Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Jul 15th 2006, 5:55 pm
#31
Fighting my corner
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 11,948
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Originally Posted by phoenixinoz
Thank you
And therin also lies a problem.
If you are a *functional* manager you may find it difficult to find a role as the company in question [in UK or Aus] may not want to take the risk that you may balls up that particular *function* within their business. They therefore may want to see your potential and place you in a fairly lower position to assess your capabilities.
However if you are a *General* manager [meaning generalist within a business] and your previous budget was hundreds of millions, and the same applies, then the drop in position, salary, responsibility etc, etc is therefore far greater and therefore is more likely to be difficult to find a suitable job [for obvious reasons].
And therin also lies a problem.
If you are a *functional* manager you may find it difficult to find a role as the company in question [in UK or Aus] may not want to take the risk that you may balls up that particular *function* within their business. They therefore may want to see your potential and place you in a fairly lower position to assess your capabilities.
However if you are a *General* manager [meaning generalist within a business] and your previous budget was hundreds of millions, and the same applies, then the drop in position, salary, responsibility etc, etc is therefore far greater and therefore is more likely to be difficult to find a suitable job [for obvious reasons].
It gets worse: the company I work for doesn't have any branches in Australia. Company's been running since the 50's; biggest plant hire complany in the UK; fourth largest in the world... but they still haven't reached Australia. Figure that one out.
Skills also come in to play. If you are highly skilled it may be extremely frustrating to downgrade as the lack of decision making or the skills required to downgrade may be very different to what you have now learned. To step back career wise is often much harder than to go forward and the further back you step the harder it is, in real terms.
The real frustration lies within issues we have very little control over. For me, it was knowing that in Brisbane / Queensland I was less likely to be successful as a female senior manager in Logistics than say if I worked in Sydney or Melbourne. Also Aus is exactly as UK was 10/15 years ago in it's thinking. The Australian market consists of 53% female employees & 47% male employees yet only 20% of senior decision makers within business are female i.e. 80% of senior decision makers in Australian business are male.
The *boys club* exists in Australia good and proper. A male can say things to *the boss* that a female would not get away with. Ironically, the females within business can be the worse in terms of perpetuating this behaviour, although some males, whilst practising the old boys club, still insist it aint happening. Rather than address it, it is better to not admit it occurs or to ridicule You only have to watch the politics to see it. A recent example was the Kim Beasley / Jillian Gillard scenario and how all the old boys pulled together and the girls pulled away for fear of being *branded* trouble causers.
It can be exacerbating for highly skilled people to find *suitable* work and the more you are at *the thin end of the wedge* the tougher you are likely to find it. That's not to say don't keep trying, nor is it to put anyone off. Finding the right job for the right salary and the right company will happen.
Persistence, tenacity and intelligence got most to where they are in the first place. These qualities usually pay off. Eventually
The real frustration lies within issues we have very little control over. For me, it was knowing that in Brisbane / Queensland I was less likely to be successful as a female senior manager in Logistics than say if I worked in Sydney or Melbourne. Also Aus is exactly as UK was 10/15 years ago in it's thinking. The Australian market consists of 53% female employees & 47% male employees yet only 20% of senior decision makers within business are female i.e. 80% of senior decision makers in Australian business are male.
The *boys club* exists in Australia good and proper. A male can say things to *the boss* that a female would not get away with. Ironically, the females within business can be the worse in terms of perpetuating this behaviour, although some males, whilst practising the old boys club, still insist it aint happening. Rather than address it, it is better to not admit it occurs or to ridicule
You only have to watch the politics to see it. A recent example was the Kim Beasley / Jillian Gillard scenario and how all the old boys pulled together and the girls pulled away for fear of being *branded* trouble causers. It can be exacerbating for highly skilled people to find *suitable* work and the more you are at *the thin end of the wedge* the tougher you are likely to find it. That's not to say don't keep trying, nor is it to put anyone off. Finding the right job for the right salary and the right company will happen.
Persistence, tenacity and intelligence got most to where they are in the first place. These qualities usually pay off. Eventually
Are you sure you're not some sort of industry consultant? 
Jul 15th 2006, 7:06 pm
#32
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,940
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
It gets worse: the company I work for doesn't have any branches in Australia. Company's been running since the 50's; biggest plant hire complany in the UK; fourth largest in the world... but they still haven't reached Australia. Figure that one out.
Jul 15th 2006, 7:40 pm
#33
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,997
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
It gets worse: the company I work for doesn't have any branches in Australia. Company's been running since the 50's; biggest plant hire complany in the UK; fourth largest in the world... but they still haven't reached Australia. Figure that one out.
Also, is it an Aussie company? If not you can bet your bottom dollar someone here does it better, cheaper and already has a big slice of the market. Then there's the politics of course. Australia is very protective of it's own and is reluctant to make it easy for others to come in.
Big country, small population, logistically spread out and already a *saturated* market. These are *usually* the reason.
Jul 15th 2006, 8:13 pm
#34
Melbourne Australia
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 4,169
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Originally Posted by phoenixinoz
Logistics and cost. Usually it's because it's too expensive to move stuff around. Same old story i.e not many customers / too far to transport therefore satellite stations required hence entry into the market astronomical.
Also, is it an Aussie company? If not you can bet your bottom dollar someone here does it better, cheaper and already has a big slice of the market. Then there's the politics of course. Australia is very protective of it's own and is reluctant to make it easy for others to come in.
Big country, small population, logistically spread out and already a *saturated* market. These are *usually* the reason.
Also, is it an Aussie company? If not you can bet your bottom dollar someone here does it better, cheaper and already has a big slice of the market. Then there's the politics of course. Australia is very protective of it's own and is reluctant to make it easy for others to come in.
