Feeling unlucky [job hunting]

newbiesh on 23/11/2015 - 13:41
Last edited 25/11/2015 - 16:05

hi
im a recent grad with good grades and fair experience.
currently looking for a job, the problem with me is, i do get to the interviews stage but get rejected afterwards.
I've been to almost 10 interviews and no luck to secure a job, not sure what am doing wrong…
I asked for feedback from my last interviewee and been told i presented myself well, i was confident etc etc etc
but still didn't offer me the job..
now i feel kind of unmotivated and negative towards any possible future interviews…
I've been told getting the interviews is actually the hard part and passing it is pretty but not in my case…
any advice?

edit: i don't have an accent nor disability and have the rights to work.

Education & Work

Comments

  • 2pro4sho on 23/11/2015 - 13:43

    What industry?

    • newbiesh on 23/11/2015 - 13:43
      +2

      engineering

      • redvaldez on 23/11/2015 - 15:13
        +31

        It's a terrible time to be an engineering graduate. The mining boom is slowing down and governments/Councils are not spending as much as they have in recent years. My old man is an experienced civil engineer/project manager and while he was quite busy from 2007 to 2012, the last 3 years have been ordinary to him. You might be a good candidate, but the issue is that there's a lot of other good candidates who are also looking for work.

        • Banana on 23/11/2015 - 19:59
          +1

          My ex-landlord said the same and she is in electrical engineering.

        • Thenarrator on 25/11/2015 - 07:23
          +2

          theres heaps of transport projects atm, westconnex is starting next year.. Property boom atm, heaps of building construction projects right NOW..apply for building contractors

        • Oliver on 25/11/2015 - 19:39

          so why are they interviewing for jobs if they're not hiring someone? you reply doesn't explain this particular situation faced by the OP.

        • redvaldez on 25/11/2015 - 22:57
          +5

          @Oliver:

          Refer back to my last sentence.

        • sareth on 26/11/2015 - 07:55

          @Oliver:
          They are hiring someone, that someone just doesn't happen to be OP (or me ha ha)

        • [Deactivated] on 26/11/2015 - 10:13
          +1

          @Oliver:

          I can't speak for Engineering but I've heard that happen in Law. They just want to see what the candidate calibre is and get an insight into competing firms' businesses.

      • Cyb3rGlitch on 24/11/2015 - 21:24
        +4

        What field of engineering?

      • zeomega on 24/11/2015 - 23:55

        Which field? ^^What he asked.

      • piggyfund on 26/11/2015 - 22:06
        +2

        I don't know what places you are applying for but for some positions they already have someone in mind and just going through the process so nothing to do with you personally, have you thought about a recruitment agency? they are pretty motivated to place you in a role.

        • GameChanger on 26/11/2015 - 22:31

          How does a recruitment agency work?

          I thought they're the scum of the earth?

        • piggyfund on 26/11/2015 - 22:36

          @GameChanger: I've gotten good work from agencies because if they think you are employable they will really convince employers to hire you and by not putting too many people forward.

        • GameChanger on 26/11/2015 - 22:38

          @piggyfund: How did you go to them? Email them?

        • piggyfund on 26/11/2015 - 22:46

          @GameChanger: I usually find them on seek and email but they get a ton of emails so follow it up with a call. Then they do a quick phone screening and ask you to come in to do some tests and in person interview. These take a while as there are a lot of forms to fill in but if you make the effort you will be working in no time. If you agree to do temp work very often they offer you a full time job if you are good, this happens a fair bit or if you don't like it you can just decline and move on. For temp jobs I just turn up to the job - no second interview. For permanent positions there will be a second or third interview but you are up again about 3-5 people, not too many. If you are really good and reliable the agency will chase you.

        • GameChanger on 26/11/2015 - 22:50

          @piggyfund: But a graduate with very little experience wouldn't be worth much to them I suppose?

        • piggyfund on 27/11/2015 - 08:45

          @GameChanger: You'd be surprised. If graduates have little experience but know how to use Microsoft Office well, you can still get work in an office for some experience. You can get paid while looking for work and you may get a job offer within that company. It may be a bit of a jump if they want a receptionist when you are a scientist but it's just an option for those looking for work. I like temp work as it helps me save for trips etc.

