Bloody hard for youngs to get jobs without being stuffed around.

The ones with the hardest row to hoe are not the youngies but the mature age workers. As many of you are aware I worked in the Federal welfare areas as a DSS Field Officer. We worked closely with the CES. A senior CES case manager told me that he advised 0ver 45 job seekers to take any job offered to them even if is below their dignity, and their qualifications. It will likely be the only offer they get. He used to advise them also to drop age and date of birth from resumes and if you have reasonable recent work history then don't go back more than 5-7 years. Age discrimination is alive and well out there in the private sector. Over 50's become the invisible unemployed as potential employers ignore them totally unless they have sought after skills. One of Australia's biggest corporations had an unwritten policy of not employing new starters over 45. Another HR manager told me that his company does not start over 45's as the then company policy was compulsory retirement at 55. Over 45's would not accumulate enough superannuation by age 55 was his story. When maternity leave was introduced a CEO of a machinery group told me that this made women over 50 attractive employees as they would not be having babies and retired compulsorily at 60 before accumulating long service leave.

My wife in her role has just recently had to sort through hundreds of job applications for a very simple admin position in her work place , one which anyone with commonsense could do , which my wife suggests should be the prime requisite.

I can't say very much due to fact that I assisted her to get through the plethora of total and absolute bull**** cv's that were obviously professionally prepared.

The history of this organisation's employment points to selecting the best appearing application. The end result after selection is not the same.
In nearly every case the selected person is lazy , cannot do the tasks allocated, cannot work autonomously , has to be supervised at all times and is either not always punctual and finds excuses to leave early.

The only reason I'm saying this is because I feel sorry for the op who is just riding on this train. There is no real way out of it and organisations like the one my wife is with only prolong the process through the stupid selection system they use.

They never get the right person they want.

One of the big differences in job applications between the past and now is that in the past you got advice on your application where now it is "dont call us we will call you". So you wait and wait and wait for no response and they get angry if you ring up.

I know of people in the public sector who did actually get the job but never got advice and then the job went to someone else - the admin process that sends out the offer failed and because the applicant did not respond the employer assumed they were no longer interested.

Newstart rules require people to apply for a large number of jobs - is it 30 a fortnight? - to remain on benefits, so employers get swamped with applications, so it's not surprising employers don't bother replying to them all.

When my youngest son got his current job there were over 1000 applications for 12 positions, and you couldn't even apply unless you already had a trade qualification.
He went through three rounds of interviews over six months before being chosen. He's a very cluey lad though and has done well since.

Last time I checked there were seven unemployed job seekers for every advertised job, so it's tough out there.

some of my sons mates finished uni, one did an engineering internship and was then offered a position with the company, the other did sports medicine I think and got a job straight away. Another graduated in marketing and cant get a job in his field, they just uses him as a junior office boy.

i know some organisations use job agencies where workers are offered as casual employment, sometimes the client then recruits from them at a fee if they like the employee.

Once you get a job , items they are never close to home , soa couple hours a day lost to the commute , on top of obligatory overtime, one has to show a commitment to the boss , and casual or probationary status for months. Not much of a work life balance. Live to work , or work to live ?

While we are banging on about interviews etc. This may be of interest.

These are the questions you can’t be asked in a job interview

An old mate and I were discussing our experiences applying for jobs many years ago. I am 77 and he is 81. He graduated from UQ in 1960. He reckoned interviews then paid scant attention to his uni results. What seemed important was your father's and mother's families, what school, first 11 or first 15, father's lodge. The school revealed your religion so this was not asked.

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Originally Posted by Bigbjorn

...... father's lodge.

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I remember all too clearly the influence or lack there of centered around that particular organization. It defined careers and social acceptance.

IT doesnt help when the online job search places plagiarize each others job database. While over in perth I called up from 3 different websites what was I thought 3 different jobs, turns out after I called and spoke to the same person 3 times the positions of

"forklift operator"
"crane operator"
"HR/HC Driver"

Were all the same position in the same company as a yard loader.

Spent a good while talking to the person and turned the job down as I'd already been out to the site looking at another position and prefered the concept of remaining 10's+2's reliably

Hi

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Originally Posted by Roverlord off road spares

.... Being on New start he needs to apply for at least 30 jobs a month.

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Well there are a lot of jobs going in the Government so why don't they ALL apply for those :-) "Jobs at the Department of Jobs and Small Business"
Terms and Conditions for Public Submissions in the Department of Jobs and Small Business | Department of Jobs and Small Business
has a link to the "Jobs List - jobs portal" which lists jobs from Senior Government Lawyer to Media Officers and Chief Executive Officer, Comcare.

Send off your resume and an application. Get your unemployed friends on New Start to do what the Government wants - send them your resume for all of those jobs advertised. Spread the word on Facebook and down at the pub. With just 1000 new Starters applying for that Chief Executive Officer of Comcare the Dept of Jobs and Businesses will have quite a few resumes to open, read and file into their systems :-) They are bound to find a suitable applicant surely? (I call that the Ghandi method of cooperation with the Government.)

And if they don't reply to your application send them a copy and a reminder after a week, CC'ed to an ABC journo :-)

Mike