Big country, small population, logistically spread out and already a *saturated* market. These are *usually* the reason.
Your experience sounds familar phoenixinoz. Did you work at The Body Shop? or M&S?
Kiwi
Jul 15th 2006, 8:30 pm
#35
Fighting my corner
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 11,948
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Originally Posted by rossifumi
There's obviously a reason for that. Has Australia's biggest plant hire company reached the UK yet, do they need to?
Our company is highly competitive, with a turnover of around £500 million. We have standing contracts with some of the biggest companies in the UK. If we can't make it in Australia, there's something very wrong with the order of the universe.
Last edited by Vash the Stampede; Jul 15th 2006 at 8:47 pm.
Jul 15th 2006, 8:46 pm
#36
Fighting my corner
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 11,948
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Originally Posted by phoenixinoz
Logistics and cost. Usually it's because it's too expensive to move stuff around. Same old story i.e not many customers / too far to transport therefore satellite stations required hence entry into the market astronomical.
Also, is it an Aussie company? If not you can bet your bottom dollar someone here does it better, cheaper and already has a big slice of the market. Then there's the politics of course. Australia is very protective of it's own and is reluctant to make it easy for others to come in.
Big country, small population, logistically spread out and already a *saturated* market. These are *usually* the reason.
I'm sure there are some international plant hire companies in Australia, so it's got to be possible.
Jul 15th 2006, 9:36 pm
#37
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,940
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
I don't think we've even got an Aussie plant hire company capable of reaching the UK.
Our company is highly competitive, with a turnover of around £500 million. We have standing contracts with some of the biggest companies in the UK. If we can't make it in Australia, there's something very wrong with the order of the universe.
Our company is highly competitive, with a turnover of around £500 million. We have standing contracts with some of the biggest companies in the UK. If we can't make it in Australia, there's something very wrong with the order of the universe.
Jul 15th 2006, 10:35 pm
#38
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,997
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Originally Posted by thebears
Always time to change things with a new company created in Oz but with International management?
Your experience sounds familar phoenixinoz. Did you work at The Body Shop? or M&S?
Kiwi
Your experience sounds familar phoenixinoz. Did you work at The Body Shop? or M&S?
Kiwi
Jul 15th 2006, 10:42 pm
#39
High in the Dandenongs
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Listening to Puffing Billy
Posts: 9,183
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Originally Posted by phoenixinoz
Nope....I must have a nicer smelling and better dressed twin
Jul 15th 2006, 10:43 pm
#40
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 246
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Originally Posted by rossifumi
What I'm saying is, why do you consider that the company you work for has to make it in Australia? Vash, I'm a little confused.
Jul 15th 2006, 10:45 pm
#41
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,997
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
Our company is highly competitive, with a turnover of around £500 million. We have standing contracts with some of the biggest companies in the UK. If we can't make it in Australia, there's something very wrong with the order of the universe.
Also, turnover does not equal profit. Not sure what profit your type of organisation makes but I hazzard a guess you'd be lucky to make £100m pa...and out of that are operating costs.
Not much left pa to invest in the likes of a big country 12,000 miles away with a small population and a widly distributed market, to be shared with others already there. That's my guess, could be wrong though....
Jul 15th 2006, 10:48 pm
#42
High in the Dandenongs
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Listening to Puffing Billy
Posts: 9,183
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Matt sent his resume out to heaps of companies before we left England. Once we had had our jaunt round Aus and a few days bumming round at my cousins house he decided to check his e mails. A company was asking him to call. So he did. Went for an interview the next day and got the job. Stayed there 6 months and hated it. Applied for a new one and got that and loved it. They have been total stars through all our dramas and Matt hopes to return sometime next year
Me, i got the first job i applied for but turned it down cos the owner was a bitch queen. Got the next job i applied for and the owner is one of my best friends
Good luck to all on the hunt for work, keep your chins up cos the next one could be yours
Me, i got the first job i applied for but turned it down cos the owner was a bitch queen. Got the next job i applied for and the owner is one of my best friends
Good luck to all on the hunt for work, keep your chins up cos the next one could be yours
Jul 15th 2006, 10:51 pm
#43
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,997
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
Logistics and cost? This company has branches in the Canada, the US and the Orient - including Singapore, for crying out loud! .
. Maybe you should ask the CEO
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
It's a UK company. But I sincerely doubt that any Aussie company could beat us on price; they're simply wouldn't have the buying power, the range of stock, or the financial reserves to compete. Nor do I know of any legal issues that would keep us out..
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
Fair comment, but if we did it in Canada and the US (arguably the most protectionist market in the world) we can do it in Australia, where most plant hire groups seem to be largely specialised. By contrast, we offer absolutely everything - from main plant to small tools; power generation to traffic control.I'm sure there are some international plant hire companies in Australia, so it's got to be possible.
Jul 15th 2006, 10:52 pm
#44
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Posts: 3,997
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Originally Posted by hevs
Yeah. The anti pheonix
Ayup chuck.....hows it going?
I'm in smelly Melly tomorra
Jul 16th 2006, 7:44 am
#45
Fighting my corner
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 11,948
Re: Are you finding it difficult to get work?
Originally Posted by rossifumi
What I'm saying is, why do you consider that the company you work for has to make it in Australia? Vash, I'm a little confused.
This issue is important to me on a personal level, since I'm not looking forward to leaving this job behind when I go home. I'd much rather be in a position to transfer to an equivalent position within an Australian wing of the company.
Trouble is, we don't have one.
Last edited by Vash the Stampede; Jul 16th 2006 at 7:51 am.
