Canberra, you are difficult to find work in!

wildturkeycanoe said :

From what I hear, and this is word-of-mouth second person information, the PS is wrought with nepotism. For those who don’t know what that means, if you have a friend or a friend of a friend who is high enough in the system, you only have to ask them for help and you can get a foot in the door for a position in the industry. This means, that it isn’t necessarily your qualifications that get you a job nor how well you answer all their questions but rather, who is scrutinizing your application and how well you know them.

I try to be optimistic hope that nepotism in any government service is stuff that toilet wall graffiti is made of, but I’m not naive and know how the real world can operate. Hopefully I get employed on merit. It’s a great thing, and an achievement. That, and I don’t know that many people in high places in this town just yet! 😀

From what I hear, and this is word-of-mouth second person information, the PS is wrought with nepotism. For those who don’t know what that means, if you have a friend or a friend of a friend who is high enough in the system, you only have to ask them for help and you can get a foot in the door for a position in the industry. This means, that it isn’t necessarily your qualifications that get you a job nor how well you answer all their questions but rather, who is scrutinizing your application and how well you know them.
We’ve gone through the same thing in a small country town [pop 7000] with my wife having applied for 100+ jobs over the space of a year or so. We came to Canberra for a holiday, she applied for 3 jobs on a whim and ended up being asked to start work for two of them before the end of the week. That’s how we ended up becoming Canberrans. If only it was still that easy today….

ausbradr said :

wildturkeycanoe said :

Some people think they have all the answers don’t they ausbradr?
Just imagine if you posted about buying a car, specifically a 4 door 4wheel drive utility for instance, in the under $10,000 bracket. They’d have you attending BMW dealerships asking to test drive new sports coupes and criticizing you for not going all the way to Melbourne to find the cheap bargains.
Welcome to what’s commonly known as “having your head in the clouds”.

Yeah I had to laugh a little. I told my partner she was wasting her time with university. She could clearly apply for all 100s of positions in her field on seek with no issue, and find work! PMSL! :p

Okay, I’m just going to be straight up. If it seems rude then well… *shrug*

If you’ve really been applying for many jobs without success then perhaps its time you stopped taking the “its them, not me” approach and start finding out why you were knocked back or got no response. You seem to be a jack of all trades and master of none, do you have a specialisation that you’re focused on if you are working in IT? Its going to do you no good if you know a little bit about a lot with no direction on what you want to do.

You can cable, all well and good but what are you? An electrician? A cabler? A network engineer? A DBA?

If you really do have server / db experience then its also no good if the extent of that is ‘I saw a guy use NT4 once’. If you’re older than 25 – 30 then you’re going to have to stop with the “I’m not sure what I’m going to be when I grow up” and start looking at an area you want to stick to.

You have hobby linux experience? Well good for you, so does a good portion of the planet. The difference is turning that hobby into real enterprise level demonstrable skills otherwise, don’t waste your time in depending on something you’re not developing. If you put it on your resume and don’t know anything more than typing ‘startx’ then you are going to be caught out and if you are, you may as well just stand up and walk out of the interview. I’ve caught my share of ‘Linux specialists’ in interviews who didn’t know their greps from their awks. Their resumes were placed in the circular filing cabinet.

Do you tailor your resume to the role that you’re applying for or do you have a resume that you send out for all the roles? You need to have your resume bring to front the skills that the job you’re applying is looking for.

Is there something you’re not telling us? Have you finished high school? Have you got a uni degree? A TAFE qualification? Any vendor certs? undertaken any homestudy in vendor certs? Vendor training? Where is it that you stand in that regard.

I find it *extremely* hard to believe that someone with experience and qualifications would find it difficult to get an IT job in Canberra after a period of time. As I said, perhaps its time you stopped thinking of the “its them, not me” approach and start looking inward on why you may not be getting employment.

wildturkeycanoe said :

Some people think they have all the answers don’t they ausbradr?
Just imagine if you posted about buying a car, specifically a 4 door 4wheel drive utility for instance, in the under $10,000 bracket. They’d have you attending BMW dealerships asking to test drive new sports coupes and criticizing you for not going all the way to Melbourne to find the cheap bargains.
Welcome to what’s commonly known as “having your head in the clouds”.

Yeah I had to laugh a little. I told my partner she was wasting her time with university. She could clearly apply for all 100s of positions in her field on seek with no issue, and find work! PMSL! :p

It is tough. I took a VR from private last December and only managed to get in to PS at end of May. Must of done 100+ apps and attended 30 interviews. My advice is google the STAR method and cracking the code and get your standard Selection Criteria answers ready. They can generally be tweaked for most of the jobs. Once i figured that out, i would get an interview almost every time. Try and weave STAR method examples into interview questions too.

