r/canberra • u/ArtemisLazuli • 2d ago
Recommendations Losing hope in finding a job in Canberra
This is mainly a rant but I'm curious, is anyone else finding it really hard to get back into the working world?
I had to leave my previous job over a year ago to investigate chronic migraines and have still been stuck without a job regardless of how much I try! I've even be getting rejected from casual retail jobs which I have YEARS of experience in :/
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong and am really losing hope (which is causing stress and making my migraines worse so yippie đ)
If other people are in a similar situation or got any tips, would love to hear from folks :3
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u/turtlepower41 2d ago
I am having the same problem. Itâs been over 6 months now so Iâm looking interstate. I was told by a recruiter that they donât even look at your cover letter until the ai system they use picks up your cv. So always tailor your cv for roles you apply for. I know it takes forever but youâll have more of a chance.
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u/explosiveteddy 1d ago
Sounds like applicants should upload their cv and the job ad yo AI and ask it to tailor. Easy as
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u/Electronic-Law-303 1d ago
I am sorry that itâs currently difficult to find a job, unfortunately (at least in my space) there are a lot of applicants as many private companies, and government are reducing staffing numbers. The reduction in the private sector (IT & consulting) has been happening for about three years, firstly because government reduced outsourcing and then AI really hit its strides in automation etc for lower level work.
In the ACTPS and Fed PS at the time we started seeing an increase in applicants, and the quality of qualification and experience where we previously struggled to get one applicant. We have also seen a very large decrease in mobility, resignations etc.
Fast forward a couple of years, I am now seeing 60 plus applications for a job that we previously struggled to get to double digits. Iâve also seen 200 plus applications for entry level ACTPS jobs, where previously I got up to 20. I would also say, we arenât using AI to assess applications but if your CV and pitch/selection criteria response doesnât use key phrasing/words picked up from the position description you are making it harder to asses your application (especially when looking at number 80 of 200 etc). S others have said, always tailor your CV and response to the role but adjusting the language it really does help as well.
On top of this, we have less money, more work and have been asked to right size to the budget we have been given, irrespective that the cost of doing business and supplying public services is going up exponentially. just look at the cost of fuel and translate that to the bus fleet but no extra $$ being collected. it really is a wicked problem.
Best of luck and donât give up!
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u/ArtemisLazuli 1d ago
Oh jeez, that really puts it into a perspective. A grim one but still perspective! Thank you for taking the time to write this all out :)
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u/BakerOutrageous401 1d ago
Ai enabled software has killed job hunting. I better not hear from the government about 'skills shortages' anytime soon because everyone is rejected without the perfect resume, there is no investment in people, just pure effort free profit.
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u/Mitakum 1d ago
Skills shortages are in specific fields and areas like nursing not for generic retail or admin staff.
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u/BakerOutrageous401 1d ago
Even in nursing there are 100's of graduates every year that cannot get placements in hospitals to finish the training to become registered.
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u/Tyrx 1d ago
The problem here is the ANMF worries about migration putting pressure on wages and jobs and lobbies against that route, but keeps pushing for more nursing students when across Australia nobody even has enough staff to supervise them on placements.
We canât keep adding students to the pipeline when there arenât enough experienced nurses to train them, then turn around and block skilled migration. The training bottleneck needs to be fixed before pretending the answer is simply more local graduates.
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u/darknighties 1d ago
And early childhood. It's hard to maintain ratio with just the bare minimum number of educators. I feel for the person handling the roster.
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u/Difficult_Stand_5164 2d ago
I moved back from running my own business (all digital) to the public sector. It took me a full concentrated effort to apply for over 200+ jobs, dozens of interviews etc. I was spending hours a day writing cover letters and resumes, going through quite a bit of depression etc. I'd say don't give up and keep at it, apply for everything that pops up, temp registers, private, public, NGOs, remote jobs, you name it. Took me around 6 months to get there.
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u/NervousBug3251 1d ago
Youâre not the only one!! my sister also has the same issue, chronic migraines, so she took a break from work to get it all figured out and now trying to come back into work has been hard. she applied for over 300 jobs last year and barely heard back from any. and for the jobs that did respond, she was put on a waiting list? She finally did get a job, but only as a casual. The canberra job scene is absolute garbage at the moment.
