The Economy
Let’s not beat around the bush – there are currently a lot of people out of work in West Australia. Life is not all sunshine and beaches for everyone. I speak to people daily who are struggling to find work and do my best to professionally assist them to land callbacks and interviews in the hope of securing “a job”. What I mean by “a job” is that a few years ago people were after a particular role in a chosen sector with X amount of dollars. Now, people simply want a job. They need to pay bills. It’s as simple as that.
As a result of so many people looking for work the job market is candidate richin recruiter speak which in turn means that it is a lot harder for the average job seeker to secure a role. Over the past number of years, I have noticed a steady decline in employment opportunities across the construction and resources sectors in WA. All you need to do is look at Seek.com and the number of opportunities appearing has significantly dropped off. This is leading to some tough situations for workers who have been made redundant or are facing this potential eventuality on a daily basis.
Here’s an extract from an article for the West Australian in November 2015, “Total employment in WA increased by almost 15,000 but the number of people out of work reached 93,400 – the highest number of West Australians out of work since the bureau moved to monthly jobs figures in the late 1970s.”
What’s Happening Out There?
Many 457 visa holders have now returned home with the promise of job security. I am reading a lot of stories and seeing cries for help on social media from job seekers and their family members desperately seeking out employment or they face moving to another state or even overseas. This is a great concern for families, people with mortgages, debts, credit cards, pending bills etc. I am afraid that things are going to get worse before they get better with no sign of any substantial increases in commodity prices and a great deal of cost cutting being exercised and put into play by the big employers in the market which in turns greatly affects contractors and other small to medium enterprises.
What Can I Do?
So what can you do as a job seeker? Here are 10 things I tell people time and time again. I can talk about these areas in much greater detail but that would require another post for each item.
- Get motivated.
- Treat finding a job like a job itself.
- Develop and execute a job search plan.
- Get your resume in order. Seek professional help if needed.
- Don’t solely rely on Seek to find opportunities. Use other job boards and means.
- Utilise your networks (friends, colleagues, family members).
- Track and follow up on your applications.
- Learn how to interview well.
- Maintain a positive attitude.
- Don’t give up – it only takes one application, one call back and one interview.
I do hope this article has helped and best of luck to people who are finding things hard right now.
Contact me if I can be of any further assistance.
Warm regards,
Patrick
