How to Start Your Job Hunting Journey as a Fresh Graduate

Hey guys,

As I was scrolling down my old emails to free up some space in my Gmail, then I came across my ‘ancient’ emails to recruiters when I was starting to look for my first job in Indonesia after I returned from Taiwan. I smiled when I looked at those and of course I still remember some of the tough recruitment processes I went through. I did not get invitations for ALL applications I sent, but I did get invitations from some of the big and also multinational companies that I looked forward to.

So, I was thinking that some tips and tricks from my experience might be useful for many of you who are still looking for your first full-time job after graduation (or after working holiday in Australia) 🙂

Just for basic understanding about my background situation: I graduated from a local university in Jakarta with Public Relations major. I went to Taiwan: lived and worked there while taking Mandarin Chinese language school for 2 years before I started to look for a full-time job in Indonesia. So, I wasn’t actually a ‘FRESH’ fresh graduate 😀 And, I’m writing these not as a HR professional but these come from my experience finding jobs in Indonesia. And I can say that my job hunting went very well that I got offers from good and even multinational companies with much better salary than average fresh grads at that time.

Without further ado, here are my tips and tricks to get job interviews invitation as a fresh grad:

• Start early

I booked my ticket from Taipei to Jakarta for the 20th of January 2013. Since I already knew when I’d arrive here, I started sending out application letters and CV’s to employers even before I leave Taiwan. I think I started sending them since the end of December of beginning of January 2013. So, if you want to get a job ASAP, you’d better start scrolling through the job ads and sending applications way before your graduation day or return from Australia (or whatever place you are). Because recruitment process for fresh grads can take way longer than for experienced hires. And there’s a lot of possibility that you will not get the first job you’re applying for, right?

• Update and beautify your CV and LinkedIn profile

This is pretty obvious! Your CV advertises yourself to the recruiters (hiring manager/HR). On the other hand, your LinkedIn profile shows how savvy you are in utilising technology for your professional image. Here’s how my CV looked when I sent out my job applications in 2013 (which got me an interview from my first employer) :

 

So, YES I did have a 4-page CV and believe me, it’s OKAY! If you only have 2 pages of CV, it’s okay too! As long as you show what the employers want to see, i.e.: your education background (including informal education such as language courses) and work experience (both relevant and side jobs like WHV jobs or barista). Believe me, it adds points to your CV! How do I know? Because during interviews, they most likely will ask you things about your past experience including those informal jobs 🙂 And of course you can tell them interesting things from those experience.

Pro tips: try your best to have your CV and cover letter in good English so it looks more professional.

• Look at job listings at legit and bonafide job portals

In Indonesia, I think Jobstreet and LinkedIn are the most trusted platforms with wide range of job varieties for any experience levels. The search engine is also very easy to use, so you can find jobs based on your career interest, location and expected salary.

• Write a cover letter to complement your CV

When you see the job ads that look relevant to your background and of your interest, start composing a letter based on what the company and hiring manager need in a candidate. If they look for an IT engineer, you should tell them that you are accustomed to work with the apps or software they use. Or if you are applying for a sales position, tell them you are confident and a good communicator. Here’s my cover letter for the job I applied in my first company:

• Don’t forget to write a short paragraph on the body email

This is one thing that a lot of first time applicants seem to miss. When you email a recruiter, write at least one paragraph to present your cover letter and CV. Since I attach both my cover letter and my CV, I usually just write this on the body email:
Dear Mr/Ms XXX (recruiter’s name),

Please find the attached files to review my CV and cover letter.

Thank you very much.

Best regards,

Ariesa

Those are my tips to get your invitations for job interviews as a fresh graduate. If you’re interested in learning more tips about how to get ready and answer interview questions as a fresh grad, please let me know in the comments below 🙂

Wish you all a lovely Sunday and good luck on your job hunting journey 😉

Cheers,

Ariesa

What to Do After Your WHV Ends

Hey guys,

I believe most of you, if not all of you, have ever asked some of your friends about their plans upon completing their working holiday. If you are one of those peeps who are still unsure of what they ought to do after their working holiday visa ends, this post might just be your source of inspiration 🙂

Disclaimer: this article might be most suitable to my Indonesian friends since we usually have the same thoughts and worries about what to do next after our time in Australia has finished. 

So, your WHV almost ends and you have managed to gather quite a decent amount of savings. You love living in Australia because of the nice environment and weather, mostly lovely people, and of course the job that pays you a decent salary (especially if you compare it to the standard salary back in your home country, Indonesia). Your job in Australia might be draining your energy, but after a while you get used to it and think it’s worth the pay. Plus, there is no work you need to bring home after work hour and you can get the most out of your weekend (read: hiking at Blue Mountains, sunbathing at Bondi Beach, etc). Back in Jakarta, shopping mall is all you have all around the city. What good is shopping mall for you if you have barely enough money to spend from salary in Indonesia 😦 You really want to stay in Australia or at least continue living away from your homeland. But, what options do you have if you choose to either stay or leave Australia? You already have some ideas in mind what you can do if you choose to stay. However, what options do you have if you opt to leave? What does your home country have in store for you? What is your opportunity if you want to try your luck in other country? Here’s a few things you can consider:

