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.

What is agency work?

Wil Wodrow (WW), Searson Buck

What is the difference between an agency and a jobactive provider?

WW – The difference I guess between an agency like Searson Buck and say Jobactive, we actually work on behalf of, I guess, the business. So, helping them understand who are the right skills and capabilities to come into their business, and we also work with the client to get the right feedback back to people as well that might not be successful, to say, you know this is where you might need to look at improving to, to work from there. We try and take the best interests of the job seeker and the business together just to make the perfect match.

What kind of employment opportunities does an agency provide?

WW – If somebody starts off on a temporary nature, so again these roles could range from a one day shift or a four hour shift or it could go on for six months or less, tend to find probably it’s around the six week, eight week mark that we find these type of roles. If they’re with an employer again, it just gives them an opportunity to show their skills of what they’re doing, build a relationship with them and then they’ll be there for hearing about opportunities should the role become permanent and it puts them in a better position, or they’ll know about if they can apply for the role and have that relationship with the employer.

What if I am currently employed but considering retirement down the track?

WW – We work with businesses to help them understand about even the transitional workforce. For instance, people that are coming up to retirement and just help them understand breaking down their individual skills and then when they come out into the workforce or want to try work with an agency like Searson Buck, we can help point them into a temporary type job that could be around their one particular skill and they can still work at the same time in their current job and then work in that temporary nature. It just helps them bridge the gap of seeing what other work is available out there.

How do I get in touch with an agency like Searson Buck?

WW – Searson Buck, we’re actually a Tasmanian-owned and operated business so we’ve got over 45 team members around the State that work to help with businesses and also job seekers looking at opportunities in all sorts of industries. We’ve got branches up in Burnie, Launceston and Hobart; they’re probably our main points, but also, we’ve got toll-free numbers, again saving money for people to be able to ring through and just ask questions that they need to as well. All available on our website. I just suggest to people to keep across opportunities that come up. Always check our website, we always have different jobs that keep coming up if they want to look at those. They can register with us for some job alerts if something comes up that’s of interest and also keeping across some of the social channels, like if you are not familiar with LinkedIn. Facebook’s got quite a bit on there as well in different what they call groups and that just helps people communicate together in there, so keeping yourself networked all together in there. It’s just making sure you’re out there in the community and talking to other people as much as you can, talking to Searson Buck and hopefully we can help point you in the right direction.

Resources to help you find vacancies

Some job websites to start your search:*

Advice for people looking for adult apprenticeships

* Inclusion in the above lists does not constitute endorsement by Work45+. The lists are examples of the kinds of job websites and recruitment agencies available. Job seekers must do their own research and use their own judgement in deciding whether to use the services offered by any of these websites and organisations.

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Video credits
  • Wil Wodrow is Partnerships Manager at Searson Buck
  • Film maker: Lucy East
References
  1. Equal Opportunity Tasmania, Guidelines When Publishing and Advertising, accessed April 2020
  2. Australian Apprenticeships Pathways 2020, Adult Apprenticeship Job Hunting
  3. Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association 2019, #LoveYourWork, About