Thats only part 1 of your problem because many of the jobs have people acting in them and there is very little chance of them giving the job to an outsider. Hopefully you can find an agency which subscribes to a genuine merit based process where you can compete.

Just don’t give up – its just a matter of time.

taninaus said :

sorry but the selection criteria is the way we work. essentially it lets us assess all applicants on an even playing field – resumes are so variable you can’t really tell what the person can do against the qualifications and experience you need them to have.

Selection criteria are there to cover the selector’s arse in case the unselected ever challenge the selection process. The rest of the world seems to manage hiring quite well without them. And they hire people who can do the job based on their CV, not merely those good at writing selection criteria answers.

Some people think they have all the answers don’t they ausbradr?
Just imagine if you posted about buying a car, specifically a 4 door 4wheel drive utility for instance, in the under $10,000 bracket. They’d have you attending BMW dealerships asking to test drive new sports coupes and criticizing you for not going all the way to Melbourne to find the cheap bargains.
Welcome to what’s commonly known as “having your head in the clouds”.

Dilandach said :

One question though, are you looking at jumping on the APS gravy train or are you looking at private companies?

I’m looking at both.

Genie said :

You’ve talked about 5 months being unemployed, surely during this time you could have started studying a different area of IT to increase your chances.

If you’re as desperate for work as you’re making out, then you should be applying for a hell of alot more than 50 jobs in 3 months. Perhaps it’s time to step out of your comfort zone and work in a different area while still looking for something in your field.

Study with what money? I am living as frugally as I can because of this uncertainty. This month’s pay has been budgeted to last 3 months!

I’ve tried applying for positions in fields other than IT. More to the point I’ve had an interview, demonstrated I was capable / keen to do the job, yet I still get declined. There are other applications in that lot I’ve written that have been knocked back without any interview.

I get involved in recruitment at work and there are a lot of people looking around – particularly people seeking to get into the public service (who’d have thought!!). there are many more applicants at the lower levels and reasonable levels at the more senior admin levels in what I have seen and heard. this means you have to stand out and if you are applying for public service – sorry but the selection criteria is the way we work. essentially it lets us assess all applicants on an even playing field – resumes are so variable you can’t really tell what the person can do against the qualifications and experience you need them to have.

if you want to get better at addressing selection criteria there is plenty of information on the web and most particularly a book giving you all the info you need to do it well – buy/borrow a copy of ‘How to write and talk to selection criteria’ by Ann Villiers. She also has a website heavily targetting public service recruitment processes. If you get someone to help you write the response make sure it is in your voice and you can talk to it, it can be very easy to tell who hasn’t written their information when you get them into an interview!

Good luck with your job search.

Ok so here is where my issues lie, the OP is complaining bout how hard it has been to find work, but there is plenty of work out there. Just not in your preferred or skilled field.

You’ve talked about 5 months being unemployed, surely during this time you could have started studying a different area of IT to increase your chances.

If you’re as desperate for work as you’re making out, then you should be applying for a hell of alot more than 50 jobs in 3 months. Perhaps it’s time to step out of your comfort zone and work in a different area while still looking for something in your field.

Genie said :

50 applications ? Is that all ?

10 second search of Seek shows that 381 IT jobs have been posted in the last 2 weeks and there are 45 IT jobs currently listed on apsjobs.gov.au. But you’ve only applied for “50” since July.. which is also less than 1 per business day.

I’m not sure of your specialty – but if you were that desperate, there is over 400 IT jobs to submit an application for.

Not sure if they are still looking but I have friends that work for HP, Fujitsu and Telstra, as well as DAFF and AusAid (not that I’m sure AusAid exist still).

If I needed an indicator on whether you were taking the piss, this would be it. In all seriousness, that’s 50 applications for positions suited to my skills and qualifications.

Genie said :

50 applications ? Is that all ?

10 second search of Seek shows that 381 IT jobs have been posted in the last 2 weeks and there are 45 IT jobs currently listed on apsjobs.gov.au. But you’ve only applied for “50” since July.. which is also less than 1 per business day.

I’m not sure of your specialty – but if you were that desperate, there is over 400 IT jobs to submit an application for.

Not sure if they are still looking but I have friends that work for HP, Fujitsu and Telstra, as well as DAFF and AusAid (not that I’m sure AusAid exist still).