1. Traveling!!! 

Whether’s it’s a road trip around Australia and New Zealand, or even going to another country you have always wanted all your life, e.g.: Europe, UK, USA, Japan or Korea, JUST DO IT! You have worked so hard so it’s just as wise to use it to gain even more life experience such as traveling! If you’re going to leave Australia, I would recommend traveling around Australia and New Zealand since it’s probably going to take a while before you’re able to go there again. Let’s face it, traveling to Australia is so darn EXPENSIVE! If you just travel around Australia, you would at least save air tickets. If you have a group of friends to do a road trip, you’re gonna save even more. Woohoo!! 😀

The Great Ocean Road

2. Go to College/Uni in Australia

This is probably one of the most common things people do after finishing their working holiday in Australia. Apapun degree, subject atau major yg diambil nggak masalah. Abis gimana donk, udah terlanjur betah sih di Australia 🙂 Untuk option yg ini saya rasa nggak perlu dijelaskan lagi yah. Kita semua udah tau kalau lanjut sekolah di Australia kehidupannya biasanya akan mirip2 seperti waktu masih WHV lah. Cuma bedanya kali ini ditambah sekolah: harus bayar uang sekolah + kerjain assignment plus exams :”)

Kemungkinan utk mendapatkan PR setelah lulus sekolah, saya sendiri nggak gitu paham, guys. Sepertinya tetap harus sesuai occupation list yg ditetapkan oleh pemerintah Australia. Untuk lebih jelasnya, silakan tanya ke teman2 yg ambil sekolah ataupun immigration agency yg tepat yah 🙂

3. Get a higher degree

Getting a higher degree is one of the best choice to make your hard-earned money in Australia beneficial for your future. I know this is not for everyone. Lots of people think they have had enough of school. Nothing is wrong with your thoughts and decision. Getting a higher degree is not compulsory for everyone and not all occupations need a master’s or doctoral degree. But, if you happen to think about getting it, you can absolutely do it! Be it in your home country or abroad, it really is possible.

If you’re thinking about getting a degree abroad, there are some countries that offer low cost education with high quality, such as: Taiwan and Germany. Here is the list of countries that offer affordable education: https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/studying-abroad/10-most-affordable-places-study-abroad .

Study in Paris is possible too 🙂

4. Learn a new language abroad

After living in Australia for a while, I’m sure you’ve come to realise that English is not the only international business language. Yes, that’s right! Mandarin Chinese seems like the second national language in Australia. At least in Sydney. Trust me, there are lots of more opportunities if you speak the second international language, where ever you are!

My Mandarin classroom

Mandarin Learning Center, Chinese Culture University, Taipei-Taiwan

Now, if you think about learning this second language, I’ve got just a good news for you. The national language in Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese. Do you remember before the KDrama era, Taiwanese dramas were all over our TV stations? If you remember Meteor Garden, F4, Rainie Yang and even Jay Chou, they are all from Taiwan. And as mentioned on the list above, Taiwan is also one of the most affordable places to study. If you think learning Mandarin Chinese in Indonesia would not work for you because you don’t get to use it everyday, then you can surely go to Taiwan and take Mandarin Chinese classes there. Your savings in Australia will most likely be enough for your study and living cost. Be sure to check out my previous article on : Why Taiwan is the Best Place to Learn Mandarin Chinese . If you’re not interested in learning Mandarin Chinese, don’t worry! I’m sure there are also language programs in European countries like France, Spain and Germany. You just need to do some research to find what you want.

5. Open your own business in your home country

If you have an entrepreneurial mind and spirit, and a bit of money as a capital, you can definitely start your own business! I have a friend who also went to Australia on a working holiday. She always loved doing a barista job, and she started at Starbucks when she was still in college here in Indonesia. Even in Melbourne, she was always doing a barista job. Thus, when she came back she decided to open a small café and run the business on her own.  I also know another friend who has done similar thing upon his return from working holiday. I think that’s quite a bold move and inspiring. No one says running your own business and be the boss would be easy, but hey at least you start and learn from whatever comes in your way 😊

One of my friend’s snack business

My friend’s cafe at Pasfes

6. Start or return to your career

If you’re lucky and you get a job with sponsorship in Australia, that’s awesome! You must be one of the luckiest few people in the world! But most of us don’t. You think you don’t have much choice but to join workforce in our home country, Indonesia. Your head already rejects a million times to accept any job offer because you know the salary must be much lower that what you can earn back in Australia. But well, no director started as a director, unless their parents own the business. The thing you need to keep in mind is that a career in Indonesia doesn’t give you an instant big paycheck as you get in Australia, but if you work smart and hard, it will give you a long term benefit. For instance, if you work as a banker in Indonesia, your starting salary might not be very high. But if you work smart and learn as you do your job, you might become a successful banker who is expert in, let’s say, investment and stock market. After a few years, your salary will adjust as your experience and knowledge increase.

*image source: Quora.com

Those are all the options I can think of so far. There might more more options out there. If you know anything else, please feel free to add in the comment section 🙂

At the end of the day, you are the person who decides what’s best for you. Do what you want and what you can. I don’t think one option is better than the other since each and every one of us has our own talent, skills, interest, needs and purpose of life. I believe we all want to choose to do things that can lead us to our main purpose of life 😀 Whatever we choose, we just have to be responsible of our choice and work hard to achieve our goals.

 

Cheers,

Ariesa

Taiwan Trip – Accommodation & Transportation Tips

Ni hao!

