Applying for Auto Jobs

It’s important that you are selective when it comes to deciding which jobs you’ll apply for. Be willing to explore and pursue every job lead, and focus your time and efforts on quality leads - it’s quality rather than quantity that counts. Before you begin putting the application together, start picturing yourself in the role. Is this really what you want to do? Does the thought of this opportunity excite you?

Equal opportunity

Make sure you know your rights about employment in Australia. According to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), it’s unlawful to discriminate against a person by not offering them employment, not promoting them, providing less favourable conditions of employment or dismissing a person from their job on the grounds of their:

• race (including colour, descent, national or ethnic origin)
• sex (including pregnancy, family responsibilities and sexual harassment)
• disability (including past, present or future; or a person’s association with a person with a disability)
• age

You have the right to make a complaint to HREOC if you think you have been in a situation similar to those mentioned above. If you want more information about anti-discrimination laws and employment, or HREOC’s complaint handling process, you can contact the Commission via their complaints line: 1300 656 419 (local call) or www.humanrights.gov.au

Referees

Think about people who can best talk about your skills and relevant work experience. Are they able to back this up with examples or anecdotes? Try not to limit yourself to thinking that only former supervisors or managers can be referees, especially if you didn’t have a good relationship with them or you think they may speak unfairly. Former colleagues, clients and external stakeholders are in a good position to give a more rounded account of your expertise, communications skills and ability to work with others.

It may not always be appropriate to use the same referee for each job application or to use people who you’ve not worked with for more than five years, especially if your skills have improved a lot in that time. They may be better giving a character reference.

What you need to do

Keep positive

It’s critical that you maintain a positive outlook because it affects the success of your job search. Prospective employers pick up on that energy and are attracted to it, while negative thoughts only lead to negative results. The more positive you are about your own abilities, job prospects, the companies to which you apply, and life in general, the more likely you are to get the right job.

This is especially helpful to remember when you experience a knock-back. Be prepared for your application to be unsuccessful and to remind yourself that every ‘no’ is one step closer to a ‘yes’! It’s something that everyone experiences when they are looking for a job and the trick is to not give up. You’ll not always get immediate results so remember to be patient, and don’t take it personally when you don’t get an answer to your phone call or application.

Phone the contact

Phone the contact given in job advertisement to get a feel for the sort of person they are looking for, even if the job looks straight forward and self-explanatory. Some questions you may like to ask include:

• Is this a new position?
• What is the salary range? (if not listed in the position description)
• What sort of personal qualities would fit in with this workplace?
• Who manages this position?
• Do any staff members report to this position?
• How many years experience are you looking for?

Selection criteria

It’s essential that you get a copy of the selection criteria for the advertised position, if one is available, as it’s best to also address these in addition to sending a cover letter and resume. Make it easy for an employer to see that you’re the best candidate for the job by addressing each selection criteria separately, and demonstrate with examples.

If it isn’t instantly clear to the reader how your experience and expertise matches their requirements, your application will be put to one side as there’ll be many other applications that are easier for them to read.

Some final tips to remember when applying for a job include:

• Don’t trust computer spell checkers to proof your application. Read every word out loud to be sure it is correct.
• Whacky or suggestive email addresses are fine for use with family and friends but not when it comes to sending job applications. It’s recommended that you avoid using email addresses such as partygirl@yahoo.com or beerguzzler@hotmail.com for example – remember that first impressions count.