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u/ArtemisLazuli 1d ago
I'm glad she was able to find something in the end but god thats rough! Congrats and well wishes to her as a fellow migraine girlie :)
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u/hannahspants Willow says hi 2d ago
Took me 3 months to get a job after my last contract ran out in May and I only managed to get this through a referral. Itâs truly cooked out there
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u/Eisenstienium 1d ago
I mean I know some of the medical pathology places are looking for people I know some of them are in dire need of fresh blood
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u/HouseofPlantagenet 21h ago
Do you need experience or qualifications to work there? Could someone studying allied health work there?
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u/Eisenstienium 21h ago
I was a chef before I worked for pathology but the more things you have in the relevant field the better so itâs good to get first aid certified and working with vulnerable people
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u/HouseofPlantagenet 21h ago
Sweet. I have both of those :) thanks. What specific roles in pathology did you apply for as an entry level?
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u/Eisenstienium 21h ago
Well at the moment I know a few places are looking for people who take the blood and people who transport the blood I applied for a collector role and I love the job
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u/ADHDK 1d ago
Everyoneâs talking about ai, but govt are not heavily using ai to screen applications. Theyâre just slow.
Currently a private industry problem.
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u/reijin64 18h ago
Not really for us. We screen most of the junk or just take referrals - large managed services org.
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u/will_kordek 2d ago
Same, I've been trying to find admin work in Canberra for years, even more desperately since I quit education in March due to burnout. I have over ten years of work experience especially admin but I barely even get notifications that my applications have been viewed.
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u/reijin64 18h ago
Applications are a dead end.
In person via recruiter, contacts, and THEN send the CV to a person. Applying blindly on seek gets you ignored, go to the companyâs job website, apply for an account and jump through the hoops.
Alternatively find a contact and referral and provide CV directly. Iâve never gotten a job thru seek directly, always a referral or contact.
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u/JBEastman 2d ago
I'm in a similar boat. Can't get a professional job (years of looking) and everyone thinks I'm over qualified for casual roles. Good luck, it's tough.
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u/No-Ice-1992 2d ago
I donât have security clearance so travel back and forth to Sydney. The jobs I do would require NV1 or 2 level clearance. I feel job ads about 10 years ago always asked for the ability to obtain x level clearance. Now itâs just a requirement.
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u/beneficentEmperor 1d ago
After 450 applications, upskilling/studying/getting more certs, networking, joining recruitment agencies, no constructive feedback, being too skilled for entry roles (because i am) then not experienced enough for senior or mid roles because I have gaps in my resume (because I was caring for a loved one who had 2 occurrences of aggresive cancer and care for my kids) - I am cleaning toilets for 13 hours a day and can barely make ends meet.
Commercial cleaning is the only industry that has given me an opportunity and I have a chronic health condition which makes it difficult.
All the garbage and lip service I hear about "transferable skills", "inclusion" and developing a diverse workforce is beyond demoralising.
I cant wait to hear people offer me advice, say I am not doing this correctly or that I need to spend money I dont have to get my foot in the door when they have no idea what challenges I am going through.
Ive never seen such apathy and waste of time recruitment has become, working since I was 12 in multiple industries
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u/Duds_Buttley 1d ago
I left 15 years of hospo to become a gardener 5 years ago and never looked back. Nature always has work available. And if thatâs not for you have a good look at other industries youâve never considered.
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u/monochromatic_spas 11h ago
Canberra (considering the size of our city) has a pretty booming hospo industry, always jobs going for all levels of experience. We have lots of fine dining restaurants, cafes, pubs and cocktail bars. Experience helps but as someone whoâs been running bars in Canberra for over a decade good attitude and willingness to learn means a lot more than experience, everything else can be taught. Tough industry as you get older (especially bars) but with modern wages increases and awards you can make a very liveable salary in hopso these days. Also an incredible industry to work in for personal development. Itâs just hard to get out of hospo because even though a career in service gives you great problem solving and interpersonal communication skills none of that really translates well on a resume. I have friends who are APS middle managers and from what they tell me very few of their managers really know how to manage people and even with 12 years experience managing teams and running venues Iâve found it hard to get jobs in different industries.
That being said depending on the venue you can make 80K - 120K as a manager (hotel bars can pay managers a lot more than small bars or cafes, and if you land a manager role at a venue that has pokies like Labour Club or Raiders you can make a ridiculous salary for very easy work).