I’ve recently been on a trip to Taiwan with one of my high school BFF’s. It was a 9-day trip around the island. Even though it wasn’t quite enough to explore all around the island, at least we got the chance to see some of their famous tourism objects.

In this post, I’d like to share as much information as I can recall: budget, itinerary and special tips.
I didn’t take notes on all the details, but I think this would be enough to give a clear picture of the trip and help you plan your trip.

1. Flight ticket
I booked Tiger Air round-trip flights from Jakarta to Taipei for 5 – 14 May 2016. I booked the ticket in October 2015 for Rp 7.2 mio for 2 persons (appr. US$ 550 with only 1 x 15kg luggage). There was a stopover in Singapore and the price did not include luggage transfer. So, we had to get our luggage after the immigration counter and check-in again at the check-in counter. Since we had to spend a night in Singapore before our early morning flight to Taipei (at 8.45 AM), we decided to sleep at the airport.

Waiting for boarding time 2. Itinerary May 6 – 7 : Taipei, Energy Inn Hostel in Ximen Ding – US$ 59/ 2 nights/ 4-bed female dorm with private bathroom + breakfast May 8 : Kaohsiung, Sunwise Hotel Kaohsiung, near  Kaohsiung Main Station (MRT & Train) – NT$ 780/ 1 night/ double room with private bathroom + breakfast May 9 : Chiayi, Light Hostel Chiayi, near Chiayi Train Station – NT$ 1,300/1 night/ 4-bed female dorm with private bathroom + breakfast May 10 – 11 : Taichung, Starship Business Hotel, near Taichung Train Station – NT$ 2,200/ 2 nights/ double room with private bathroom + breakfast May 12 – 13 : Taipei, Backpackers Hostel, in Ximen Ding – NT$ 3,000/2 nights/twin room with private bathroom – no breakfast May 14 : Singapore, 1-night stay at Bliss Hotel in Chinatown, in front of Chinatown MRT station – S$ 128/ 1 night/ twin room with private bathroom – no breakfast. Energy Inn, Tapei (dorm beds)    Energy Inn, Taipei (bathroom) Light Hostel, Chiayi (bathroom) Light Hostel, Chiayi (dorm beds) Starship Business Hotel, Taichung 3. Transportation within Taiwan MRT in Taipei & Kaohsiung : NT$ 12 – 30/trip depending on distance. I recommend to buy Easy Card for faster access to MRT & buses and save transportation expense. The card costs NT$ 100, non-refundable. Taiwan High Speed Railway (THSR) : take HSR for a long trip as far as Taipei to Kaohsiung (Zuo Ying station). I bought the HSR ticket at Backpackers Hostel and got 20% discount (normal price almost NT$ 1,500). Taiwan Train : No need to book in advance for this. Just buy it at the ticket counter and ask for the earliest schedule to your destination. The train costs me around NT$ 100-200ish/ each trip with reserved seats. Sometimes they sell non-reserved seat tickets for short distance travel. Bus : I took bus from Chiayi to Alishan and from Taichung to Sun Moon Lake. Chiayi – Alishan : NT$ … /person/single trip. Bus station located in front of Chiayi train station. Taichung – Sun Moon Lake : NT$ 189/person/single trip. Bus stop in front of Taichung train station. Sun Moon Lake – Taichung : NT 500/single trip by taxi. Taoyuan Airport – Taipei Main Station (city centre) : NT$ 125/person/single trip by airport bus. Buy ticket at a counter near the bus stop at airport exit. 4. Meals & drinks You will never have to worry about meals in Taiwan. There is either street vendor or convenient store (7-11, Family Mart, Hi-Life) at every inch of Taiwan. At late night or early morning, the convenient stores are still open and provide sandwiches, sushi/onigiri, kuo tie, fried chicken, fish meatball and even bento box. The store assistants always offer to heat it in the oven. The prices are reasonable (around NT$ 20-100). Snacks and coffee from convenient stores all over Taiwan 😀 By the time I stepped my foot on Taiwan’s ground, I already felt that something awesome was going to happen again. And yes, all the good old memories came back and I suddenly felt terribly happy and I think I fell in love with Taiwan all over again :”) Cheers, Ariesa

How I Got My First Retail Job in Australia

Hey guys,

It’s been a while since last time I wrote here. In case you’re wondering, my WHV ended on 31 January, so right now I am already back in Jakarta. And I am also back to the last company I worked at before leaving for working holiday in Australia.

A lot of people have been texting me through FB and IG message. I answered quite a few of them. Sorry for those whose messages I didn’t answer. So, now I’m here to answer all your FAQ about how I actually got my first retail job in AU 🙂

1. Kak/Sis, sebelumnya pernah kerja di retail?

Nope! Back in Indonesia and Taiwan, just like most of you guys, I have always worked in the office. Eh, tapi aku selalu kerja di sales function sih. Either B2B or B2C, aku jd selalu banyak kontak dgn customer and work to achieve sales target 😀 So, maybe that helps a bit?!

2. Sis gimana awalnya koq bisa kerja di Myer/David Jones?

Nah ini jawabannya agak panjang. Karena banyak yang tanya soal proses detailnya jadi saya jelasin step by step nya yah. So, saya apply ke agency yg menyalurkan SPG/SPB, atau kalau di AU nama kerennya itu adalah Brand Ambassador. Nama agency nya adalah Marc Edward Agency (MEA). Nah, si MEA ini ada di seantero negara bagian di AU, terutama di kota2 besarnya spt Sydney, Brisbane dan Melbourne. Untuk lebih jelasnya silakan google sendiri yah guys, soalnya si MEA ini punya website juga dan sering pasang iklan di Gumtree & Seek juga koq.