Actually applying for all 400 is about the worst thing you could do. What you want to do is limit your applications to your fields of expertise and grade. It’s little point been a junior developer and submitting a job for a senior systems architect. Not only would you not have a chance in hell of getting the job, it could tarnish your name in the industry.

ChrisinTurner said :

If you are a technician in IT you probably don’t qualify for most of the IT jobs advertised in Canberra. Try finding the private enterprise companies that do your sort of work (most departments use outside contractors) and go and knock on their door. You will have a job in less than a week.

^ And this is why it’s been 50 applications. Actually, make that 52 applications. I nabbed two more advertisements today. 🙂

If you are a technician in IT you probably don’t qualify for most of the IT jobs advertised in Canberra. Try finding the private enterprise companies that do your sort of work (most departments use outside contractors) and go and knock on their door. You will have a job in less than a week.

Genie said :

50 applications ? Is that all ?

10 second search of Seek shows that 381 IT jobs have been posted in the last 2 weeks and there are 45 IT jobs currently listed on apsjobs.gov.au. But you’ve only applied for “50” since July.. which is also less than 1 per business day.

I’m not sure of your specialty – but if you were that desperate, there is over 400 IT jobs to submit an application for.

Not sure if they are still looking but I have friends that work for HP, Fujitsu and Telstra, as well as DAFF and AusAid (not that I’m sure AusAid exist still).

Actually applying for all 400 is about the worst thing you could do. What you want to do is limit your applications to your fields of expertise and grade. It’s little point been a junior developer and submitting a job for a senior systems architect. Not only would you not have a chance in hell of getting the job, it could tarnish your name in the industry.

pink little birdie said :

any tips HarvyK1, we’re still looking…

My BF recent uni grad IT, no work been looking all year, can’t get nothing. It’s really tight atm anyway.
people want people with experience but you need a job to get experience. The old catch 22..

Network, network and then network some more. There are numerous networking events which are held around Canberra which recruiters and potential employer attend.

Been a recent uni grad he no doubt did some sort of work experience (in IT I would assume), if so give those places a call and speak with the supervisor he worked under. That’s how I got my foot into the industry.

Genie said :

50 applications ? Is that all ?

10 second search of Seek shows that 381 IT jobs have been posted in the last 2 weeks and there are 45 IT jobs currently listed on apsjobs.gov.au. But you’ve only applied for “50” since July.. which is also less than 1 per business day.

I’m not sure of your specialty – but if you were that desperate, there is over 400 IT jobs to submit an application for.

Not sure if they are still looking but I have friends that work for HP, Fujitsu and Telstra, as well as DAFF and AusAid (not that I’m sure AusAid exist still).

You are really good with Seek… Can i have your number?

50 applications since July is a great effort, how many more to get you hot under the collar?

Not sure of his specialty, yet you are giving him advise on jobs available.. Excuse me whilst i undo my pants…

You have alot of friends, care for another?

One question though, are you looking at jumping on the APS gravy train or are you looking at private companies?

Genie said :

50 applications ? Is that all ?

10 second search of Seek shows that 381 IT jobs have been posted in the last 2 weeks and there are 45 IT jobs currently listed on apsjobs.gov.au. But you’ve only applied for “50” since July.. which is also less than 1 per business day.

I’m not sure of your specialty – but if you were that desperate, there is over 400 IT jobs to submit an application for.

Yeah because clearly one person is going to be qualified for every single IT job on seek. Cause you know, IT is IT right? I mean really, what’s the point of a sneer of a post like that?

50 applications ? Is that all ?

10 second search of Seek shows that 381 IT jobs have been posted in the last 2 weeks and there are 45 IT jobs currently listed on apsjobs.gov.au. But you’ve only applied for “50” since July.. which is also less than 1 per business day.

I’m not sure of your specialty – but if you were that desperate, there is over 400 IT jobs to submit an application for.

Not sure if they are still looking but I have friends that work for HP, Fujitsu and Telstra, as well as DAFF and AusAid (not that I’m sure AusAid exist still).

beedlebum said :

Have you tried the ACT Government? Commerce and Works seem to always be hiring IT Staff: http://www.jobs.act.gov.au

Yep, to no avail.

Have you tried the ACT Government? Commerce and Works seem to always be hiring IT Staff: http://www.jobs.act.gov.au

harvyk1 said :

Avoid any job which asks for selection criteria. IME it’s a waste of time.

The best jobs tend to go to friends of “those in the know”, so your best bet is to start asking around your friends and former colleagues if they are aware of anything.