All in all from my experience job hunting in Canberra really comes down to who you know regardless of the industry, even with a strong CV most jobs are decided through personal recommendations and word of mouth.
Thereâs still a few dodgy business owners who still take advantage of staff and underpay but itâs a lot less common now that everyone can google their rights as a worker. Most places are doing things by the book now.
Hospo can seem like a dead end industry you end up in when you run out of options but it can be incredibly rewarding and provides you with great social skills & logistical experience than can translate really well to a lot of different jobs. Donât rule it out!
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u/Abominationoftime 2d ago
got to remember for every job you put inf or there's prob 100s of others that have done the same thing. add in alot of places are using ai to cut though all the resumes. yer.... its a cluster fuck
just gatta keep on trying
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u/raadude_yusufstorm 1d ago
Been in the aps for 3 years and imagine my surprise when I am struggling to even find something after being declared excess as part of a restructure and knowing that ill be without any work in 3 months or so.
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u/Fujaboi 1d ago
It took me about 5 months to find a new job this year, and that was pretty quick from what I've heard from other people I know who have been in a similar situation. It's tough it there at the moment.
A lot of businesses and government have been getting inundated with applications because AI has made it so easy to churn out an app or a cover letter and people are mass applying
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u/FickleT007 1d ago
Are people struggling with getting IT roles? I keep hearing that market is quiet for the last 3 years. Didnât realise Canberra job market was this bad.
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u/Sad_Working6388 1d ago
I am in a similar position. I was contracting and that finished in January. I started applying for work in December and still havenât landed a position in Canberra. I have a family here and they are happy here but I am considering applying in another state. Itâs too hard to live on one income and honestly it has been soul destroying. I am 50 and I think I am experiencing ageism.
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u/_Ashmerlin_ 22h ago
Can't help on the job front but just a FYI migraines can increase when you're low in b1 or b2. I started taking b2 a year ago and it's reduced the frequency from 2x per month to every other month. But everyone reacts differently to medication so chat to your doctor if you choose to try it.
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u/Morally-Wrong 9h ago
I stopped working over two years ago due to mental health issues (was hospitalised and everything) and I haven't even been called up for an interview. I honestly am loosing hope at this rate, especially when I've applied to over 500 jobs and the ones I call directly to enquire about the role refuse to give me the time of day. And the stress of it all has begun to even take a toll on my physical health. I honestly don't know if I'll still be alive by Christmas at this rate.
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u/brvine Belconnen 4h ago
This is brutal but years of experience in retail means youâre probably going to cost more in wages than someone under 20 if youâre applying for retail jobs.
The plus side to that is if you have availability thatâs better than most school/uni students (Friday nights, and weekends) then youâve got a good chance of getting a role/shifts where the business needs to fill gaps during the week.
If youâve got that availability make sure itâs on retail resumes and cover letters youâre applying for, not just the form you have to fill out when applying. If youâve got commitments in the middle of the day, put the hours you can work around them. Be very clear about the hours you CAN work.
If you donât have great availability stop applying for retail jobs, capitalism is what capitalism is, and if you canât help generate profit for shareholders/business owners youâre but youâre better off looking other places.
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u/PaisleyPig2019 3h ago
Have you tried an employment agency? I used to find they'd have lots of basic admin contract jobs for the government agencies or the unis.
You could pick up a three month contract, and that often lead to a short term job with the government
Also I'd put in applications with all the government temporary employment registers. Ensure you look up the star method of writing, they are particular about it.
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u/Antique-Wrap-75 2h ago
Oh this is about the software industry!!! Welcome to reality. Move to Sydney or Melbourne
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u/venusiscallous 1d ago
Also struggling. I see a lot of childcare and dental/medical reception roles, but neither are in my wheelhouse. As others have mentioned, I do wonder about the impact AI is having on assessing applications. Recently applied for a role that read like it was written just for me. Adjusted the resume & cover letter accordingly, sent it off. It was closed on Seek after a week with less than 100 applicants and I never heard a word. (but received 3 spammy emails from the recruitment agency almost immediately after applying).