Waktu itu MEA pasang iklan di Gumtree. Mereka lagi rekrut orang2 baru untuk jadi brand ambassador new launch fragrance. Tapi mereka juga tidak menutup opportunity utk orang2 yg punya pengalaman atau passion diluar perfumes, misalnya makeup dan skin care. Requirement nya cukup simple: have good communication skills, bubbly, confident, well-groomed, beauty enthusiast, ability to speak Chinese (Mandarin or even Cantonese) is an advantage.

Thus, I sent my resume along with a cover letter. Untuk contoh cover letter nya ga perlu saya tampilin di sini lah ya, silakan kreasikan sesuai dgn pengalaman kalian aja. Tapi yang jelas, saya nggak pake bohong dengan bilang saya punya pengalaman retail bla bla bla. Saya hanya bilang kalau saya sudah biasa kerja dengan target, punya passion di beauty terutama skin care dan perfumes. Saya juga bilang kalau saya bisa bahasa Mandarin dan Indonesia, selain Inggris. Soalnya saya dulu pernah tinggal di Taiwan selama 2 tahun (harus banget ini saya sebut supaya lebih meyakinkan :p ) . Untuk resume, saya buat hanya 1 halaman persis spt resume saya utk melamar kerja sbg waitress. Cuma saya tambahkan dengan pengalaman kerja kantoran juga supaya lebih keren aja sih.. Hehehe..

Within 2 weeks upon sending my application letter, I got an email inviting me for a first round interview.

So, the golden ticket has arrived. Now is your time to show ’em what you got! Dress to impress! Follow the dress code and do your makeup nicely! Show up on time!

3. Terus kalau udah di-invite utk interview, apa donk yang harus disiapin? Apa aja sih yg ditanyakan di interview?

The interview is very short and simple. Ini cuma group interview aja koq. Jadi nanti kita hanya diminta memperkenalkan diri: nama, tempat tinggal, kuliah/kerja, status visa, pengalaman di bidang beauty/sales, apakah kamu punya sertifikat beauty therapist atau MUA? Apakah kamu punya pengalaman MUA? Apakah kamu tertarik dgn job jualan fragrance? What languages do you speak? What days can you work?

Self-makeup class from Honey Beauty ❤

So, my best advice is to prepare what you want to talk about yourself! Kamu harus kelihatan PD utk speak up dan pastinya ramah! Waktu saya interview, seperti biasa saya banyak ketemu orang2 Mainlanders, selain Brazilians. Kalau yg Brazilians ato bule2 lain biasanya punya pengalaman MUA/beauty therapists, sedangkan yg Mainlanders biasanya bermodalkan bahasa Mandarin utk “jualan”. So, it would probably be a good idea if you have at least either: makeup artist or Mandarin speaking skill. Kalau kamu nggak bisa Mandarin, coba deh kursus makeup dulu sama MUA Indo yg ada di AU. Kalau saya dulu pernah kursus self-makeup di Honey Beauty . Kenapa Honey Beauty? Soalnya sahabat saya yang satu ini udah terbukti dan berpengalaman jadi BA dan MUA nya Shu Uemura di David Jones Elizabeth Street 🙂

4. Terus, habis interview kapan dikabarin lagi sis?

Di hari yang sama, hasil interview akan diemail oleh team MEA. Kadang kamu akan langsung di-invite untuk second interview. Tapi bisa juga kamu harus menunggu utk jadwal interview berikutnya.

Actually, if you’re already invited to the second interview, you basically have passed! In the so-called second interview, sebenarnya mereka sudah memberikan induction on how everything works in the agency: mulai dari grooming guidelines, cara mengisi form ini-itu, sampai mekanisme penggajian (yayyy!!!).

5. Oh begitu.. Jadi kalau sudah keterima, kapan kita bisa mulai kerja sis?

Nah, yg ini beda2 sih, tergantung amal dan perbuatan juga :p Hehehe.. Gini, pertama kamu harus isi online form dulu yg isinya biodata, foto dan dokumen2 kamu. Kemudian kita akan tunggu panggilan job. YES! Panggilan job! Sama seperti agency lainnya, kita baru akan dapat job kalau ada brand yg butuh casual staff. Kadang kita dipanggil utk cover shift SPG full-timer di brand/toko tertentu. Kadang kita juga dipanggil utk promosi new product launch/event misalnya di depan Westfield Pitt Street.

