Employment
job; employment; work; career; careers; occupation; apprenticeship; benefits; study; education; entrepreneurs; volunteer; experience; unemployment; resume; training; mentor; mentorship; goals;
Contents
'Get a job!' - bet you've heard that at some point? But it's not always quite as easy as some people think. This topic can give you some ideas about considering the sort of job that's right for you, where you can get help, creative ways to get employed, and even how to start up your own business.
If you are feeling down because you're unemployed, check out our topic Unemployment.
Getting ready for job hunting
Choosing a path
Being prepared for job hunting is important for success. Most jobs these days will require education or experience, or both. Choosing what work you'd like to do can be quite hard, as many young people aren't sure what they would like to do. So how do you narrow down your interests?
- The 'My Future' site has loads of information and a great section where you can clarify your career goals and make an action plan to help you narrow your job searches. Go to the 'My Guide' section of the site and register, then log in and start exploring.
http://www.myfuture.edu.au
Volunteer work
Once you have an idea about the type of work you might like, why not volunteer somewhere? You will get the most valuable thing for job hunters – experience.
In South Australia, you could also join:
and get involved in an environmental project.
Résumés
You will also need to put together a Résumé. A résumé, or curriculum vitae (CV), is a way for you to market yourself. You don't have to fill it with all the things you have done, you just need to write about things that are relevant to the job you are going for.
Careersonline has a résumé generator:
http://www.careersonline.com.au/smartmoves/generator/index.html
Further education
Thinking about more education? Check out our topic Tertiary education. And you might like to check out the 'Year 12 – what next?' site. It's a Commonwealth Government web site that offers information and ideas about further education and employment after completing high school.
http://www.year12whatnext.gov.au/default.htm.
Working while still at school
Lots of young people living at home like to do part-time or casual work while still at school. There are lots of benefits:
- having your own money to save or spend
- learning how to get on with others
- learning responsibility, eg. if you don't rock up for your shift what does it mean for the rest of the workers and the boss?
- you can try different jobs which could help you decide on a future job
- you can prove that you have experience in the workforce
- your employer could be a referee for when you leave school
- you could learn new skills
- you could find it easier to find work when you leave school
- you can feel more independent and confident
- working while at school can help you to choose subjects or a career path, or give you a good reason to study more to get the sort of job you want, or help you to realise what you don't want!
You could save for further study at Uni, and if you earn enough, you may qualify for a Youth allowance that could help to support you.
Getting benefits
If you are a young unemployed person in Australia, Centrelink offers young people support benefits as well as different services to help you find employment, such as helping you to get your résumé together, computer facilities to prepare résumé and job applications, and other services for people with special needs.
- If you would like to know if you qualify for benefits, or if you are already on benefits but would like more info, check out the Centrelink site: http://www.centrelink.gov.au/
The Australian Apprenticeships web site is another Commonwealth site:
http://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/
Apprenticeships combine practical work with structured training to give trainees a nationally recognised qualification and valuable experience that can help them to get the job they want. Apprenticeships are available in many different industries and types of work.
Job hunting
There are numerous ways to simply look for jobs yourself. The local paper is a good place to start. There are also ways to search on the web. Check out some of these sites:
Job applications
You might be surprised to know that sometimes when you send in an application for a job, the person you are hoping to work for might not even get to see it. This is because they get other people to narrow their search down to the most appropriate applicants. So this means you need to have a good application to even have a chance of getting an interview.
The person that looks at the applications will look for matches to the criteria that are listed for the job. They won't look hard though, so you have to make sure it's very obvious.
The best way to do this is get an electronic copy of the job criteria, then cut and paste each bit onto another document and write a bit about how you match each underneath - kind of like a comprehension task you would have done at school.
If you struggle to put something down for each bit, get some help from family and friends to match all of your skills and abilities with the criteria.
Mentors
A mentor is someone with experience in a certain area, who provides advice, support and time to help others achieve their goals. There are many different types of mentors. They are not a replacement for parents, and they are not the same as counsellors. They are a resource for a young person to help them achieve what they want out of life.
- Four of the major mentoring organisations in Australia have come together to form the Youth Mentoring Network. Here you can learn more about mentoring and look for a mentor in your area. http://www.youthmentoring.org.au/index.php
An entrepreneur is someone who 'goes for it', by starting and running their own business or venture. It requires creativity and a willingness to seize opportunities and take risks. The following resources can help budding entrepreneurs with ideas and ways to raise money:
- Foundation for Young Australians is a not-for-profit organisation that helps young people develop initiatives that have sustainable outcomes and involve youth and community participation. They provide seed grants for new projects, and there are many different funding opportunities for people up to 25 years of age. Different grants are open at different times of the year, so it's well worth looking around on their site – read about the past funded projects, subscribe to their grant alert email, and start planning your application now.
http://www.fya.org.au/
- Ignite is a monthly e-newsletter from 'Youth 2 Youth', with lots of great opportunities, contacts and inspiration for enterprising young people. You can download it, or subscribe to have it sent to you.
http://www.youth2youth.com.au/IGNITE.asp
- The Australia Council for the Arts Grant Finder site can be a great help in locating sources of grant funding for all sorts of ideas. Simply put in some details about your idea, or search the topics, then say - show me the money!
http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/grants
- TakingITGlobal.org is an online community that connects youth to find inspiration, access information, get involved, and take action in their local and global communities .
http://www.tigweb.org/
How you write up applications is an important skill too.
Overseas volunteering
How about getting a volunteer job overseas? Some are free, some have costs, but all will give you a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The Big Issue
The Big Issue is an excellent magazine that is sold in the street. The people who sell the magazine (the vendors) are homeless or unemployed people. Each magazine costs $5 and the vendor gets $2.50 from each sale.
- If you would like to find out how to become a vendor, or just learn about the magazine, check out their site: http://www.bigissue.org.au
Looking for work can be tough, and if you have a disability it can be even tougher. Contacting Centrelink via their website or telephone 13 1021 is a good first step to getting support.
http://www.centrelink.gov.au
They can help match you up with services that suit you:
http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/...
Also check out our topic Living with a disability to get some more ideas.
For refugees
If you have recently arrived in Australia, finding work could be at the top of your list of things to sort out. To get support, contact The Australian Refugee Association (South Australia) – they offer many services, including employment assistance. Phone 8354 2951, or check out their website:
http://www.ausref.net/
Resources
South Australia
General
The information on this site should not be used as an alternative to professional care. If you have a particular problem, see a doctor, or ring the Youth Healthline on 1300 13 17 19 (local call cost from anywhere in South Australia).