        • JetBombat on 27/11/2015 - 22:19

          @GameChanger: Same as real estate, they sell product (you) and get a comission. Better products get auctioned, ordinary ones get crappy ad space if any at all.

    • letmethefuqin on 23/11/2015 - 17:47
      +10

      If It makes you feel better..

      A job recently came available in a niche industry that I have 4 years experience in the role (7 years in the industry). In a small town that I applied for.
      In short, I was certain I would get the job. the chances of finding someone with experience in that industry alone was very rare. Even if it was advertised in a major city the chances of finding someone would be very very slim.

      I called about the role every 6 days for a month.
      Where I was told that they had not interviewed yet right up to the last phone call where they said the position had been filled.

      So I know how you feel, i was the most qualified with industry experience and I still couldn't get an interview.

      Good luck! :)

      • serpserpserp on 24/11/2015 - 20:26
        +1

        Guess they found someone with experience. Or a cheap grad.

        • tryagain on 25/11/2015 - 10:21
          +15

          More likely they already had someone lined up for the job and were advertising merely to tick the necessary box. If you were an ideal candidate your application might have got misfiled.

        • scrimshaw on 25/11/2015 - 11:47
          +6

          @tryagain:

          Yeah many job vacancies are like that. They usually internally advertise but because of regulations they also have to advertise on Seek. But they have zero intention to hire you because they already have a certain pool of people in mind to pick from.

        • serpserpserp on 25/11/2015 - 18:49

          @tryagain:

          You realize the person they had lined up (supposedly) could have been as or more qualified than you? Do you know the person that was hired in the end since this town is so small?

        • tryagain on 25/11/2015 - 20:14
          +4

          @serpserpserp:
          I am guessing you are getting me andletmethefuqin mixed up but if the people could fit the requirements were as rare as suggested and he didn't even get an interview it points to them already having someone for the job.

  • Davo1111 on 23/11/2015 - 14:12
    +2

    same situation as you. It's an employers market for sure.

    I have a feeling HR just recruit as per standard, but never get it signed off when it comes to contract time.

  • Mikinoz on 23/11/2015 - 14:15
    +5

    One thing i would always recommend is practice, use the job agencies as a good way to practice and refine your interview techniques.

    https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140617064927-77876878-99-in…

    Some good advice here

  • tonka on 23/11/2015 - 14:18
    +13

    Make sure you have researched the company and can tell the interviewer about it. I personally think this is silly but it is essential.

    Just consider the interviews you have done as practice.

    Some things you won't get honest feedback on if it is a matter of accent/communication skills, hairdo, smell etc.

    Always say stuff to sound keen on the job and excited to have a chance at it.

    If possible you want to try and connect with the interviewer and make friends with them in that 30-60 mins allowed to you. Talk about lot's of personal interests when asked and try and peak their interest. From there you can engage in a personal conversation and your chances have doubled.

    • theStinge on 24/11/2015 - 18:26
      +8

      pique their interest.

    • hahaboy on 24/11/2015 - 23:52
      +1

      engaging the interviewer, and naturally having a conversation about their personal interests is good.

      Another good one before / after the interview is over is to ask how their day is going, and if they have a lot of other interviews for the day? Do they like this away from their day-to-day operations?

  • Austin 316 on 23/11/2015 - 14:20
    +5

    Don't be disheartened and keep trying. My manager once told me that if you apply for 100 jobs, you get an interview for only 15 of them and can get only 1 job offer. So take this as an advice and keep on learning from each interview.

    • serpserpserp on 24/11/2015 - 20:28
      +11

      Your manager was obviously trying to keep you in that role. Making people fearful of the job market is a good way to keep them.

  • rambutann on 23/11/2015 - 15:03
    +16

    Just by looking at the way that you have typed out the description to this forum would make me not want to hire you.

    Maybe its something to do with your personality? You can be the smartest person in the world but you will struggle to get a job in a lot of industries if you are an awkward turtle.

