Getting a Job in Sydney

Now I will be backtracking a bit and talking about our struggle for getting jobs in Sydney.Like I mentioned in my earlier posts, for me and my partner it was tougher than most normal Indian couples trying for a job.Reason being our niche backgrounds.In short we both didn't come from job backgrounds as we were self employed back home in Delhi.Now that's where it gets tricky.Right from the beginning we pushed harder for my partner to get a job as her qualifications and the area she worked in were more in demand.She had a degree in commerce,an MBA and also a CFA.Little did we realize the problems that would create.Even though the hiring had slowed down,she did get a few interviews and all the interviewers were amazed at her qualifications and the subjects she had done.One of the gentlemen who interviewed her had requested a copy of one her term subjects list to show his colleagues at the amountof subjects she had to study.He was astounded there were so many.The Australian educational system is very different and to be very frank our system in India is tough compared to theirs.Probably because of the competition created due to the teeming millions we have.Australia's population is only a little more than Delhi's population.Anyway after a few interviews it was very obvious that the interviewers thought she was "over qualified" and also didn't have any "Local experience".We found both of these terms ridiculous and hard to comprehend. But we had to get around it somehow as an income was required and quick.The last interview where the gentleman had asked to keep copies of her marksheets, was at Deloittes and one of my partner's family friends,Mr Frederic D'Moraes had very kindly asked his daughter who worked there to find an opening.She was kind enough to refer my partner for an interview to one of her bosses.Mind you this interview was just after Christmas and that was the last one for the year.By then my partner and I decided that we would have to down-play our education and work experience which was difficult as you have to minimise certain parts and add to some.Now we were just applying for her with "Admin" background and just a commerce degree.It finally paid off when GE Money recruited her where she did a boring Admin job but it paid the bills.I kept trying in the Fashion line and didn't get any calls.After a few months I got dejected and tried in all other jobs like sales,including car sales and marketing and others which didn't require previous experience. I went for many interviews for jobs like door to door selling of photographs for a studio.I was not sure any white person would open their doors to a brown man like myself so I didn't bother doing it to prove myself correct.An interview with a company called FoneZone took me to a far off place called liverpool which was a 40 minute train ride from where I lived in Croydon.They didn't give it to me saying they found a "more suitable candidate".

That was the last straw and convinced no one was going to give me any jobs based on my resume, I also followed my partner's path and took up a job related to admin by tailoring my resume to what the employer wanted.This is crucial, to use the key words that the advertisement used in your covering letter and resume.It was a smart move as that helped us get an apartment,go on a few trips,buy a car and live a normal life.Freedom to do things we wanted to do and buy things we wanted to buy was a big step.

So my advice to all those haven't worked in some known companies or MNC'S, in other words from a niche background, please pick up whatever job comes first and earn some money and get stabilised.Later you can look for a more suitable job.There are opportunities, you just need to know how the system works.Good luck mate!