Cepat atau lambatnya kita dapat job juga tergantung dari pengalaman kita di beauty. Contohnya: teman saya, MUA Honey Beauty, dapat shift pertamanya dari MEA hanya dalam waktu less than a week sejak dia interview. Sedangkan saya join MEA di Maret, tapi baru dapat shift pertama di Juni. Btw, shift pertama saya malah cuma bagi2 flyer di dalam Myer Sydney city selama one full day. Untungnya rate utk semua jenis pekerjaan dari MEA sama aja, jadi saya happy2 aja sih 😀

Jadi, walaupun kamu udah sign kontrak kerja dengan MEA, please jangan quit dulu dari kerjaan di resto/kafe yang sekarang. Karena kerja di retail itu walaupun santai dan rate nya bagus tapi bener2 musiman, guys. Kalo pas deket2 Christmas pastinya banyak shift, tapi kalau udah lewat tahun baru yah udah sepi lagi deh 😦

6. Jadi kalau kerja di MEA, 1 minggu bisa dapat shift berapa jam yah, Sis?

Ini juga beda2 sih ya, tergantung amal dan perbuatan juga 😀 Kalo aku sendiri dapatnya sekitar 15-30an jam per-week (5 hour/shift). Biasanya hari kerjanya sekitar Rabu sampai Sabtu. Sunday shift is very rare soalnya rate nya kan super mahal yah. However, my suggestion is to keep your Thursday and Saturday free, since most retail jobs will need you to work on those 2 days.

By the time I’m writing this post, some of you and my friends have been invited or even worked with MEA or even in retails. I am very happy to learn that since I wrote my retail experience in AU, there are more Indonesians coming out to try working in this industry as well 🙂 Please write your comment or story if you are also working in retail in AU. I’d be excited to know if my stories have helped you landing an exciting job in this industry 😀

Happy weekend and cheers!

Ariesa

My Christmas Casual Job Hunting Experience in Sydney

Hey guys,

As I’ve mentioned in my previous post that I’m currently working in retail as a casual beauty consultant. Now that I’ve been working full time across DJ and Myer, still casual for various brands, I have been enjoying my job so much.

Since Christmas season is coming, there has been a lot of retailers recruiting for Christmas casual position. So, what is Christmas casual? It is a temporary casual position during seasonal period in Australia, usually around November to end of January where the shopping season is peaking. So, it is both temporary and casual which means, you only work for a certain period of time and get no fixed working hours/rosters. In terms of hourly rate, we surely receive rate that is a bit higher than permanent FT/PT but we don’t know how many hours we will work every week. I’ve asked this question in most of my interview and get the same answers: there is no guaranteed working hours every week but everytime we get a shift, it will be at least 3 hours. And since they have to pay higher salary to us, usually they will give casual staff less hours than other staff.

Now, I have recently got a new job as a Christmas casual at Hugo Boss. I have been through quite a few recruitment process for Christmas casual position in several retailers and brands. And now I feel like sharing my experiences going through the recruitment process. Dan saya akan menulis dalam bahasa Indonesia aja, karena saya cuma mau berbagi tips2 dan bocoran ini ke teman2 sebangsa dan setanah air. Tujuannya adalah supaya ke depannya lebih banyak teman2 Indo, terutama teman2 WHV agar lebih termotivasi dan percaya diri untuk mencoba bidang kerja lain selain hospitality dan agriculture di Australia ^.^

1. David Jones

Untuk proses group interview di David Jones (DJ), semua kandidat dikumpulkan di DJ Market Street Office. Seluruh kandidat berarti kandidat utk segala posisi dan toko2 lain di area NSW. Para kandidat dibagi berkelompok (5-10 orang/grup) untuk mengerjakan diskusi grup & presentasi. Masing2 kandidat juga diminta memperkenalkan diri secara singkat dan menyebutkan 1 kata yang mendeskripsikan dirinya. Waktu itu saya memakai kata: enthusiastic dan saya sedikit menjelaskan bagaimana keantusiasan saya dalam kehidupan sehari2. Setelah selesai presentasi kelompok, masing2 kandidat dipanggil satu persatu ke ruangan lain utk 1-on-1 interview. Dalam interview itu seperti biasa, kita diminta menceritakan pengalaman kerja yg berhubungan dgn customer service atau retail. Kemudian ada beberapa pertanyaan seputar availability, preferred location dan preferred position. Juga ada behavioral questions seperti: bagaimana cara kita me-manage waktu & prioritas kalau sedang hectic dan banyak deadline.

Seminggu setelah interview, saya menerima email yg menyatakan kalau saya lolos interview. Namun kemudian saya tidak pernah menerima follow-up mengenai kapan dan dimana saya akan mulai bekerja. Saya sudah coba utk follow-up via email namun tidak pernah ada balasan dari pihak DJ. Sedangkan beberapa teman saya yg interview di DJ sebulan kemudian, langsung mendapat telpon keesokan harinya yg mengkonfirmasi kalau mereka akan segera mulai di toko tertentu di akhir bulan tsb. It’s weird, but it does happen sometimes 😦

2. Uniqlo

Nah, ini dia yang waktu itu aku harap2in banget, guys. Soalnya posisi di Uniqlo ini temporary full-time, which means there is fixed working hours (min. 38hrs/week). Dan saya pikir kalau udah dapat disini, saya udah aman dan gak perlu pusing takut income kurang.

Untuk proses grup interview di Uniqlo, seluruh kandidat utk 1 store dikumpulkan di head office mereka di daerah dekat Circular Quay. Pastinya ada penjelasan company profile juga. Lalu kita masing2 memperkenalkan diri secara singkat. Kemudian seperti biasa kita dikumpulkan dalam grup utk diskusi dan presentasi seputar customer service dan Uniqlo. Setelah presentasi di depan ruangan, kita diminta menunggu giliran individual interview. Pertanyaan2 interview nya masih mirip2 dengan yg di David Jones. Kira2 masih seputar pengalaman kerja customer service dan retail, motivasi melamar di Uniqlo, dan behavioral questions. Juga pertanyaan tentang apa yang mau kita improve dari diri kita.