Recruiters can be a good asset if used appropriately. Don’t simply send a resume into a recruiter and do nothing more, again be proactive and build a relationship, that’s again when the best jobs become available to you.

Make sure you are asking for the right amount of money. Aim too high and you’ll get rejected, but aim too low and the potential agency / organisation will wonder what’s wrong. There are various resources out there to help you size up your skills with the average wages.

Finally, make sure you scrub up well. IT is one of those industries which people are certainly dressing down in (and I personally love no longer wearing the tie), but when you are applying for jobs and contracts it’s full suit time…

Remember that when looking for a new job, you need to play salesman as much as “brilliant IT guy”

any tips HarvyK1, we’re still looking…

My BF recent uni grad IT, no work been looking all year, can’t get nothing. It’s really tight atm anyway.
people want people with experience but you need a job to get experience. The old catch 22..

Genie said :

ausbradr said :

That’s exactly right. I’m genuinely looking for work, and am looking for anything. Including basic admin roles. I’m willing to learn anything new, at my own expense. Yet nobody is willing to give me a fighting chance!

Are you ? Are you genuinely looking for all kinds of work ?

To me it sounds like you’re on an online forum whinging about not being able to get work. Instead of hitting the ground running aiming to be employed in any position.

Have you contacted every single recruitment agency and call them once or twice a week seeking updates on any new roles coming in?
Have you walked the shopping centres handing out your resume ?
Have you contacted IT companies requesting the put your resume on file ?
Have you applied for all the temp registers via APSjobs.gov.au ? (Most dont require S/C to be written)

Perhaps you’re not trying hard enough! I have a lot of mates in IT jobs who are desperate for staff.

If this is true, why not help out our friend here by posting some contact details instead of jumping on your mighty high horse?
Recruitment agencies are useless. Calling them back every couple of days only seems to infuriate them rather than help them in finding a job for you and that is only if they end up returning your calls.
Shopping center resumes? Get real, how many jobs are there for IT staff in a two dollar bargain shop?
I’m sure if anyone was really desperate, they could get work in say, the sex industry, selling drugs, selling organs, selling parts of their own anatomy [rather than those heavy things with keys on top as previously mentioned] or maybe selling their soul. Sometimes there just isn’t work there and if there is, it is exclusively for people in the “circle”, not for out-of-towners. Do you understand that? If not, perhaps you should get a job as a recruitment trainer or something, as it appears you have all the answers.

I’m pretty sure that about 50 applications since July would suggest that I’m actively seeking work. Surely you could understand my frustration with all these knockbacks that I would need to vent about it!

Luckily I’ve got my one month of work for September. Only issue with that is that it keeps me from being able to approach companies door-to-door as I work business hours. This is the next stage of my plan to find work. One would think that applying via traditional methods would simply be enough!!! Clearly not.

I have emailed my resume around. To recruiters and IT companies. I’ve also listed myself on every damn temporary register around. To no avail.

I’d be keen to ask those window washers on Northbourne Avenue if they’re suffering the same plight. I’d happily bet that they are. I’ve not had this much frustration in my job seeking efforts in Sydney. I move here and it’s letdown after letdown. There’s clearly nothing wrong with me. It seems to me that this is a Canberra related problem.

I’d love to know these IT companies who are desperate for staff. I’d be more than happy to help them out.

Genie said :

Are you ? Are you genuinely looking for all kinds of work ?

To me it sounds like you’re on an online forum whinging about not being able to get work. Instead of hitting the ground running aiming to be employed in any position.

Have you contacted every single recruitment agency and call them once or twice a week seeking updates on any new roles coming in?
Have you walked the shopping centres handing out your resume ?
Have you contacted IT companies requesting the put your resume on file ?
Have you applied for all the temp registers via APSjobs.gov.au ? (Most dont require S/C to be written)

Perhaps you’re not trying hard enough! I have a lot of mates in IT jobs who are desperate for staff.

ausbradr said :

That’s exactly right. I’m genuinely looking for work, and am looking for anything. Including basic admin roles. I’m willing to learn anything new, at my own expense. Yet nobody is willing to give me a fighting chance!

Are you ? Are you genuinely looking for all kinds of work ?

To me it sounds like you’re on an online forum whinging about not being able to get work. Instead of hitting the ground running aiming to be employed in any position.

Have you contacted every single recruitment agency and call them once or twice a week seeking updates on any new roles coming in?
Have you walked the shopping centres handing out your resume ?
Have you contacted IT companies requesting the put your resume on file ?
Have you applied for all the temp registers via APSjobs.gov.au ? (Most dont require S/C to be written)

Perhaps you’re not trying hard enough! I have a lot of mates in IT jobs who are desperate for staff.

