Navigating the job market in a new country can be a daunting task, especially for those fresh to arrive on a working holiday visa in Australia. The sunny city of Sydney, with its diverse job opportunities and welcoming atmosphere for travelers is a fantastic place to start your Australian working adventure. Here are 10 tips to help you secure your first role and make the most of your working holiday in Australia: 1. Understand Your Visa Conditions First and foremost, make sure you're fully aware of your visa conditions, including the type of work you're allowed to do and how long you can work for a single employer. Typically, working holiday visas can work at one workplace for 6 months and are only able to secure contract roles (Temp or Fixed Term Contracts). Notably when moving from one Working Holiday Visa to the next this 6 month rule resets, allowing you to continue working or rejoin an old employer for a further 6 months. 2. Update Your CV for the Australian Market Customise your CV (or resume) to suit Australian employers. Highlight your skills and experiences that are relevant to the jobs you're applying for. Australians prefer concise CVs, so keep it to a maximum of two pages and make sure it's clearly structured. In most cases personal details like your date of birth, ethnicity, street address, marital status, religion and photograph’s should be removed from your CV as these aren’t considered relevant in Australian recruitment processes. 3. Obtain an Australian Phone Number and Tax File Number (TFN) As soon as you arrive, get an Australian phone number and apply for your Tax File Number online. Employers will need to contact you and often will assume you're offshore if you're number is not an Australian one. You'll also need a TFN for tax purposes, without it, you'll be taxed at a higher rate. 4. Prioritise Recruitment Agencies Specialising in Contract Work Websites like Seek, Indeed, and LinkedIn are popular for job hunting in Australia however, connecting with recruitment agencies in Sydney that specialise in temporary and contract work is even more instrumental. Often roles that would be well suited to professionals on working holiday visas will never get advertised, instead businesses often leverage their recruitment suppliers to find suitable contractors through existing connections. 5. Get your timing right The Sydney jobs market is no stranger to volatility and will often go through peaks and troughs. While a lot of this volatility is hard to predict there are some common trends to be aware of; November to February are the most difficult times within the market, Australian work culture often slows during these periods, offering less work. Couple this with plenty of fresh working holiday visas that have just arrived chasing the Sydney summer and you can find your job search unexpectantly tedious, on the flip side the Winter months often offer more employment opportunities with a lot of competing working holiday visas leaving Sydney or moving rural to complete their regional work in the colder months. 6. Consider Diverse Job Opportunities While you may have a specific career path in mind, be open to various roles. While a lot of WHV holders come over hoping to continue their career where they started off, the 6 month rule imposed by the visa can limit your suitability for many of the roles in the market, this is particularly exacerbated within project based roles and senior / managerial roles where having a candidate for only 6 months may not be viable for the business. 7. Understand Superannuation Superannuation is Australia's pension scheme and is a compulsory payment held by your employer every pay cycle which is deposited quarterly into your nominated Superannuation account (don't worry if you don't already have one as your employer will create one for you if you haven't found your own). Currently the Super is 11% of your pre-tax income however this will rise to 11.5% in July 2024. It is important to understand if a role's advertised remuneration includes super (often called a package) or has super excluded as this can have a big impact on how much you earn week on week. 8. Prepare for Australian-Style Interviews Australian job interviews can be quite informal compared to other countries. However, professionalism is key. Research common interview questions, dress appropriately, arrive early and be ready to talk about your experiences and what you can bring to the team. 9. Understand Your Rights and Pay Rates Familiarise yourself with the Fair Work Ombudsman's website to understand your rights as an employee in Australia, including minimum pay rates and working conditions. It's also a good idea to speak to a few recruiters to understand what the market rate for your skillset looks like and to get a better understanding on how busy the market is at any one time. 10. Embrace the Experience Remember, your working holiday is not just about the job. It's about experiencing Australia's culture, lifestyle and landscapes. Balance your work life with exploration and adventure. Securing your first role in Sydney on a working holiday visa is an exciting challenge. With the right preparation, a positive attitude, some patience and a willingness to embrace new experiences, you'll not only find a job but also make unforgettable memories in Australia.  Good luck, and enjoy your Aussie adventure!