Dari proses interview, saya sudah bisa menebak respon interviewer terhadap saya. Feeling saya kurang bagus. Dan bener aja, seminggu kemudian saya mendapat email yg menyatakan saya gagal masuk Uniqlo 😦

Saya sudah hampir putus asa dan bingung. Karena masa kerja saya dengan agency yg memberi saya pekerjaan sebagai beauty advisor di DJ & Myer akan habis pada pertengahan Desember. Padahal visa saya masih sampai akhir Januari 2018. Saya mulai kembali mengorek2 Jora apps saya utk mencari posisi Christmas Casual. Kemudian saya apply banyak sekali lowongan: FCUK, Cotton On, Pandorra, MAC Cosmetics, Coach, Hugo Boss, Clarins, dll. Dari belasan application, yang me-respon aplikasi saya hanya MAC Cosmetics, Coach & Hugo Boss. Tiba2 saya juga dapat email invitation interview lagi dari Myer, karena saya batal ikut interview bulan sebelumnya.

Dan karena saya tidak bisa datang interview utk MAC Cosmetics, akhirnya saya hanya ikut 3 interview: Coach, Myer & Hugo Boss.

3. Coach

Interview diadakan di dalam toko Coach di Westfield Pitt Street Mall. Kandidat yang waktu itu datang ada sekitar 40-50 orang. Dari seluruh kandidat ini, yang terpilih akan dialokasikan ke toko2 di seluruh Sydney. Seperti biasa, semua dimulai dengan penjelasan singkat company profile & Christmas casual role di Coach. Kemudian seluruh kandidat dipersilakan berdiri di tempat dan memperkenalkan diri secara singkat dan menyebutkan buah & TV show favorit. Kemudian kandidat dibagi dalam 4 grup utk diskusi & presentasi. Topik diskusi kali ini nggak berhubungan sama sekali dengan customer service atau produk Coach. Dan saya gak mengerti sama sekali ttg topik ini! Lol. Partisipasi saya dalam diskusi kelompok kira-kira 0 besar! Lol. Setelah presentasi singkat, seluruh kandidat dipanggil satu persatu utk individual interview. Pertanyaan2 nya agak susah kali ini. Dia minta diceritakan ttg pengalaman saya memberi customer service yg berkualitas dan juga pengalaman saya memecahkan persoalan dgn customer yg unhappy. Kebetulan yg meng-interview saya kemarin itu adalah Head of Recruitment nya langsung. Aduh, doi terlalu profesional. Saya gak bisa membaca sama sekali apakah hasil interview saya akan positif atau negatif. Anyway, saya sudah pasrah. Saya sudah berusaha dan sisanya hanya bs berdoa.

Beberapa hari kemudian, saya mendapat telpon dari Coach Chatswood. Mereka sedang melakukan reference check ke saya dan mereka kira saya salah kasih nomor. Padahal salah 1 nomor yg saya kasih memang nomor HP ex-manajer saya di Jakarta. Singkat cerita, mereka sudah cek referensi saya ke 2 orang dan saya agak yakin kalau saya keterima di Coach. Tapi……. setelah saya tunggu2 selama hampir 2 minggu (sampai hari ini), saya tidak dapat kabar lagi dari mereka 😦

4. Myer

Interview Myer diadakan di toko tempat kita melamar (tapi semua application online yah, guys!). Kemarin saya ikut interview di Macquarie Centre bersama 7 kandidat lainnya. Semua melamar utk posisi Christmas Casual di any section, berarti tidak terbatas utk cosmetics/clothing/homewares. Pada waktu sesi memperkenalkan diri, masing2 kandidat diminta menceritakan sedikit ttg pengalaman customer servis dan retail, dan juga menyebutkan brand apa yang menurut kalian inspiring dan apa alasannya. Yang sedikit berbeda di interview Myer adalah kita ditest role play utk jualan. Saya dan salah 1 partner bebas memilih item yg sudah disediakan dan salah 1 akan menjadi customer sedangkan yg lainnya akan menjadi staff Myer. Setelah role play, pastinya ada individual interview juga. Di bagian interview pertanyaannya masih seputar behavioral questions dan apa yang bisa kita bawa/kontribusikan dalam tim Myer.

Feeling saya cukup positif di interview ini. Saya rasa saya cukup OK waktu role play dan cukup santai dan percaya diri pada saat interview. Tapi saya tidak berharap banyak karena saya lebih antusias dengan interview Hugo Boss di hari yang sama 🙂 Tapi tiba2 hari ini saya mendapat email Offer Letter dari Myer. Well…

5. Hugo Boss

Dari semua company/brand yang saya apply utk posisi Christmas Casual, menurut saya Hugo Boss adalah yg paling prestisius. Hugo Boss sendiri adalah brand fashion dari Jerman dan buat saya, segala sesuatu tentang Jerman memang spesial dan bermutu tinggi.