    Not just that, if you don't present yourself in a way that shows that you can get along with anyone and everyone it is likely that you wont get a job.

    In saying this, keep trying and im sure somebody will accept you.

    I have the opposite issue to you, I struggle to get the interviews but once I get them 99% of the time I get the job.

    • newbiesh on 23/11/2015 - 15:16
      +2

      Just by looking at the way that you have typed out the description to this forum would make me not want to hire you.
      - what makes you to say that?
      and also are you an engineer yourself?

      • rambutann on 23/11/2015 - 15:43
        +3

        Your attention to detail.
        Obviously your resume would be much better but im just saying from what I have observed of you.

        Nope.

        I could be wrong but im assuming you will also be up against a lot of competition, making it harder to land a job.

        • ClawShrimp on 23/11/2015 - 16:01
          +13

          Poor grammar is an instant 'no' from me, too; but this clearly isn't an issue as he's progressing through to interview.

          As mentioned above, it's an employer's market. The last position I advertised received 130 applications. At the end of the day, 129 of the applicants will be disappointed.

          I don't know you, so please take the following with a grain of salt.

          1. Don't confuse arrogance with confidence. Don't over-sell yourself. You might be the best man for the job; but a touch of humility goes a long way. It's a balancing act.

          2. Don't pre-prepare too much. Sure, do your research; but don't treat this as a speech. If you sound rehearsed, you'll sound inauthentic.

          3. Ask questions about the working environment; but never about salary.

          …I could go on; but ultimately you're on the right track.

          Best of luck!

        • noyesmaybeok on 23/11/2015 - 16:27
          +1

          I advertised received 130 applications. At the end of the day, 129 of the applicants will be disappointed.

          This is key. In the big picture assuming there were only 25 applicants per job, even if you were under good consideration there's still a good chance there was 1 person that bit better every time. If you're converting well applications->interviews then on paper you're fine, it's another aspect that needs to be improved.

          Being a recent grad, what is your experience?
          Could you create some example work so you can demonstrate knowledge and skills?

        • stephendt on 23/11/2015 - 17:05
          +2

          +1, as an employer I picked up exactly the same thing.

        • DeafMutePretender on 23/11/2015 - 22:31

          @ClawShrimp:

          Poor grammar is an instant 'no' from me

          Word up, homie. Speaking as an employer, the candidate I have my eye on might very well be the top of his/her class, but as soon as I see one instance of an incorrectly used apostrophe, that's also an instant 'no' from me.

        • mavis30551 on 26/11/2015 - 15:50

          @ClawShrimp:

          Salary is so taboo but salary is an important thing to know. If there were no mention of the salary range in the job advertisement I would definitely ask what the starting salary is.

          I've started jobs before and found out the first pay how bad it was, never again.

        • ClawShrimp on 27/11/2015 - 10:10

          @mavis30551: If there's no mention of salary range in the job ad, I wouldn't even bother applying.

          Not sure how you would only find out how bad your salary was after your first pay. Surely you had to sign a contract at some point.

      • snook on 26/11/2015 - 14:44
        +2

        Maybe you're fine on paper (did you do your CV or did someone else?) and that's why you're getting interviews … but
        then you talk like you write and use incorrect grammar and words and that's it, you're cut.

        You should get a third party to test out your actual interview skills.

    • T1OOO on 24/11/2015 - 20:02
      -4

      Ignore this fool. He will do you more harm than good.

  • BigTed on 23/11/2015 - 17:14
    +1

    Little mistakes can be a big deal when you are competing against a lot of other strong candidates.
    For me, once I decide whether they can do the work, the next thing I look for is, do I want to work with this person?
    Your ability to make friends and fit into the work culture might be an issue.