That’s exactly right. I’m genuinely looking for work, and am looking for anything. Including basic admin roles. I’m willing to learn anything new, at my own expense. Yet nobody is willing to give me a fighting chance!

wildturkeycanoe said :

Genie said :

My partner has been unemployed since January.

Then you’re partner is lazy.

Unless you have a newborn baby or small children at home and they have decided to be at stay at home parent while you work. They are plain lazy !

Just because someone can’t get a job in their preferred field, don’t mean they can’t find work. I’m sure they are 100’s of jobs they are capable of doing.

It’s been many many years but the longest I have ever been unemployed is 3 months. This was mostly due to suffering an injury in a car accident. When I was medically cleared and able to work I was applying for every single job I thought I was capable of doing. Every single recruitment agency had my resume and if I scored a short term contract, they had my updated resume the second that contract finished.

I worked for around 2 years doing contract work varying between 2 weeks and 9 months before I landed a permanent role. During that time, there was never more than a week off between roles. I even worked 2 jobs at one stage because I couldn’t get full time hours, working 530am – 12noon at one job and 1pm – 6pm at another.

There is no excuse to be unemployed for that length of time.

‘Course there’s excuses. Some are valid, some aren’t. Some people just cannot get through the red-tape exercises of the employers, or don’t fit the right profiles to get this “easy to get” job. If one were to have a bad back or knee injury, how easy would it be to get a job at one of the local supermarkets, eh? If you can’t spell properly, it could be a major reason why they chose the applicant after you. I’d say most of the deadbeat jobs have been taken, or simply don’t pay enough to be worthwhile because of our rigged Centrelink system.
My wife went through this around 2005 I think. We decided that she would go to work to help with the bills. She got a job within a week but by the time we calculated in travel costs, child care and what we’d lose in family tax benefit, she would be working that full time job at a cost to us of $100 per week. It was financially beneficial for her to stay at home rather than work. When the system sets us up so that it is worse for us to work than be unemployed, there is a serious issue with the system.
On the flipside, if family assistance was removed altogether, there’d be a lot more people looking for work and far less jobs available [except of course in the child-care area]. What can one do to fix this silly system of ours?

As for the 100s of jobs out there, pretty much any job you go for has certain training or qualification needs, due partly to the again mentioned red-tape that is OH@S. I bet if I tried to get a job stacking shelves in a supermarket, there’d be a training regime I’d have to do. I also don’t think a 40+ y.o. male would be suitable for a beauty salon, just as a skinny 17 y.o. girl is unsuitable to do laboring work on a construction site. Anything that isn’t minimum wage requires an education such as a college or university course, a ticket in some expertise or usually – experience. If jobs are that easy, why do we have unemployment at 3.6%? Yes, some of it is pure laziness, but there a people who genuinely cannot get a job as the OP has shown.

Genie said :

My partner has been unemployed since January.

Then you’re partner is lazy.

Unless you have a newborn baby or small children at home and they have decided to be at stay at home parent while you work. They are plain lazy !

Just because someone can’t get a job in their preferred field, don’t mean they can’t find work. I’m sure they are 100’s of jobs they are capable of doing.

It’s been many many years but the longest I have ever been unemployed is 3 months. This was mostly due to suffering an injury in a car accident. When I was medically cleared and able to work I was applying for every single job I thought I was capable of doing. Every single recruitment agency had my resume and if I scored a short term contract, they had my updated resume the second that contract finished.

I worked for around 2 years doing contract work varying between 2 weeks and 9 months before I landed a permanent role. During that time, there was never more than a week off between roles. I even worked 2 jobs at one stage because I couldn’t get full time hours, working 530am – 12noon at one job and 1pm – 6pm at another.

There is no excuse to be unemployed for that length of time.

‘Course there’s excuses. Some are valid, some aren’t. Some people just cannot get through the red-tape exercises of the employers, or don’t fit the right profiles to get this “easy to get” job. If one were to have a bad back or knee injury, how easy would it be to get a job at one of the local supermarkets, eh? If you can’t spell properly, it could be a major reason why they chose the applicant after you. I’d say most of the deadbeat jobs have been taken, or simply don’t pay enough to be worthwhile because of our rigged Centrelink system.
My wife went through this around 2005 I think. We decided that she would go to work to help with the bills. She got a job within a week but by the time we calculated in travel costs, child care and what we’d lose in family tax benefit, she would be working that full time job at a cost to us of $100 per week. It was financially beneficial for her to stay at home rather than work. When the system sets us up so that it is worse for us to work than be unemployed, there is a serious issue with the system.
On the flipside, if family assistance was removed altogether, there’d be a lot more people looking for work and far less jobs available [except of course in the child-care area]. What can one do to fix this silly system of ours?