Rekrutmen proses Hugo Boss waktu itu hanya dihadiri 9 kandidat saja dan rekrutmen ini adalah utk beberapa toko besar mereka dan David Jones di Sydney. Yang berbeda dari proses rekrutmen disini adalah, kita tidak memperkenalkan diri kita tapi memperkenalkan salah 1 teman dalam grup kita. Jadi, sebelumnya kita diberi waktu beberapa menit utk saling berkenalan dalam grup. Kemudian, kita diminta menggambarkan motivasi kita join Hugo Boss (literally menggambar di kertas!). Kemudian kita harus mempresentasikan hasil gambar tersebut. Kemudian juga ada sesi role play. Kita diberi beberapa potong pakaian Hugo Boss dan dipersilakan utk mempelajari item2 tsb sebelum akhirnya salah satu assessor akan datang dan bertindak sbg customer yg sedang ingin mencari baju. Disini kita dinilai berdasarkan pelayanan yg kita berikan dan alasan2 kita merekomendasikan item yg kita jual. The last but not least was, again, one-on-one interview. Pertanyaannya sama dengan interview2 lain jadi saya sudah punya semua jawabannya. Lol.

Untuk interview di Hugo Boss, saya tidak perlu lama menunggu. Besoknya mereka sudah menelpon saya utk menginformasikan kalau mereka akan melakukan reference check dan ID/visa checking. Hari berikutnya, saya ditelpon kembali dan di-offer casual position utk store terbesar mereka di Australia, King Street store.

Setelah semua kesulitan yg saya lalui di awal2 kedatangan saya di Sydney, saya bersyukur karena sekarang hari-hari saya sudah lebih cerah. Guys, perlu dicatat kalau semua pekerjaan ini tidak saya dapatkan dari “koneksi”. Saya setuju kalau untuk mencari pekerjaan pertama di Sydney memang koneksi bs membantu. Tapi tidak semua pekerjaan bisa didapatkan dengan jalur koneksi. Dan kalau kalian berpikir koneksi adalah jalan utama mendapat pekerjaan disini, sebaiknya kalian pikir2 lagi untuk datang kesini. Di Sydney semua orang butuh pekerjaan dan uang. Tidak semua orang Indonesia akan baik hati dan menganggap kalian spt saudara/sahabat sendiri. Hidup di Sydney itu keras dan hanya orang yg kuat yang bisa survive. Berkawan dengan sesama orang Indonesia itu penting, tapi nasibmu hanya kamu yg bisa menentukan 😀

I hope this post encourage you guys to explore other opportunities during your stay in Australia. So far, I have met lots of other Asians especially Chinese, Koreans, Japanese and Cantonese in the job interviews I’ve been. But I’ve always been the only Indo in the room. So I really hope to see more of you in the future 🙂 (eventhough I might not be here in Sydney anymore).

Btw, do you guys want me to write tips to get into retail jobs in Australia? If yes, write me in the comment section below, otherwise you can also give me other topic ideas to write.

Cheers,

Ariesa 🙂

How to Get a Decent Job in Sydney – Tips & Tricks

Hi guys,

Sebenernya saya bukan WHV warrior yg punya pengalaman paling bagus soal mencari dan bekerja di bidang hospitality di Sydney. Seperti yang sudah saya tulis di postingan sebelumnya, saya punya beberapa pengalaman pahit dalam pekerjaan2 saya sebelumnya disini. It takes me a lot of courage to share my bitter experience from my jobs here. It’s such a shame that I couldn’t do the things that, I thought were simple and easy jobs, well enough. I’ve also read some other Indonesian WHV warriors’s amazing experience telling how fast they could learn to do their jobs in such a short period of time and even finally became a supervisor. Tapi biar bagaimanapun juga, saya tetap ingin berbagi tentang apa yang sudah saya pelajari dari pengalaman2 pahit saya disini. Somehow I believe bad experience is actually a better teacher, right?

Disclaimer:

These tips & tricks will be most relevant for female WHV warriors who are looking for hospitality jobs as wait staff, customer service or any customer facing positions. Not applicable for kitchen hand/chef/cleaner etc. Lol :p

Jadi, kita mulai aja dengan kisah saya di restoran Itali kemarin. Long story short, I was again, kicked out! Anyway, in the last few weeks saya juga sudah tidak happy kerja disana karena chef2 Itali yang ganteng dan suka ajak saya ngobrol juga sudah dipecat oleh head chef nya. Jadi saya tidak punya teman ngobrol lagi karena yang lain cuma suka ngobrol dengan bahasa mereka sendiri. Saya pun sudah beberapa minggu kepikiran ingin quit dari resto ini, namun saya agak santai dan picky dalam mencari pekerjaan baru karena biar bagaimanapun juga, pekerjaan di resto Italy ini lumayan simple dan gajinya juga cukup OK. Dan karena supervisor nya juga baik, saya jadi agak bingung bagaimana caranya saya mau ngomong quit. Tapi ternyata Tuhan memang punya rencana baik buat saya. Seperti gayung bersambut, akhirnya saya dan salah seorang waitress Itali lainnya ter-eliminasi dan digantikan oleh orang yang akan dijadikan supervisor baru di restoran ini. Saya tidak perlu bilang quit dan somehow saya merasa lega keluar dari restoran ini 🙂

Terus, kenapa koq saya sekarang PD banget mau sharing tips & trick getting a decent job in Sydney? Karena job hunting saya kali ini agak lumayan, guys. I was jobless for 10 days but this time, being jobless was not as bad as before. I got a lot of interviews and trials almost everyday and I actually became more picky in choosing which one I want to do. And the most memorable experience in job hunting this time was getting an interview and trial with Merivale group! Merivale is one of the most prestigious companies that owns various restaurants, bars and clubs across Sydney. Walaupun akhirnya saya tidak berhasil mendapat job di Merivale group, saya merasa belajar banyak dari interview & trial selama 2 jam di salah satu restoran mereka. Saat ini saya sudah bekerja sebagai waitress di sebuah cafe yang sangat cosy dengan gaji $22/hour nett.