  • cypher67 on 23/11/2015 - 17:55
    +14

    Start mixing it up in your interviews. They don't want another yes man, you need to make a lasting impression and be someone that want to work with. Hundreds of people have good grades and speak well. Take a few risks and experiment. First thing I do is gauge the sort of person they are looking for and then do my best to be that person. If they want leadership I focus on those aspects, if they want fresh thinking I go down that path. Don't be generic, Engineers are a dime a dozen atm. Grow a beard or anything to give yourself an edge. Also don't be afraid to show them your personality, use starwars cuff links if that is what you are into. Learn the current industry buzz words like "Productivity", "Meaningful conversations", "Eliminate the waste", "Antidisestablishmentarianism" (If you can use that correctly in a sentence you are a shoe in). Try some movie quotes in the correct context, dont be afraid to say a joke or 2 (Avoid "that's what she said"). Make sure you ask them questions to show that you are not just after any job, its a 2 way interview and state what you want to get out of it. Research the company you are interviewing for and during your question time ask them about some aspects. This may not be the best example but watch the first Episode of suits, obviously don't go that full on but the idea is correct, you need to stand out. You may crash and burn a few times, but its a learning process. Good luck - may the odds forever be in your favour.

    • rompastompa on 23/11/2015 - 22:40
      +1

      While reading the first part of your post, suits came into mind :) you articulated it well :)

    • DeafMutePretender on 23/11/2015 - 22:46
      +1

      Grow a beard or anything to give yourself an edge.

      I agree, to an extent. As an employer, I love beards. I have one myself. However, it's a balancing act. You want to grow yourself enough beard to give yourself an "edge" over your beardless compatriots. But you don't want to grow your beard to the extent that it gives viewers the impression "don't make me mad otherwise I will suicide bomb you". There's edgy, and there's too edgy.

      dont be afraid to say a joke or 2 (Avoid "that's what she said").
      Research the company you are interviewing for

      These two tips go hand-in-hand. Researching the company is about researching the "culture". It's about fitting in. What better way to fit in than to tell a joke and get everyone laughing. However, humour is subjective so what works in one workplace may not work in another.

      Here are a few examples:

      "Women eh? They're all irrational emotional creatures who need us logical rational men for support!"
      This may elicit chuckles in a male-dominated Engineering workplace but not so much in a Victoria's Secret fashion store.

      "What's with white people and their obsession with Chinese tattoos? 'Dragon, Strength, Apple Juice, Happy, Penguin' WTF am I reading LOL!"
      This may inspire nods of approval in a Chinese restaurant but feedback won't be as positive in a white-majority law firm.

      "Why are poor people so poor! 'Ending the cycle of poverty?' I got a solution. A final solution. They should just kill themselves! Problem solved!"
      This may cause guffaws of laughter in a Gina Rinehart-owned mining company board meeting but try saying the same thing, uhh, anywhere else.

      • HeartFeltAxe on 24/11/2015 - 20:11
        -3

        you don't want to grow your beard to the extent that it gives viewers the impression "don't make me mad otherwise I will suicide bomb you".

        Made me laugh, good joke xD

  • DeafMutePretender on 23/11/2015 - 22:46
    +1

    im a recent grad with good grades and fair experience.

    "Good" ain't good enough these days I think. The less said about "fair" the better.

    • serpserpserp on 24/11/2015 - 20:31
      +3

      You think? So you don't know?

    • centrelink on 25/11/2015 - 18:30
      +1

      I find that people who have a huge range of skills like Leonardo Da Vinci would get jobs quite easily anywhere in the world. Just copy Leonardo Da Vinci and then you will be getting offers.

  • Tcm9669 on 24/11/2015 - 08:01
    +21

    Just got offered a job yesterday (moving up as a senior engineer, was a grad 4 years ago) , so listen up :). Sorry for any mistakes, I'm on phone.

    1. Research the company, take keywords off their about us website and mention them in the interview.

    2. Read the job description - know what you want from that job and Know what they want from you.

    3. Think and know what kinda culture you want in a team, what values are important.

    4. Be there 10 mins early, not sooner not later. If you're there too early go for a coffee, relax and take a walk

    5. Once you are in there, have a chat with them. This is not a speech, don't be green. NEVER BE GREEN. Always talk normally, at a normal pace.

