giri26

Hello All,

I have been aggressively applying for IT jobs in Adelaide. It has been really tough. Not that easy to get through. I have gotten a Skype meeting setup with a recruitment consultant from a big IT recruitment agency in SA. I am not sure what to expect. I have spoken with lots of them in the US but I am really nervous and confused as to what to expect on this call. If someone has done this already, can you please shed some light on the same? It will be really helpful.

Thanks.

spouse of scouse

Hi giri - although I don't have direct experience of your situation I think the interview will be easier than you're anticipating simply because it's a recruitment consultant you'll be speaking with. Unlike an interview with an employer, who might throw some unexpected questions in to see how you react, a recruitment consultant's questions will probably just relate to your qualifications, work experience and perhaps reasons for seeking work in Oz. All stuff you'll be able to answer without having to think too hard about it - so my advice is to just relax Have a big glass of water handy too, in case you talk so much that your throat gets a bit dry! I wish you the best of luck

Amazulu

recruitment agents (whichever country they are in) are full of shit so don't expect too much

Bermudashorts

It is an interview. Every interview and interviewer is different. There is not a particular "format" for an interview just because it is Ausyralia and as nobody know who is interviewing you, I am not sure what tips you are hoping for tbh.

Icecube

Australian IT recruiters will read the Job description they have been sent (probably with no understanding of what it says) ask if you can / cannot do it, then ask when you can start and whats the rate / salary you want. Beyond that don't expect much as they are really just ticking boxes that they have seen the candidate. That the candidate only has one head and can mumble out some coherent sentences. That being said, I suggest you dress smartly as they will usually include that their in the report back...so no Onies!

A few years ago, I had a similar report of 4 candidates who were Skyped as a first cut of potentials. The 2 lady candidates had extensive detail on what they were wearing, the guys only had the description of presentatble!

giri26

Thanks everyone. That really helps.

genorm

Contrary to some of the negative statements above, I believe, as a UK Recruiter who uses Skype a lot, that your inital contact may be just a confirmation of the skills and qualifications that you have. The consultant can then decide where to market your CV for the most constructive effect. If you are to be invited for interview, a professional consultant will arrange to guide you through the relevant questions that you may not be familiar with (being overseas employers), etc. This again can be best achieved via Skype.

Don't get put off by negative comments about Consultants, there are as many professional ones as there are bad.

old.sparkles

Have you worked with Australian recruiters in Australia Genorm? I think the comments made were from peoples experiences with Australian recruiters and not UK one's. Having just made my way into the Australian job market - I couldn't get past recruiters here, and had to apply to companies hiring direct.

Which comments did you think were negative?

genorm

"recruitment agents (whichever country they are in) are full of shit so don't expect too much"

That one - it doesn't specify "Australian"

genorm

Yes, I have - before moving back to the UK I lived in Oz for many years.

old.sparkles

I stand corrected on your experience - but I would still stand by mine here in Australia.

The only recent experience I've had with UK recruiters has been the number of times you have to ask to be removed from the emailing lists and other contact. I think I must have told half a dozen recruiters within the same company that they should take me off their contact lists - and told them more than once.

PominOz1

imho - worked in UK, Europe, US, Tokyo and finally here, the Aussie recruiters only want to know one thing - how low can you go? They are completely unprofessional and in your industry will prefer to to hire from India as they rightly assume can go lower than you. Almost every taxi driver I've met in Melbourne has an IT degree, photocopied or not.

rabble_rouser

Ha! You are naïve. If you are worrying about "Recruitment consultants" then you have a distorted picture of the IT industry. How much, if any experience in IT do you have back home?

If you're finding it hard to get interviews its probably because your CV sucks. Bear in mind the Australian expectations for the CV are quite different the UK expectations.

I used to be in your shoes 15 years ago, nervous about my first "recruitment consultant" interview. Then after about 10 interviews you realise these guys are basically parasites and irrelevant. All a parasite will do is glean leads from newspapers, ads, etc. and then cold call these leads looking for more solid contacts. Once they have a name they look for candidates from which they can make a commission. They also do pretty sneaky stuff if your not careful such ask who your present employer is, and maybe ask your managers name to get a new lead. That can screw you.

In my experience its better to research who you actually want to work for and target that company. Are there really that many IT jobs in Adelaide anyways?

alipally

I beg to differ, all my roles in Aus have been through a recruiter... They also negotiated the best salary on my part...(recruiting fee is a % of salary)
I have been happy with the service I've received.
My OH also found his job through an agent.... Same great experience, with a girl who was clever enough to keep in contact as he now uses her to find staff he needs!!
Neither of us is in IT though, but I find it difficult to imagine that all the terrible ones work within one industry!

I will say that I know of 'admin' recruiters who have been less than helpful....if there is no shortage of candidates, then I imagine it may be a different market place.

rabble_rouser

Well I've gotten my fair share of job through agents in the past but nowadays I'm a lot more savvy. I honestly do not expect many people to be bold enough to take my advice. Most are simply too shy or lazy or don't understand the system or whatever phobia it is they have.

Now sure, for some jobs it makes no difference. Any monkey job is the much same as the next. And make no mistake, most people want these kind of jobs. But if you are looking for something interesting, challenging, different or whatever you are much better off researching where you want to work and researching how/if you could fit in.