By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
DON’T answer your phone in a job interview – better still, leave it outside.
It’s simple advice but not so easy for the tech-addicted young job-seekers to follow, says training organisation Avocare’s chief executive Trish Keilty.
“When we have people start with us, we say you can only use your phone at morning tea and lunch – it’s like detox,” she said.
She says about 45-55 per cent of people who started work experience in Avocare’s warehouse and commercial kitchen went on to land a job.
“We teach them to have the right attitude,” she says.
Avocare hosted a meet-the-employer Q&A forum in Dandenong last week for about 100 young job hopefuls.
Six employers gave sage tips such as not proliferating your Facebook page with drinking-session photos and how to tailor your resume for each job.
Many young job seekers who spoke to the Journal appreciated the advice, hoping it would give them an edge.
They say the reality is jobs are few and the fight for them is frustratingly hard.
The unemployment rate in Greater Dandenong was 12.8 per cent as of March last year – well more than double the 5.8 per cent national average at the time.
Job-seeker Anthony Martin had been employed for four years before starting a Bachelor of Music.
Since then, he has applied for up to 200 jobs in IT, retail and administration for the past two years without success.
For all his effort, he was invited to five job interviews.
“It’s surprised me. It seems a lot of the time employers don’t want to employ me because of my age and my other qualifications.
“They think you’ll just quickly move on from the job.”
He has doubts whether the Federal Government will persist with its proposed six-month wait for Newstart payments for under-30s.
If the change went through, he’d be “shit scared”, he says.
Another forum attendee Angela works 30 hours a fortnight, but is hunting for more work to support her and her teenage son with Aspergers.
More than 60 per cent of her $500 weekly income is devoured by rent.
In recent times, she’s been stripped of about $350 in fortnightly benefits – losing her carer’s allowance and being switched off a single parent benefit onto Newstart.
“Now the government is talking about taking away Family Tax Benefit B payments. It’s ridiculous.
“It’s not that easy to get a job. It’s not our fault.”
She says the job network agencies are “compliance” driven rather than actively helping her to find work.
“They found me the job I’ve got about two years ago. Now they’re sending me to work-for-the-dole because I’m not working enough hours.”
Kelly worked in stockbroking before having three kids. As a single mum, she says she finds it hard to find her way back into the workforce – something local and during school hours.
“There are a lot of mums out there wanting to do the right thing.
“They’re the ones suffering but other people don’t care.”