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u/Spiritual_One126 1d ago
I finally got a job after 2 years searching. Cant comment on the rest of the country, but canberra job market has been rough
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u/Melonboyblop 1d ago
Ranier schoolware is looking atm, it's in philip, decent pay for casual work and they are also looking for a manager position. A trick I use is searching for businesses emails and sending the resume like that. Took me like 5 months to get my first interview though đ
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u/ArtemisLazuli 1d ago
I actually interviewed with them a few months back with no luck, maybe I'll give them another go, thank you :)
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u/Nina_Elle20 13h ago
I've come to the (empirical and anecdotal) conclusion that there's no jobs in Canberra whatsoever. I have a PhD in STEM and granted, I'm on a shitty visa, no excuses. Can't be in most APS positions. But one would think that a PhD from a top uni is an asset to the ACT? Wrong. Zero jobs.Â
I went to the lengths of printing out copies of my CV and handing it to basically every business in CBD, being that I worked a number of seasonal/retail/hospitality jobs throughout uni. Got a grand total of ZERO callbacks. Zero. Got rejected from a part time retail position at the Canberra Centre. Fonda was hiring, I went there, spoke to the manager at length, waited a month, nothing. Applied for a job at Hopscotch and got told by a manager there that they had received hundreds (quote unquote) of applications. Bentspoke told me that the best they could do at the time was to have me lodge my CV as an EOI. Applied for a tutoring position (paid the fabulous amount of $30 ph before taxes) and just now, some 7-8 months after the fact, got an email back. A blatantly AI generated one on top of that. A great outlook for an entity that provides tutoring services.
But in general, soon as I saw I couldn't even get 20 hours pw selling clothes at the shopping centre close to the holiday season, I knew right there and then that I wasn't gonna find anything.
And indeed I ended up moving to Nowhere, Outback, and I swear there's more jobs out here than in the whole of Canberra. Obviously it's not top jobs paying you 8 figures, but least it's some actual jobs where it's a human emailing you back, interviewing you, greeting you at the grocery store, where you can get decent hours, and you're not competing against an algorithm ruling your CV out because it lacked the new buzzword of the month?
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u/sysphus_ 2d ago
I think I can help. I coach job hunters (mostly for free) and have a great success rate. DM me if you need help.
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u/ArtemisLazuli 1d ago
Oh yeah? Do you have a website or business email I can look at? :3
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u/sysphus_ 1d ago
Mate, this is a freebie only coz we want to give back to the community. While we do sometimes ask for money, it's never for those in your situation. So to answer your question, no I don't have a website or a business email. I just think people 99% of job hunters have got their fundamentals backwards. We just help them fix it. By we, my wife and I.
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u/Asleep_Background846 1d ago
Yeah look, it was hard. And then I moved to Sydney. Still finding it hard too.. I feel like Iâm destined to be unemployed sometimes
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u/Suzie2600 1d ago
Is nepotism and âwho you knowâ in cbr still rife?
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u/ArtemisLazuli 1d ago
I seem to be one of the few people in cbr without that nepo luck it seems lol XD
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u/Fun_Computer1110 1d ago
Itâs crazy wages. Many businesses wonât hire anyone without experience and even fewer will manage a business with minimal staff.
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u/whiteycnbr 1d ago
The trick is to not list your years of experience because AI will treat you as old and discount your application. It's a fucking grim world with AI vetting of CVs, it actually needs to be regulated.
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u/ArtemisLazuli 1d ago
So like list the jobs I did but not how long I was at each? I found alot of applications want a start and end date and won't let you continue without telling them.
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u/Early-School-2951 1d ago
This interesting, I had 5 years off due to a medical condition. I started applying and sending my resume out in February and I started work first week of March. Has things changed that much?
Are you sending your resume to the agencies and doing the meet and greets?
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u/ArtemisLazuli 1d ago
I've sent my resume to a bunch of recruiment agencies and the only times I've ever gotten a response was in a one month period where I broke my foot and couldn't accept anything, dead silence from any of them ever since :/
Makes me wonder if they forgot I'm in their systems lol :P1
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u/FxtrotCharli 1d ago
My kids have been trying to get their first jobs for a year . They have applied to at least a couple hundred places . Only maybe a handful of replies back. We change the resume to fit the job each time .. we try everything My son even just walked around with printed copies of his resume the old fashioned way and handed out hundreds to every shop he could find. Only one person called back. I don't understand it. It is horrible. I'm on the disability pension so we are barely surviving. We have maybe $100 a week after rent. I barely eat. I skip pain relief medication. What is happening in Canberra???