Landing my First Corporate Role in Australia.
How I landed my first corporate role in Australia, I like to call it corporate as I see my American counterparts call it corporate America.
How I landed my first corporate role in Australia, I like to call it corporate as I see my American counterparts call it corporate America. Therefore, I will share how I landed my first role in corporate Australia.
Are you ready?
Let’s go; I didn’t start out applying for jobs, as most people would; I rather went unconventionally,
The first thing I did was: Buy clothes and shoes, as I had mostly jeans, tops and sports shoes from my time working in healthcare (disability support roles).
Secondly, I enrolled in University for a postgraduate program as I had several admissions before COVID and even some before I arrived in Australia.
Thirdly, I started volunteering while actively applying for internships; I know not the favourite part of the process, no one wants to work for free, but it is really helpful in the job search process. Not forgetting, I continued working in my disability support roles as I needed money to keep my body and soul together. You’d think I would quit my job; no, darling, I needed the money, so I continued working and volunteering on my days off.
The internships I mentioned above didn’t come as quickly as I thought it would; I needed the internship experience to apply for full-time roles. I continued applying for internships, and as God would have it, I got two offers for paid internships from Deloitte and Telstra (the big T).
I wanted something to help with future job applications; I am futuristic like that, so I opted for Telstra as it was longer, it was for three months.
During my internship, I began applying more intensely for full-time roles. However, none clicked, so I used to work at the Telstra retail shops as a Telstra consultant; I had worked with Telstra prior, so I got that role and worked in one of the big shopping centres in Queensland.
While working there, I continued applying for roles, and one of those days, God picked my call as I got a gig at one of Australia’s biggest departments. I worked there till I didn’t; I lost the job, it was a contract role, and the contract ended. I also became unwell and was out of work for a long time.
Six months after staying at home, I began applying again, I was ready to start the job application process as I had rested enough and I now understood the ropes; I was applying for jobs via the conventional job boards and smart jobs for government jobs, and I will also submit an application for roles I came across on LinkedIn.
I sometimes thought I got so close but didn't get job offers because I had a gap in my resume, so I went to my backup plan; I started volunteering again as I continued submitting applications.
Well, it still did not work, I was applying back and forth for three months, and nothing clicked. Trust me; I wasn’t only applying, though; I was blowing my horn to friends and loved ones telling them I was looking for a new role.
As usual, God picked my call again through a family friend who had a role opening in her workplace; I got the role rather quickly, as I only interviewed causally once. It would not have been possible without the help and referral from my friend and sister; I am so grateful and indebted to you, sis.
From that temporary role, my sister hooked me up; I could submit my applications for other positions. I started getting interviews and eventually got an offer for my current role.
In essence, if you’ve just moved abroad and are working in a role or looking for a new position. Volunteer if you can, go back to school if you have the means, apply for internships while in school, and most importantly, talk to friends, family, church members, temple members, or mosque members.
Talk to people and, above all, grow your skills; there are a couple of free and relatively low-fee courses to improve your skills that will make you more competitive in the job market.
Originally published on Jul 26, 2023.