    6. Be confident in what your saying through prior experience and research. Know the bs that's coming out, or they will call you up on it

    7. Sit properly but relax on the chair, put you arms on the table and look confident.

    8. Vendor jokes, if being interviewed by engineers… Omfg, they love vendor jokes! Mention how shitty something else is, how it always hits bugs and makes you cry. They love it. They deal with this pain everyday! They want someone that can relate. You will make their top list

    9. Talk about experience, if your an engineer that make a squid proxy lab at home, installed Palo alto on a vm and it's now your house firewall mention it, if you troubleshooted your sister laptop coz it wasn't working and you realised that she set a static IP and there was an IP conflict on the network… So many more things!!

    10. Answer technical questions with examples where possible. The best way I feel is, I have a list of stories about good troubleshooting that I did at home, self study and at work and you pick some to answer your questions. If they ask something like "what do you know about tcpip", don't go list the layers etc etc like you learned on paper at school. Tell them how you used wireshark to troubleshoot connectivity issues on your laptop and how you physically saw the syn, synack and then noticed no data packets but reset packets instead. How you analysed that packet and realised the end machine was explicitly denying your traffic due to it sending a reset back.. Etc etc etc

    Be smart. Engineers love jokes and stories. Relax, improve your skills even at home quite easily. Forget your grades and books and play around with wireshark, vmware networks, Microsoft raas, iptables routing etc. These are all things you can set up and use on your personal laptop for free to gain real experience.. And stories to tell!! Experience isn't just gained from a previous job.

    This will get you a job.

    • serpserpserp on 24/11/2015 - 20:36
      +20

      Squid proxy? What are we in the 1990s? How would your sister even know how to set a static IP address? OP don't talk about this grade school I.T talk here. OP is an actual engineer, not I.T admin.

    • ChillBro on 24/11/2015 - 21:42

      moving up as a senior engineer, was a grad 4 years ago

      Congrats! That's quite a fast pace. A lot of people I know have 10 years or more of experience but are still not seniors even though they have the capability.

      Were you promoted internally or did you go elsewhere?

      • GameChanger on 24/11/2015 - 21:51
        +1

        The question is he really a 'senior' engineer? Whilst you might have the title, the wages you're on tells the real story.

        • airzone on 26/11/2015 - 00:14
          +1

          Don't get me started on the automatic yearly promotions that happened in the Indian office of my last company.. Hello mr. "Senior Manager III, Engineering IT"

    • zeomega on 24/11/2015 - 23:54
      +11

      You sound more like IT rather than engineering.

      The annoying part of engineering in Australia is how loosely the term is used. Any Tom dick and harry with a weeks course of ccna can call themselves a "network engineer", whilst real engineers who went through 4 years of direct honours graduate with a deflated degree.

      • GameChanger on 25/11/2015 - 00:03

        Lots of tradies use the term engineer as well.

        But to be honest the standard of engineering in uni these days has dropped considerably. The entry levels are so low and it's very hard to fail at most uni's especially in the civil, mechanical and chemical streams.

        Still it's offensive when people misuse the title when they wouldn't do anything close to a engineer.

      • lisss on 26/11/2015 - 13:13

        LOL I agree. I'm not an engineer myself (nor do I work in IT) but I roll my eyes when someone calls themselves an engineer and it turns out that they're a "network engineer".

    • Roman Sandstorm on 26/11/2015 - 15:08
      +2

      This seems pretty sensible advice.

      But also… be a freakin' engineer. Use your intelligence and your math skills.

      Think about it. You've been to ten interviews. Say, an average of six people interviewed. Also say, you are average/equal in skills/capabilities of the other applicants.

      Statistically, you're probably barely even a single SD away from the norm yet. If you'd been to 50 interviews, then maybe. But, everything else being equal, there's nothing at all unusual about not having got a result yet. (Equate it to rolling a dice. You could easily go 10 or 15 rolls without a six, for example. Does not mean that the six is 'broken' or biased.)

      And… if in future you follow the logical advice given here, you may move higher up the 'all things being equal' list to having a slight advantage.

      With recent graduates, and not overly-much real world experience, it's very much a numbers game. Sadly, you've go to keep kissing those frogs.