As for the 100s of jobs out there, pretty much any job you go for has certain training or qualification needs, due partly to the again mentioned red-tape that is OH@S. I bet if I tried to get a job stacking shelves in a supermarket, there’d be a training regime I’d have to do. I also don’t think a 40+ y.o. male would be suitable for a beauty salon, just as a skinny 17 y.o. girl is unsuitable to do laboring work on a construction site. Anything that isn’t minimum wage requires an education such as a college or university course, a ticket in some expertise or usually – experience. If jobs are that easy, why do we have unemployment at 3.6%? Yes, some of it is pure laziness, but there a people who genuinely cannot get a job as the OP has shown.

My partner has been unemployed since January.

Then you’re partner is lazy.

Unless you have a newborn baby or small children at home and they have decided to be at stay at home parent while you work. They are plain lazy !

Just because someone can’t get a job in their preferred field, don’t mean they can’t find work. I’m sure they are 100’s of jobs they are capable of doing.

It’s been many many years but the longest I have ever been unemployed is 3 months. This was mostly due to suffering an injury in a car accident. When I was medically cleared and able to work I was applying for every single job I thought I was capable of doing. Every single recruitment agency had my resume and if I scored a short term contract, they had my updated resume the second that contract finished.

I worked for around 2 years doing contract work varying between 2 weeks and 9 months before I landed a permanent role. During that time, there was never more than a week off between roles. I even worked 2 jobs at one stage because I couldn’t get full time hours, working 530am – 12noon at one job and 1pm – 6pm at another.

There is no excuse to be unemployed for that length of time.

My partner has been unemployed since January.

That’s no good! If my situation gets that bad, I might just leave Canberra, move back to Sydney with the parents, and continue to be miserable sitting in gridlock traffic. Nevertheless, I’d be employed!

The short answer is, yes, it is hard. When even the Department of Defence has been on a recruitment freeze for over a year, there’s not a lot advertising fulltime and there’s not a lot available out there. From history, by about the second term of an incumbent government they’ll bed down, realise that they are a government that actually want to do things, doing things requires people working for them and will start hiring people. Telling you “oh, jobs will start showing up in about three years” isn’t exactly going to help you here and now, though. Now, and the next couple of years are going to be very rough.

My partner moved up here from Melbourne to be with me. And he loves everything about canberra except that he can’t find permanent employment and keeps on being on the temp treadmill.

Unfortunately you most likely wont find phone tech support jobs at short notice in Canberra either, given the significant number of them which require security clearances leaving the remainder highly competitive.

I have the same problem as ausbradr. I returned from 10 years in the UK, with everyone telling me it would be easy to get a job in IT with my Data Centre experience. Not so.

The lady I spoke to in Centrelink a few months ago said she noticed a big increase of IT people across the board from APS3 to Exec level not being able to find work last October.

As Dilandach said, Security Clearance seems to be the big one, people with it already will be much more employable, and there will be a pool of ready applicants. I have even applied to places that are doing the lifting and shifting of Desktops without hearing back from them. The Job Agencies don’t want anything to do with me as I’m over 40 and I have a degree.

So I have done a course to be a Security Guard, and just getting my security licence now. (An industry even more dodgy than IT so I’m told).

Best of Luck

ausbradr said :

mlr: I second that question. I don’t understand their language that well. I do know they like their S.T.A.R method, but I think it’ll take more than just knowing that.

Get your hands on the APSC Capability Development Framework for the level you are applying for and guide your answer using the STAR method and the capabilities being described there. You may not know the lingo so go to the dictionary and start using it.

I know the company I work which has numerous departments in Canberra was looking for service desk and desktop support people. But they have multi year contracts in place with a few departments. That said they’ve struggled to find people this year, almost as if people wouldn’t change jobs due to uncertainty regarding the election.

With your skills I would concentrate on work in the private sector. There are a lot of Data Centre operators in Canberra who may require skills in this area. Also consider the likes of IBM, HP, Verizon. If you can increase your knowledge of UNIX/Linux and firewalls, you might be able to locate work with some of the Internet Security Gateway providers. Telstra, Macquarie Telecom, Verizon are companies to consider in this field.

