you 'don't have the required experience', when they don't understand the basics and you just know that if you had the chance to get in front of the client, you'd be a great fit.

I've met a couple of recruiters here in Brisbane who really know their stuff, and are brilliant to deal with. And when you've gone to the trouble of submittting an application, I feel that you really should get some feedback. But sadly there are a lot of timewasters out there who don't understand client needs, how to meet ICT requirements and rely on buzz word pattern matching. It's a hugely oversaturated market, but there's still a big gap for recruitment agencies staffed by personnel who understand ICT, listen to client needs, and treat applicants with respect.

johnnye

If you are able to chase up your direct application then I would say that is the best way to go.

flip

Not sure if anyone's mentioned this but many recruiting companies use keyword searches which scan resumes for words they've chosen as key to the post - usually easily picked up from the job advertisement.

I understand the scanners can't work with pdf documents (which are so much more readable for humans) so it may be worth attaching both - one for the keyword search and one for the interview panel.

They only recommend 2 or 3 pages maximum.

Obviously your resume may be perfect for their needs but it might be worth your having another look at it or even getting professional help... though like everything it's hard to know if you've found good resume advice - I heard of a professional who recently started career history with the earliest job instead of the most recent which is not what recruiters expect.

Anyway, though it still doesn't mean the job hunt will be easy, if your resume appeals to them and sells you well it will give you an advantage.

Time's crucial now as come November the job market goes very quiet until February so if you're going to update your resume you might like to get to it quickly. Otherwise just keep on applying, it will happen someday.

Good luck.

Cal

bubblelou

Hi Cal,

Thanks for your words. I've actually got an offer in the interim and actually started work today as they needed someone to start asap.

Interestingly also had a recruiter call me today with another offer which I turned down as I'm already working.

Thanks everyone for all your words of support. Feel like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders. Was really worried that I realistically won't have anything till next year.

flip

That's brilliant news. Congratulations. I know what a relief it is after job-hunting for a while in a new country. You can enjoy the long summer holidays now.