Q&A with James on Milestones, Memories, and the Future of Our Business As CP celebrates three decades of growth, innovation, and resilience, it's a momentous occasion to sit down with our esteemed leader, James, to reflect on the remarkable journey that has brought us to this milestone. With thirty years under our belt, we've weathered storms, embraced change, and achieved milestones that have shaped not only our company but the lives of everyone involved. In this exclusive Q&A session, we delve into the heart of our journey, exploring the pivotal moments, challenges overcome, and the vision that propels us forward into the future.  Join us as we celebrate the past, present, and the boundless possibilities that lie ahead. Looking back on the past 30 years, what inspired you to join recruitment, and how has that initial vision evolved over time? There were probably a few things conspiring to draw me into recruitment. I loved business generally and I’ve worked in ‘service’ businesses from a young age. I also love working with people (most of the time). I admired the success of my Mum in work and all the women in the business she worked for at the time, Centacom. I also admired my Mum as a business founder and I watched all the struggles and successes of the early days. Maybe there were some genetics at play too. Can you share some key milestones and achievements that stand out in Cox Purtell’s journey over the last three decades? I think the successful sale and handover of business from the founders, Jill & Liz, to my business partner (Trish) and myself. Navigating GFC and Covid fairly successfully and intact are proud achievements. There are a few incidents that will need to wait until the book release 😊 How has the recruitment industry changed since you joined CP, and how did you navigate through these changes? It’s both changed a lot and not at all over my 20+ years. Firstly, it’s always been and remains a service and relationship business – this hasn’t changed. The technology has. I caught the end of paper resumes being faxed and posted in and print advertising. I’ve been in since the beginning of Seek and the other job boards. As well as the crm’s and ats’s replacing paper candidate files and timesheets. And now the promise of AI and all that it might bring. To be honest, all of the tech hasn’t necessarily improved productivity and I think has negatively impacted service levels as people hide behind email and text. Some tasks are made easier but volumes (of ad response) have increased exponentially. In the end, it’s a people and service business and that has to stay front of mind. If you could go back in time to the first year of working with CP what piece of advice would you give yourself? Other than suggesting that I should be a doctor, pilot of software engineer, I would tell myself early that customers don’t just come into the business – you have to work hard to find them, work hard to win them and fight damn hard to keep them – there’s always someone nipping at your heels. Reflecting on the early years, what were some of the biggest challenges you faced in establishing and growing with the company, and how did you overcome them? Personally, for the first 5 years I was not very focused on my career and was more interested in being social – it’s hard to be a successful recruiter if you’re not committed to it and living and breathing it. It’s not a 9-5 job. How has the company's culture evolved since its founding? The culture is dynamic and all about the people in the business at the time. So in that sense it’s always changing – what hasn’t changed is underlying desire to do the right thing. Not all the people all of the time, but enough have at any one time to keep that as a core cultural dynamic. Can you highlight some memorable success stories that have had a significant impact on both candidates and clients? One of my most memorable success stories is collaborating with a large Federal Govt Department to build and grow a new service they were offering to help the Australian public. The initial service provider had dropped the ball and we came in and dramatically improved the quality of hire. Ultimately, we recruited hundreds of people into the organisation and many of them are still there or promoted to this day (a decade later). The service offering to the Australian Public is one of the best run in the country and it’s nice to know we played a small part in that success. Can you tell us your most memorable placement? Probably my first placement which was with an elite Private School in the CBD and it was the candidates first professional job out of school. It was only a small placement in terms of a fees but it was very satisfying because the client was delighted with the candidate and the candidate was over the moon. She also stayed with he client for many, many years. I think you never forget the first one where you have done all the work from start to finish. How has your approach to client relationships evolved, and what strategies have contributed to long-lasting partnerships with businesses over the years? I was always taught that recruitment is service and excellent service is sales and that hasn’t changed. Being genuine and not overpromising but over delivering is basic but key. Looking back, are there any decisions that you would have approached differently in hindsight, and what lessons have you learned from those experiences? A lot. Mostly around people. There are people I wouldn’t have hired and shouldn’t have hired and some I wish I had. There was a time where thinking we needed to be bigger was important and then after starting down that path realising that it’s not important. Striving for greatness (productivity & profitability) is better than striving to be bigger (pure sales). I’m sure both are possible but it’s not easy and at some point growth negatively impacts service. We’re all about service. How have you maintained a competitive edge in a dynamic industry, and what strategies have been crucial in staying ahead of the curve? Staying focused on service and the people first. We’ve sometimes strayed too far out of our lane and that’s not normally worked for us. Being open to new technology is important but equally being able to wade through and work which are the technologies that will help and which just suck up your time and money. As a leader, how do you balance the need for growth and profitability with maintaining the company's core values? That is always challenging and a balance I regularly get wrong. At my core, I’m a believer in and backer of people. Sometimes I can tend to backing people longer than is good for them, the team and the business. The challenge can come where the lack of progress for an individual can impact the morale of the broader team – that can be a challenging balance to find for me personally. The reality is recruitment is hard to be good at and not everyone will make it – sometimes the kindest thing to do for someone can be to counsel them towards another career or firm. Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for the company's future? We are on a continuous evolution as a business to keep improving what we do - including being more productive per person rather than just increasing the revenue line, focusing on quality service, sustainable, profitable growth and being a role model corporate citizen. We strive to achieve this through combining the latest technology with the human touch and holding on to our awesome people as long as we can by keeping them engaged and professionally growing and challenged. But we also understand work is just one part of our people’s lives.