      • GameChanger on 26/11/2015 - 15:10

        By kissing the frog, are you talking about sexual favours behind the scenes?

        • Roman Sandstorm on 26/11/2015 - 15:11

          LOL… was meant as a mild metaphor - not a flaming euphemism!

  • [Deactivated] on 24/11/2015 - 10:52
    +1

    I have interviewed hundreds of applicants for many different jobs and those who succeed almost always do so within the first few seconds of the interview.
    An experienced interviewer will be looking for the person who ticks all the boxes: skills, experience, appearance, attitude, reliability, honesty.
    Unless you are interviewed by an outside agency there will be at least one person in the room who will be looking at you as a future colleague. Don't forget that.
    I have read all the above about giving edgy answers and being a bit 'out there' and believe me it does not work.
    Persist and you will succeed.

    • braddsey on 25/11/2015 - 19:21
      +1

      100% agree with this. I'm a freelance consultant, but do a lot of the interviewing for the company I work for - so I'm the future of colleague. I work in IT (so can't fully relate to engineering), but when I interview I do a cursory pass over the "technical interview" part. I don't have perfect recall for most of the stuff I do, but when I need to know something I know how to find the answer - and this is what I look for in others.
      In an interview I'm more looking for "is this someone I can work with?", " is this someone who is going to make my job easier or harder?", "if I explaining something to this person are they going to listen and take it on board, or will it be easier to just do the job myself?".

      My management normally give me the call on who gets the position, that's why I'm in the interview. They realize that it's me who's working with you in the future - so my opinion normally counts for more.

  • momov3 on 24/11/2015 - 12:11
    +1

    If Engineering is a bad place to be, pity those in Mining or Geology - my son.

  • SlartiBartFozz on 24/11/2015 - 15:46
    +1

    Try agency hire companies — they make a cut of your contract rate, but they can get your foot in the door of your future employer, and it will serve you pretty well with experience.
    Getting an interview at all is a huge step forwards, you are succeeding, it is really a numbers game most of the time — I work in the same industry and typically I have had 10-15 interviews per placement, albeit it gets a little harder each year — not sure if it is ageing or a more crowded market, but I know there are vastly more 457 workers now than when I started!

  • zealmax on 24/11/2015 - 18:20
    +4

    50% Luck, 50% Beauty

    • Bargain-Man on 24/11/2015 - 18:50
      +7

      I'd say 50% Name

      • tonka on 24/11/2015 - 21:12
        +2

        This can be a factor.
        I'm not trying to be nasty and an employer will try not to racially profile but.

        One thing you get when you advertise a job is hundreds and hundreds of applications from people on student visas. It is like spam as they don't usually have the qualifications you advertised for but will apply for every job anyway. I think it helps with the visa?

        They are usually Chinese names and if you also have a Chinese name you may get lost in the crush. I personally try and go through the lot but sometimes you give up.

        I don't think this would be the problem as OP is reaching the interview stage but it is good for others to know as if they fall in this catagory they really need to differentiate their CV and application.

        OP should also note that just because a company does interviews it doesn't mean that the role is on the market. Many jobs are earmarked for internal candidates or friends and they go through the interviews to fulfill policy which is not really fair to people going to the trouble of attending. I have sat through many interviews when I knew the person had no chance before they even got there. I hate it 'cause I feel like I'm lying to them and I know I'm wasting their time.

        • GameChanger on 24/11/2015 - 21:44
          +1

          Government jobs are notorious for this! The job has been filled internally but because of policy they must interview the public.

    • DeafMutePretender on 24/11/2015 - 20:53
      +2

      50% Beauty

      Just to clarify on this point, if there are multiple suitable candidates for a particular job at a company then ceteris paribus, the candidate who is a tall, white/Caucasian, attractive, young male* will get the job over someone who is, for example, who is a short, brown, unattractive, old male.

      *If it's a male-dominated workplace/industry then a tall, white/Caucasian, attractive, young female would be preferred. Remember the oft-repeated maxim about employers wanting an employee who "fits into the company/workplace culture"? In some company cultures, it's all about eye-candy employees, and what better eye-candy than a tall, white/Caucasian, attractive, young female?

