Work Work Work
Within the backpacker community, Australia is known for its high living costs. And I couldn’t call myself a real backpacker if I hadn’t stood in the dairy aisle at Woolies, debating whether to treat myself to pesto pasta with 8$ parmesan or if I should keep it in the box of luxury items I can get once I win the lottery. It all seems alright during the time you’ve got money from home, but once that runs out and you switch to AUD, it doesn’t look too good.
After the East Coast, my funds were extremely limited. When I say extremely, I mean being on my last 50 EUR… (Sorry, mum and dad, this is news to you.)
I had made it my mission not to be that daughter who runs back to her parents for money as soon as it gets tight. So you can imagine how desperate I was for a job.
People tell you to go around with your CV, ask in every shop, bar, and restaurant, and though that’s important, let me tell you what I realised when I started working in a restaurant myself; in high-season (meaning a lot of backpackers will be in town), I was taking up to 20 CVs every day. All the backpackers are in the same boat, and everyone wants a job. Handing out your CV is crucial, don’t get me wrong, but you must not rest on it. There is so much more you can do, and since I made the mistake of relying on my CV only, and found out way too late about all the other things that are important, I can now warn you, before you find yourself in a situation like mine!
Let’s talk about your CV and general application first.
If you have written an application or made a CV before, just take that document and bring it up-to-date. It should be modern and neat, don’t go over the top with colour, ideally use a table format in Word, and the outlining you can later erase, after you’ve put in all the necessary information. Surprisingly enough, most employers don’t want to see a picture of you on your CV… something I yet have to find the reason for, so don’t trouble yourself with it. Put in all the experience you’ve got, no matter how little it might be. It doesn’t matter if it’s a job you did for a year or just a week’s work experience, even a few weeks is better than nothing. If you’re going around handing out resumés, there’s no text application needed. Out of experience, I can tell you, if anything, your CV is the only thing they look at. It shouldn’t be more than one page. Restaurant or shop owners get a lot of applications anyway, don’t put them off yours by delivering 2-3 pages.
As for handing out your information, there are a few things you should pay attention to.
You will want to broaden your field and apply to every restaurant, bar, café, or retail shop. Anything that could possibly need staff. My first job was for a company selling souvenirs, and all I did for seven hours was put city stickers on their products. It’s something I never would have thought of, but it paid well, and that’s really all that matters. Apply to water or theme parks, gyms, or anything that could use receptionists. Woolies, Coles, or K-Mart are known to be looking for staff a lot, and have an easy online application process. When you go into any establishment, be a happy and motivated version of yourself. This might seem like such a little detail, but it’s something managers look out for. Often, someone who goes in and merely asks to leave their CV, without greeting anyone or introducing themselves, will be declined before the CV even gets looked at. Ideally, ask for the manager, as this is the person you’ll want to reach and impress. Most of the time, you’ll be asked about experience, which gives you an opening to sell yourself. Though it might not feel natural, don’t make the mistake of underselling yourself, so you make a good first impression, giving you a head start on others. Another question they asked, which I had difficulties with, is how long you’ll be staying in this city / town. When I was looking for a job, I had no idea how long I’d be staying in Cairns for. All I knew was that I was short of money and that I was desperate for work. I started telling people how long I’ve got left on my visa; in my case, that was about 9 months. This tells the place you’re applying to that you could potentially stay for the given time frame, without shining that negative light on yourself of not having a certain plan. And whatever you do, don’t answer the question with anything less than 6 months. The majority of the places you will apply to won’t call you back, but don’t let that get you down. Keep going back and ask for an update on your CV status to show your determination and increase your chances.
In addition to going around personally, use the opportunity of apps.
Apps like Seek or Jora have an easy registration process where you upload your skills, experience, and CV, and also have the option to upload a cover letter. I’d advise you to have one, since you won’t have the opportunity to sell yourself to the manager in person, you can still do it in a written way. Again, put in all the experience you can. Turn on notifications, so you get to be one of the first people to apply for a job. This will push your CV and your chances of getting it. Apps are also a good way of applying for jobs in places you’ve not yet arrived at, but plan to. It is always helpful to know you’ve got a job lined up, rather than moving somewhere and not knowing how your financial situation will be. You’ll also find Facebook groups dedicated to backpackers’ jobs. There are a lot of mini jobs like dog walking or house sitting, as well as one-time work, which can help you along for the time being. Or you can use it as a platform to make yourself known, by posting your CV and a quick introduction about who you are and what you’re looking for.
While being on apps and showing up to a variety of places is good, there is still more you can do.
If you live in a hostel, use it. It can be the most beneficial tool when job hunting. One of the most helpful things I found I could do was make connections. Spread the word that you are looking for a job. Let people know that you are open to any opportunity, and ask if your friends can do anything for you at their work. Sometimes you’ll hear about someone leaving, take that opportunity and ask them to give their manager your CV. This will make you one of the first to apply, and you’ve got a friend to back you. I went around with my CV for two weeks before I started asking people at the hostel. It took a week, and I found myself with two jobs.
Lastly, knowing where to be and when is a huge advantage.
You will find, backpackers move with the season. Mid-October till February / March is the time to be in Sydney, as it is going to be warm and big events like Christmas and New Year’s are happening. With this, most backpackers come together during October and try to find a job to last until February. The same thing will happen all around the country. High season in Cairns will be around April, and since it isn’t a big city like Sydney, it’ll be even more difficult to find work. Depending on where you want to go, make sure to look up when high season will be. It helps just being there a few weeks before the expected busyness starts.
Finding a job can be a long and testing process, so it’s even more important to do everything you can. Always be on the lookout for an opportunity and make use of all the openings presented to you.
Even now, after a year of traveling, I still dread coming to a city and having to do the job hunt all over again. But you can make it so much easier for yourself if you pay attention to detail, and each job you gain is another addition to your CV and another step closer to your next job!