Thanks for the advice. I’m really beginning to think the calling / door-to-door approach is going to be the next step in my search for work. Emailing some local recruiters recently gained no replies. At least I’m covered for September with my temp work, as great as it is to work for them, they can only give me work when there’s work for them to give to me. I’ve moved here to live with my partner, and the prospect of going back to Sydney (thus back to rushing here on weekends) just to find work really doesn’t please me.

bd84: My track record for getting jobs has been pretty great. Granted that has been in Sydney. I have a good understanding of what jobs are in my skill level, and thus haven’t had issue. My approach to applying for jobs in Canberra hasn’t changed. I’ve applied for jobs ranging from APS1-4. I can write a criteria response, though it might not be up to the APS standard with their terminology as has been mentioned.. I’d like to invest some $ in having it written for me, but given the prices those writers charge and my situation, it’s a costly gamble I’d rather not take. I’ll happily hire someone and pay on results though.

curmudgery: I’ve been trying to apply with these contractors and agencies. It seems they don’t want anything to do with me if I’m not coming in with any security clearance. I’m really prepared to roll up my sleeves and work for them if they could just have some faith and help me out.

harvyk1: I totally understand the dressing up vs. dressing down issue. I quite enjoy putting on my suit these days because it means someone has taken the time to offer me an interview. Naturally it’s well presented and neat. Hell, I’ve even cut my hair (it was at shoulder length, but professionally straightened and extremely near) lest there was any prejudice in any employer about males with long hair! Every base on the presentation front covered. (Hopefully not, but we know how some people can be).

wildturkeycanoe: I do lots of work in technology. I hold 2EF(NSW) security licence (ACT conversion pending), National Open Cabling registration. My jobs have been in the fields of Electronic Security for enterprise / government, Telephony (PABX, VoIP, DECT/WiFi), Nurse Call Systems, Wireless Networks, LAN cabling, Information Technology (Windows Servers, Databases), and I have hobbyist experience with Linux. I’ve done a bit of everything, from pulling cables to programming/administrating these systems.

mlr: I second that question. I don’t understand their language that well. I do know they like their S.T.A.R method, but I think it’ll take more than just knowing that.

mlr said :

Does anyone have any recommendations for people or companies with proven experience at writing (converting?) applications into ‘PS speak’, as goody658 and others suggested?

If you have friends in the public service maybe get them to look over it. There’s no secret formula. Once you’ve got one decent version you can adapt it for different criteria.

Go through an agency – but make sure you are on the temporary employment registers of all the govt departments first, or have emailed their HR area on some pretext or other. Reason? After the department gets to know you, they can hire you without the agency – PROVIDED the agency did not introduce you to the department. That pre-existing “introduction” is vital. I did a contract with an agency who wanted a $17,000 “placement fee” when I was offered permanent work. I was able to demonstrate that I had been introduced to the agency prior, and they were able to hire me without complication. The fee might not have actually prevented my employment but it was sure looking like a risk and an impediment.

Does anyone have any recommendations for people or companies with proven experience at writing (converting?) applications into ‘PS speak’, as goody658 and others suggested?

You should ring and ask why you didn’t get the jobs you have applied for. It will help you tailor your applications more. They are required to respond if you ask. Going through the same thing at the moment so I do feel your pain. Hang in there you will get there eventually. But until then the temp agencies are your best bet – I have found the trick is to ring on Wednesday after lunch (sounds strange but – that is when they are least busy…)

I feel your pain, but I have to disagree with bd84 that you can’t get a job on the first try. I’ve been in the A.C.T for 13 years and had always been able to get a job [usually first go], if I wasn’t poached by someone or got a job through word of mouth. I got my first job here in 2000 by simply walking to a business and knocking on the door with my portfolio in hand.
That said, I have to agree with everyone else that timing is the main reason you are struggling. Since the election was called last year/earlier this year, the construction industry went south. It seemed that the government just put a halt on all major works and were just waiting for the election results before starting any of them up again. It hit home when myself and another half a dozen sparkies were made redundant in February as part of a second round of cuts from a reasonably large local company. I thought “No worries, with my experience I’ll have another job in no time.”. Unfortunately, for the first time in my life I became unemployed [even though it was only for a week or so]. After the first two rejections I didn’t hold back on applying for anything and everything in order to keep my family fed and eventually it paid off around the sixth application, though it hurt having to take a 25% pay cut in order to get employed again.
I also tried for an APS job, but I didn’t even get a response until about a month and a half later saying I was unsuccessful. I can only suggest that door to door might be the best option as I’m sure you’ve tried the internet job sites and recruitment agencies [who in my mind are only in there to keep themselves employed, as I had quite an issue with one of them over a job I was told had been filled, but then re-advertised the very next week without having even given me the courtesy of an interview.].
Private sector is probably the best bet but with the coming of the Abbot, more PS staff will end up on the same playing field as yourself. Diversify perhaps, but I think we are in for tough times, all of us.