      Further reading: Why tall people make more money

      • ozkiwi75 on 24/11/2015 - 21:28
        +2

        And sometimes it's about gender diversity… or at least showing to be. I understand what they are trying to do, but unfortunately in my experience this has created positive discrimination to the point where the ideal candidate has been overlooked just to make up the quotas.

    • Serapis on 24/11/2015 - 21:59
      +3

      10% luck, 20% skill, 15% concentrated power of will…

      • zealmax on 24/11/2015 - 23:08
        +2

        55% Beauty

  • [Deactivated] on 24/11/2015 - 18:45

    Hate to be the bearer of bad news but the odds are stacked against you. There is thousands, 10s, 100s perhaps, of foreign graduates who'll do your job for less than you would, longer and without complaint. China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc. are churning out graduates at a dizzying rate, sometimes with dubious grades, and they'll get the job because they'll work for a wage you couldn't live on.

    I wish you luck.

    • momov3 on 24/11/2015 - 19:16
      +2

      That's news to me as I was just told that they have to pay the same rates to foreign students /graduates. If they are caught exploiting that, they are fined. Well so says the Hospitality industry. I used to think 457 visa workers who abound in Hospitality and are everywhere got paid less per hour. Since found out they earn the same minimum rate on weekdays $16 $18 like the Aussies. The difference is that the bosses who employ them get subsidised by the government and pocket more profit which is why they prefer to employ them than the local citizens. It's the same in retail.

      • [Deactivated] on 24/11/2015 - 19:35
        +4

        Foreign workers being poorly paid and treated is news to no one. Fines don't deter anyone from dodgy behaviour. Ask 7/11.

        Even if they are paid within the law they are paid at the absolute minimum, something most Aus trained & educated workers simply wouldn't agree to. They are also less likely to take holidays, use their sick leave or demand higher wages or promotions for fear it'll end their employment. As I said, there are thousands of potential employees to replace you. Just as you and I might throw away old technology or furniture and buy new stuff, business dismisses employees and hires new ones to save on costs.

        Glorious globalisation which was supposed to improve everyones' lives, so went the high-school propaganda I was taught, has simply created an uneven playing field in which many cannot compete.

        That's probably politically incorrect, but correct nonetheless.

        • DeafMutePretender on 24/11/2015 - 20:42
          +1

          Hopefully humans will breed at a slower rate in the future, otherwise not only will our wages/work conditions be at greater stake, but the environment and (scarce) natural resources.

          Even if they are paid within the law they are paid at the absolute minimum, something most Aus trained & educated workers simply wouldn't agree to. They are also less likely to take holidays, use their sick leave or demand higher wages or promotions for fear it'll end their employment.

          Worth mentioning also is that some of the Indians I've seen work like their lives depended on it. So if you can make 10 widgets in an hour at peak, he can make 15 in the same amount of time. It makes his "lazy" co-workers look bad but his employer sure appreciates it! Of course, the appreciation would end as soon as "Per hour net economic value generated from machine/automation" > "Per hour net economic value generated from hard working Indian", in that case, the door is that way, redundant human.

        • zeomega on 24/11/2015 - 21:57
          +1

          7/11 != Engineering or skilled worker.
          Are you in the engineering field and is your comment based on experience?

        • GameChanger on 24/11/2015 - 22:44

          @zeomega: If you didn't know India is if not one of the best places for engineering. The outsourcing of engineering work to India already happened couple of years back. The only issue is that sometimes the work needs to be redone because (1) Miscommunication of information (language barrier) (2) Doesn't comply with Australian standards. As the years pass, this issue gets far less and the fact you can hire a whole team of engineers in India for the price of 1 here and still save is very hard to resist.

        • zeomega on 24/11/2015 - 23:43

          @GameChanger:

          Interesting.
          Could you please provide examples of which fields of engineering are being outsourced and in what capacity?

        • [Deactivated] on 25/11/2015 - 00:19

          @zeomega:

          I was simply using the recent 7/11 issue as an example of even big companies which should know better mistreating workers because they know they can.

