Tips for finding a job

 

Where do you look for a job? Everywhere! Even the most unlikely options can come through for you:
 

• Ask friends, family and relatives: they could have connections or may have heard of an opening.
• Ask around shopping centres or at places like McDonald's or Target. (Note: If you’re looking for Christmas work, you’ll need to put your name down early in the year.)
• Use the services of the school careers adviser who often has contacts about jobs.
• Check out newspapers, including the free suburban newspapers in your area.

Don't give up if you don't get the first job you apply for. There will be others, so just keep your eyes and ears open for other job opportunities.

 

Make sure you have an up-to-date resume (a document which shows your personal details, education and work history).

 

For tips on writing a resume, visit www.seek.com.au.

 

Part-time work

When looking for a job the first thing you should consider is how you want to be employed – as a permanent employee, as a casual employee, or on a fixed-term contract. Permanent employees can be full-time (about 35 to 40 hours per week) or part-time (working a set number of hours a week). As a permanent employee, you'll get entitlements like holidays and sick days. This means if you go on holidays or take time off work because you're sick, you still get paid. Obviously, these days aren't endless, but the average for full-time employees is four weeks a year for holidays, and five to 10 days a year sick leave. If you are part-time you receive part of the full-time entitlement.

 

Casual work

A casual employee isn't guaranteed a minimum number of work hours a week, but you and your employer may have a 'good faith' agreement on your working hours. Working as a casual allows you flexibility in the number of hours you work, which is great for studying, or sports, or even your social life. You can still take time off for holidays or sickness, but you don't get paid.

 

As a casual employee you receive a casual rate of pay (usually hourly), which is generally higher than the standard full-time rate. The higher rate is intended to compensate you for the holiday and sick pay you don't receive.

 

Temporary work

Contract or temporary work involves working on a specific project or for a certain length of time. A common example is when people get summer jobs. They may work full-time and get a casual rate of pay over the summer holidays and then go back to school at the end of summer, when the job ends. If you are working on a specific project and you have special qualifications and experience, then you might be able to negotiate your rate of pay.

 

What am I entitled to?

'Entitlements' refer to the conditions of employment set out in an award or in your contract of employment. They may include:

• Leave entitlements (such as holiday and sick leave)
• Penalty rates
• Superannuation
• Special allowances (such as clothing or travel allowances)

Common leave entitlements include four weeks paid annual leave and five days paid sick leave each full year of work. Not every employee gets these entitlements. For example, a casual employee usually doesn't get holiday or sick leave, but they usually do receive a higher hourly rate of pay than permanent employees. This is meant to compensate them for their loss of entitlements.

 

More sources for employment info

If you want to double check anything work related, a good place to start looking is The Source website. This is a youth-friendly Commonwealth Government site that contains links to other workplace information sites.