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I have seen several people posting both questions and real stories about job searching and keeping motivated. Working in employment services here are some of my tips.

1. Be prepared – get yourself ready with your portfolio, resume, interview clothes, and your interests/areas of expertise to look for work

2. Prepare others – prepare everyone around you that you are looking for work and ask them to help keep you motivated and assist with preparing responses to interview questions

3. Create or update your resume – make sure you have a resume that is up to date, try not to leave gaps and if you have gaps think of creative ways to say the reason why you weren’t working – say you were travelling, on maternity leave, on sick leave etc, ensure your details are up to date and correct – employers won’t appreciate having to chase you for your correct email or address, let the referees know they are on your resume so they can be prepared. Keep it professional but also remember to put in extra-cirricular activities that would assist you in a job such as being part of a sports team, volunteering at church, helping out in the kids classrooms etc.

4. Keep applying – for every job there are probably well over 100 other people going for the job so sometimes your resume may not get seen or you just may miss out by one person of getting an interview or the job. It can be disheartening but the more you apply the more likely you will get a job and motivation is a trait employers like.

5. Use your network – Ask people you know if they have any jobs going where they work or if there is anyone they know of looking for someone. If you frequent a local club, shop, or facility in your area ask them about a job – if they know your face they are more likely to want to give you a chance.

6. Research the company – this can allow you to tailor your resume to the qualities, traits, and services the company provides as well as assisting to answer questions “when” you get that interview

7. Don’t lie but don’t be negative – if you lie on your resume or in your interview it is likely the company will find out once you commence the job. Think of your weaknesses but put them in a positive light – ie I am not good with computers but I am willing to learn

8. Attend training, courses, information sessions relevant to the jobs you want to do – everything on your resume counts and the more activities you do in preparation for commencing work the better it will look for an employer. If you need assistance with paying for course and are on Centrelink job service providers can sometimes assist.

FAKE IT TIL YOU MAKE IT – make a good impression, be professional and be prepared


Posted anonymously, 31st July 2014


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  • Thanks for sharing your job tips – always a good resource to have on file.

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  • Excellent tips! Pretty much everything my daughter has done. As well as continue her education to get a qualification which got her a better job

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  • great story to read

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  • We going for interviews, I used to like being prepare with questions I could ask.

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  • these are great tips. very nice list and it is very thorough

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  • Great tips! I find LinkedIn great when needing to ‘use your network’ and ‘research the company’. It also sends you jobs emails related to your area of expertise.

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  • thanks for the tips these should come in handy for anyone looking for work

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  • Great tips, will pass them on to both my kids who are looking for work

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  • These are some great pointers thank you so much i will be passing these onto my daughter.

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  • Thanks for the tips…have a son who is currently job-seeking and some of these points are particularly relevant. It is tough to keep going and trying knowing there are so many others probably applying for the same job. Persistence is under-rated!

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  • GREAT tips and advice and my son has done them all, now do you need a 22yr old with a BA in IT?
    Thanks for sharing.

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  • You certainly know your stuff, all helpful points.

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  • So many incredibly helpful ideas for people looking for work, thank you for putting them all in once place. I know a friend of mine is the Human Resources Manager for a large company and she said that people who research the company they are applying to always earn extra points with her.

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  • That is fantastic advice and it is so lovely of you to take the time to help others.

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