          While not specifically in engineering myself, this issue is across multiple fields. Blue collar, highly trained or skilled blue collar, and white collar. If workers aren't imported, work is sent overseas. A lot of highly skilled people used to feel safe, thinking it was only the menial tasks done by the lowest classes which would be affected but now every vocation is potentially a target for local cut backs.

          I hate to sound all "they took our jobs" but that is the way it is looking and the future doesn't seem particularly bright.

    • ItsMeAgro on 25/11/2015 - 13:52
      +1

      Calm down Tony, they're not "tooking" as many of our "jerbs" as you might think.

      I'm in IT, so at least 90% of resumes I get seem to be from people of Chinese/Indian/[insert whatever race seems threatening to you here] background.

      But a large number of those fall into one of these categories:

      • Resume fail: Don't have a visa to work here
      • Resume fail: Their written English communications skills are very poor
      • Phone fail: Bothered to at least spell-check the resume, but fail the phone interview because I (with all my experience with every accent under the sun) honestly can't tell what they are saying, because their spoken English communications skills are very poor
      • Interview fail: Can communicate in English fine, but got into IT to make money and don't really have an interest in technology so don't "get" important concepts
      • Interview fail: Got a degree and/or work experience overseas, where the curriculum was poorly designed, even compared to here, so they can only memorise textbook stuff, and suck up to their self-important tiny-despot bosses, not actually solve problems for customers.

      So actually white Australians still do OK in the kind of job anyone would like to work in (not so sure about back-breaking menial labour, but creative, interesting work is still around).

      • [Deactivated] on 25/11/2015 - 20:17
        +1

        This has nothing to do with race (really, grow up), it has to do with fair competition and the diminishing standards. Your experience only adds to problem: you have so much of your time wasted by candidates with poor standards its not unfair to wonder how many qualified ones get over looked or lost in the noise.

        I.T. is arguably one of the worst industries when it comes to outsourcing everything, including very sensitive data management, and having the customer service standards take a drastic nose-dive.

  • HeartFeltAxe on 24/11/2015 - 18:56
    +5

    the problem with me is, i do get to the interviews stage but get rejected afterwards. no luck still securing a job, not sure what am I doing wrong

    Mate, there is nothing wrong with # you you are just having bad luck right now things will shape up, dont worry.
    Remember,
    Impossible = Im-Possible :D

    • NamandSpam on 26/11/2015 - 10:06

      I like that man! Thumbs up!

  • wau2 on 24/11/2015 - 19:11
    +4

    It's all about work fit and whether you will get along with the team, no matter how experienced you are. My boss once said 'you can teach skill, but you can't teach personality'

  • poboy on 24/11/2015 - 20:01
    -1

    If you have a foreign sounding name, change it to something more Aussie just for your resume and interview.

    • serpserpserp on 24/11/2015 - 20:38
      +2

      OP is getting interviews.

    • ItsMeAgro on 25/11/2015 - 13:57

      This doesn't apply to OP, he's getting interviews.

      But it's worth considering. I try very hard to be fair, so I was able to find and hire an awesome guy who goes by Harry at work, even though he used his Chinese name on the resume, and was hard to spot amongst all the spam resumes from people with no visas that make up the bulk of resumes you get.

  • [Deactivated] on 24/11/2015 - 20:06
    +2

    Everyone has covered everything so just sending more luck your way :)
    There will come a day when you will be giving the advice that worked for you to graduates having difficulties :)

  • T1OOO on 24/11/2015 - 20:06
    -1

    There is no "better" candidate. Everyone can do the job and do it well. Hell we have only 5% unemployment rate so you can imagine the rift raft getting hired. It comes down to likability. Do they like you ? On a personal level. That's it. Do they wona see your face every day in and out ?

    • DeafMutePretender on 24/11/2015 - 20:36
      +1

      Do they wona see your face every day in and out ?

      tl;dr Uglies go away plz?

      • zealmax on 24/11/2015 - 23:09
        +1

        I thought they were racist, then I looked in the mirror.

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