What kind of work do you do? If your technician skills are anything related to building and commissioning data centers, I spoke to a guy recently in the data installation industry and they are looking for people who can connect lots and lots of little wires together.
Good luck.

Avoid any job which asks for selection criteria. IME it’s a waste of time.

The best jobs tend to go to friends of “those in the know”, so your best bet is to start asking around your friends and former colleagues if they are aware of anything.

Recruiters can be a good asset if used appropriately. Don’t simply send a resume into a recruiter and do nothing more, again be proactive and build a relationship, that’s again when the best jobs become available to you.

Make sure you are asking for the right amount of money. Aim too high and you’ll get rejected, but aim too low and the potential agency / organisation will wonder what’s wrong. There are various resources out there to help you size up your skills with the average wages.

Finally, make sure you scrub up well. IT is one of those industries which people are certainly dressing down in (and I personally love no longer wearing the tie), but when you are applying for jobs and contracts it’s full suit time…

Remember that when looking for a new job, you need to play salesman as much as “brilliant IT guy”

One fairly important aspect is security clearance. Without one, it makes finding a job difficult in canberra and especially so in the IT area if you’re aiming for APS or a private company that is contracted to a department.

My advice, look into which private company works in which department. Keep applying for roles in both APS or private sector. APS applications are a slow process at least with private companies you generally find out within a month.

…i’d steer clear of the soul suckers that are agents / recruitment agencies.

I would agree with Neanderthalsis – it’s just unlucky timing. Essentially, people are staying put, and there are few new positions on offer. To illustrate, a recent APS 5 recruitment round in my Dept – the first in over at least a year – reportedly attracted over 700 applicants from far and wide (including former public servants from Qld and NSW), of which over 400 people were short listed. Scary stuff, and to be honest, I can’t see it getting better any time soon now that the Mad Monk has ascended.
Don’t give up though – there is usually more contract work in IT than in other areas. I wish you well.

At the risk of telling you what you already know, a lot of IT (and other) work is arranged by the big employers through agencies with you as a contractor. It’s in an agency’s interest to keep you employed and they provide admin support and advice – they are your ‘friend at court’. Years ago, the pick of the crop (in my opinion) was a firm called Strategem in Fyshwick. Contract work can then give you time and opportunities to establish something more permanent if that is your wish. Good luck to you both.

I’m pretty sure in the real world that most of us don’t just apply for a job and immediately get it. It can take a dozen applications before you are successful. There’s stats out there somewhere about it, the number could be more.

If you can’t write you will have major difficulties getting a government job as you are more than likely not going to adequately address the selection criteria. If you haven’t written a lot of them, get someone to help you with it or invest some $ and have someone write it for you.

The other main problem is people who apply for jobs above their skill level. Be realistic, if you don’t get the higher level jobs, go for a lower one and work your way up.

I would be going to work for woolies if I was desperate and out of options to keep food on the table and roof over my head.

Bad timing is probably your biggest problem. Many departments have had hiring freezes in place for some time due the the Labor Government’s efficiency dividend and will no doubt continue under the new owners. This has a flow on to the private sector as well as there are fewer high paying jobs going, more people wanting to save rather than spend in case the razor gang comes knocking.

Your frustration with selection criteria is not uncommon. The APS selection process was designed, in my opinion, to keep non-APS types out of the APS. Only an institutionalised drone has the time and the systemic knowledge to plough through APS selection criteria. If you are set on the APS, temp or contract work is the way to get your foot in the door. Get a few contracts, get to know the APS lingo (and the people likely to be hiring when a permanent job comes up) and just wait for your chance.

Also, try reading this: http://www.apsc.gov.au/publications-and-media/current-publications/cracking-the-code

Sorry to hear your troubles.
I have always worked in the private sector however I know that unless your selection is written in public service language they wont even take a look. I have used a third party in the past to write the criteria for me.

After many failed attempts on my own I looked for outside help,using the application that was written for me i made it to the interview stage. They wont make anything up they just use the information and examples you give them., then write it into PS speak.

I know this is sometimes frowned apon and i will prob cop some heat but unless you know how to word and structure your answers its going to be difficult.

Hope something happens for you