In most cases the links are through to the information provided by the Good Universities Guide Career Ladders. Where information wasn’t available on the Careers Ladders I have added a link to the most useful information I could find.
The Good Universities Guide has uni and VET courses
MyFuture
MyFuture has videos and great information about careers. It may be worth subscribing as all States and Territories contribute to that central store of information. It costs about $15 a year to subscribe.
MyFuture was created by all Australian States and Territories. It is THE most comprehensive career site we have.
In Focus Careers
I wrote a post recently with updated links to all of the key careers sites.
If you apply for a job with a mining company, or think you may want to work overseas, you will find yourself writing job applications that go through application tracking systems designed to weed out poor applications before a human sets eyes on it.
You need to know how to get your job application past the application tracking systems.
Nothing Beats a Good Job Application
Don’t turn yourself inside out trying to beat the algorithm. Your application can end up sounding phoney.
Just write a good application. Seek.com provides great advice on writing a good resume, or if you are still at school go to Youth Central for tips.
Key Words
The application tracking system will scan your application for keywords that are in the job advertisement.
If they are looking for a professional tap dancer you need to use the words “professional” and “tap dancer” in your application.
If you do tap dancing but have never worked professionally put in a Career Goal at the start of your document that says that your dream is to work as a full time, “professional tap dancer“.
Then you can talk about your tap dancing qualifications and experience that lead to this dream under traditional headings like:
Qualifications
Just list your qualifications, where you got them and when. A table of qualifications may take on a life of its own in cyberspace and end up a jumble when it is downloaded.
You can put in headings like:
Academic Qualifications
Dance Qualifications
Experience
Stick to what is important. If the professional tap dancer is required to work in a team you can talk about your experience working in a team at the local coffee shop where you were required to work under pressure and support other team members. Mention “team” in your answer.
If you can’t make your coffee shop experience add to your story, leave it out.
Referees
It will be best if you have a referee who is a professional tap dancer.
The Prime Minister may be your first best friend but he is not going to have any credibility with employers looking for a professional tap dancer.
Don’t Get Fancy
Pictures of your latest tap dancing performance won’t be picked up by the application tracking system. Leave them out.
Just save your application in Word or as a PDF, attach it and send. Don’t get fancy with Google Docs or Dropbox etc unless they say that is what they want.
Use Grammarly to check your spelling and grammar before you send off your application.
I don’t like pictures of applicants. It is an equity issue AND the application tracking system may not be able to read the picture.
It’s an Online Social World
If your application gets to a human, they will check you out on social media to save time BEFORE you get called in to an interview.
Start building an online profile that makes you look like the sort of person who would succeed as a professional tap dancer.
Set up your LinkedIn profile and start building your reputation as a committed tap dancer.
Join local and world online tap dancing groups. Build your reputation.
The Future of Job Applications
Don’t panic if you can’t get your head around algorithms and key words. Just write your best application. Remember:
In Western Australia most employers own small businesses so they won’t be using application tracking systems, and even some IGA stores just have a form that you have to fill in.
There are some seriously cool job application apps coming through which will make it easy for employers to find out about you… but probably harder for you to make your application shine. There may be a future in writing seriously cool job applications for these apps.
If you are in Western Australia and want to know about career opportunities subscribe to the In Focus Careers Newsletter.
I work constantly to maintain my knowledge of career opportunities and my careers newsletter is a conduit for information and advice to schools and organisations across Western Australia.
Please send me a complimentary copy of your insanely great and VERY reasonably priced In Focus Careers Newsletter.
At least we have moved on from that! But sadly, not far.
While women make up half the rural workforce and generate half the income, they are still almost invisible when it comes to leadership and power in the rural economy.
As with women in trades and in science and computing jobs, women in agriculture are ignored, overlooked and explained away when it comes to opportunities to participate in decision-making.
Women do not have adequate representation on rural decision-making bodies:
There is clear evidence of a shortage of workers in agriculture, the world is craving fresh, clean food and the industry is demanding higher level skills to address issues of climate change.
Despite all this and despite more women than men graduating from uni, women are still not being seen or heard in primary industries.
The Visible Farmer is a media campaign to increase the visibility of rural women.
Check out the series of 15 short videos here. Tell your friends. Show them to your classes.
Join the RRR Women’s Network to see what other women are doing to try to get a fair go for RRR women in WA.
Subscribe to the In Focus Careers Network
There are 120 high schools across Western Australia that save time and deliver better careers education by linking into the In Focus Careers Network.
