Where to find out about job vacancies
This web page has information about:
Information about employment service providers and career counsellors is on the Work45+ web page called “Career planning“. If you have a jobactive or other employment service provider, they’ll direct you to vacancies they know about, but you can also do your own searches, using the tips below.
Details of where to find help to improve your computer skills so you can apply for jobs online is available here.
Look for jobs everywhere you can
Some jobs are still advertised in newspapers, but today most are advertised online. When you’re doing your own job search, there are a few things to keep in mind.
- Even if you have a jobactive provider, it’s important to look for jobs yourself on the Workforce Australia website. If you’re unsure how to use it, there’s help available from this online “how to” guide.
- Check out the Tasmanian jobs hubs (see The Tasmanian Jobs Hubs section below), which will do their best to help you find a local job, if you live within their region.
- Have a look on the Australian Government’s Jobs Hub website, which aims to help connect businesses and Australians looking for work during the coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency and recovery.
- Some job websites, such as SEEK, cover lots of different industries. Others are tailored to people looking for jobs in particular sectors. For Tasmanian jobs in tourism and hospitality, go to tastourismandhospitalityjobs.com.au. The website called Ethical Jobs advertises jobs in the non-profit sector. So if you’re looking for work in a particular sector, find out whether it has a favoured jobs site.
- Recruitment agencies (see below) usually advertise jobs on their website.
- Bigger websites let you narrow your job search so you don’t have to wade through unsuitable positions. For example, you can search for jobs in specific locations and sectors. If you need help to use the search feature, ask your jobactive provider or try some of the services listed on our web page called “Education and training“.
- The Australian Public Service and the Tasmanian Government have websites that advertise their own job vacancies.
- The websites of most other larger organisations will also have sections that list their own vacancies. These sections will have names such as “Jobs” or “Careers” or “Vacancies” or “Work with Us”.
- On the LinkedIn website, you can not only learn about job opportunities but also set up your own profile. That way, employers and recruiters who are searching for people with your skills, personal attributes and passions might discover you and invite you to apply.
Tasmanian jobs hubs are your local experts
Within Tasmania, there are several regional employment hubs that may be able to help you find work in your own community. Importantly, you don’t have to be on a Centrelink benefit or have a jobactive provider to use their free services, which are designed to link local people with local jobs. And if you don’t have the skills that businesses in your community are looking for, they can help you develop them. Their websites and Facebook pages list local opportunities.
- The South East Employment Hub (SEE Hub) covers the council areas of Clarence, Sorell, Tasman and Glamorgan Spring Bay. It’s based in Sorell, at 11 Fitzroy Street, but offers outreach services throughout the whole region. You can visit the SEE Hub website here, contact it through the Facebook page Southeast Employment Hub – Tasmania, or email seehub@colony47.com.au.
- The Southern Central Subregion Workforce Development Project, based in Brighton, can be contacted through the Facebook page Southern Central Workforce Development, or by emailing anthony.mcconnon@brighton.tas.gov.au.
- Break O’Day Employment Connect, based in St Helens, can be contacted through its website here, by phone at 0417 155 201, through the Facebook page @BODEmploymentConnect, or by emailing admin@bodec.org.au.
- The Northern Employment and Business Hub covers Launceston, West Tamar and George Town. You can visit its website here, contact it through the Facebook page @nebhub.tas, or email info@nebhub.com.au.
- Jobs Hub Glenorchy covers the area from the Bridgewater Bridge to Moonah. You can visit its website here, phone 1300 084 307, or email jhg@stepsgroup.com.au.
- West North West Working covers the area from Sheffield to Strahan. You can visit its Facebook page here, or email info@wnwworking.com.au.
Use your networks
The job seekers and employers we talked to for Work45+ told us that in Tasmania you often learn about job vacancies through friends and acquaintances. The bigger your networks are, the more likely you will be to hear something – a great reason to stay connected with your community. If the subject of work comes up, mention you are looking for a new role. People may remember you when they learn of a vacancy later on.
Drop off your resume
Sometimes just knocking on the door of a business can result in an employer giving you a trial that eventually leads to a more secure job. Have copies of your resume with you at all times. Small businesses, including those directly operated by their owners, may not always advertise their jobs.
If you do drop into a workplace unannounced, ask if you can talk to the owner or manager yourself – you might get to have a chat about why you would like to work there. But don’t be disheartened if you are told no-one is available – it’s still worth leaving your resume.
It’s fine to apply for entry-level jobs
Being an older job seeker does not mean you can’t apply for entry-level positions if you wish. According to Equal Opportunity Tasmania, “it is against the law to prevent an older person from applying for a position just because it has a low pay grade”.1
You can apply for apprenticeships and traineeships
There’s no age limit on apprentices, and lots of reasons why employers might welcome an adult apprentice or trainee. You’ll have transferable skills, experience in workplaces, maturity and many other qualities they value. However, they would have to pay you more than an apprentice straight out of school.
To become an apprentice, you have to find an employer who has a vacancy that they want to fill with an apprentice. Then you have to be successful in applying for that position.
Australian Apprenticeship Pathways has the following advice for adults trying to find an apprenticeship, which we quote here in part:2
- Start your job hunting by looking at the large employers first…
- If you are looking on job sites and you find that a position does not specify that they are after ‘adult apprentices’ contact them anyway to ask whether they would consider the option. They may not know that they can hire adult apprentices
- Focus some of your job hunting efforts on contacting employers directly (cold calling). By doing this, you potentially cut out a lot of applicant competition
- When speaking with employers, you need to market yourself. You need to be able to convince them why they should hire you… Take a look at potential incentives that employers may get from taking you on as an adult…
You can register with recruitment agencies
Whether or not you have a jobactive provider, you can register with a commercial recruitment agency.
Recruitment agencies are contracted by employers to find them suitable staff. If you register with a recruitment agency, you generally won’t have to pay them anything if they find you a job.
It’s important to ask the recruiter the nature of employment they propose for you. Some recruiters will find job seekers work as a direct employee of the organisation offering the work. However, many recruiters these days employ people as agency workers, in which case you would be employed by the agency rather than the host organisation, as outlined below.
Agency workers
Agency workers are employed by an agency but work for a host business. The host business pays the agency for your services and the agency hires you out to the host business. As with any employment, it is important for you to read your contract carefully before signing so that you fully understand the conditions of your employment.
According to the Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association,3 agency work can:
- give you flexibility in your working hours
- allow you to try out different jobs
- give you experience with a business where you might be able to apply for an ongoing job in future.
Wil Wodrow, from Tasmanian recruitment agency Searson Buck, says agency work can have advantages for workers who are nearing retirement. As an agency worker you can:
- work shorter hours as you transition to retirement, if that’s what you want to do
- stay connected with the workforce after you retire, if you wish.
As an agency worker, you’ll have an employment relationship with the agency but may change roles, hours and host businesses over time. Arrangements will depend on what the host businesses are after and your availability.
In the video below, Wil gives an overview of agency work from the perspective of Searson Buck.