How did I look and apply for jobs this time?

1. Apply online/SMS

I have to admit that 99% of the job interviews and trials I got in Sydney (including in hospitality) is from applying online. I use either email or SMS/MMS to send my resume. Seperti yang sudah diceritakan oleh teman2 WHV lain, website2 yang kita gunakan untuk mencari pekerjaan di Sydney adalah: Gumtree, Seek dan Indeed. For casual jobs in hospitality, you can always rely on Gumtree. There are also hospitality job ads on Seek and Indeed and usually they would offer better salary since the ads are paid so the companies that post the ads are bonafide. I think I only got one trial from Seek for a Cafe All-rounder position at Bourke Street Bakery. The other ones I got, including the one with Merivale, are from Gumtree.

2. Walk-in/drop resume

I would say this method does not work well in Sydney, unless they tell you to do so in the job ads. I only got one call from drop in resume which was from the Italian restaurant I worked at before.

How does my resume look like?

Write a short headline to describe about your strengths, qualities and visa status. Write what most employers want to look at, i.e.: friendly, strong customer service skill, good English (and any other languages), etc.

How to land a trial from the interview:

From my experience doing interviews with some potential employers and especially Merivale, these are some of the characteristics they look for in wait staff:

1. Confidence

Speak clear English with lots of confidence. Work on your intonation to create friendly and happy voice. You have to at least look like an outgoing person who’s not afraid to chit-chat a bit with customers. This is what the Merivale & my current cafe managers told me when they interviewed me.

When I was going through a group interview with Merivale, I was with 20 other interviewees from many nationalities. There were only 2 Asians, but the other Asian girl was actually a New Zealander. So, basically I was the only one that comes from Asian country. They asked us to introduce ourselves: name, age, nationalities, hospitality experiences and if we were a drink (alcoholic drink), what we would be and why? I said I would be a red Sangria because of its daring colour, its sweet and refreshing taste and it’s made of mixed of fruits which represents lots of passion in life. I believe I gave a good answer since the interviewers responded me with enthusiasm and of course, invited me for a trial at one of their prestigious restaurants, Mr. Wong 🙂

2. Be happy and friendly

SMILE A LOT! Like, really a lot when you talk with and serve customers. No matter how grumpy the customers may seem. You still have to put on that happy smile on your face whenever you interact with customers. When my current manager interviewed me, he asked what my strengths were. One of the strengths I mentioned was that I am friendly and he was happy to hear that. He said, most people would say they are hard working and diligent. So, he was glad that I mentioned something different and thus he invited me to do trial on the next day 🙂

3. Flexible availability

Most of the time, the employers want to hear that you are available during any day of the week and ready to start immediately. Unless they already state in the job ads that they only need you on certain days and time of the week. But still, ready to go ASAP is crucial.

Trial Time

Based on Australian law, the maximum period for unpaid trial is 2 hours. If trial takes longer than that, you actually have the rights to get hourly pay. I usually will be flexible if the trial is 3 hours but won’t take it more than that. My trial at Mr. Wong took 2 hours + 30 minutes training and they paid me $50 🙂 Sedangkan di cafe tempat saya bekerja sekarang, trial nya 2 jam unpaid. If the trial takes you 30 minutes or even less, most likely you don’t get the job.

Formal outfit for trial at Mr. Wong

When you’re on a trial, of course you just need to listen well to directions. Ask lots of questions whenever you forget or unsure about something. Ini yang saya suka dari pengalaman saya bekerja dengan Westerners. Mereka mau sering ditanya dan maklum kalau kita masih agak lupa2 kalau baru 1-2x mengerjakan. Mereka selalu bilang: never assume, just ask clearly. Ask me or anyone else in the team. Ask a lot even though you think it’s a stupid question!

In some trials, directions will be clear and you just need to do whatever the senior/manager trains you to do. Some other are not that clear. I personally don’t like it when I’m not given a clear direction of what to do. So, I will just do whatever I can and not care about the outcome.

After the trial, if you get the job most likely they will ask you to come and start working the next day or the next few days. They have you on schedule right away! If they tell you they would send you the roster tomorrow or call you back, it’s a strong sign that you don’t get the job.

After my trial at Mr. Wong, I really liked that they gave me evaluations and feedbacks. They are really professional. They told me that I already had the confidence and style they looked for. Unfortunately, it seems that I didn’t have enough experience as a floor waitress, because I previously focused on handling the till and only took orders for takeaways. And Mr. Wong is a big deal, guys! Restoran mereka punya 2 lantai dan di masing2 lantai ada sekitar 100 meja. Di hari-hari sepi seperti Senin, rata2 mereka kedatangan 500 customer. Waktu melihat ukuran restoran dan mendengar load pekerjaannya, terus terang saya sudah agak menciut dan nggak yakin saya akan sanggup kerja disana. Yah, saya memang punya tekad setiap saya berganti pekerjaan disini, saya mau pekerjaan saya makin mudah dan gajinya makin tinggi. Karena saya takut visa saya judulnya berubah jadi Working too Hard Visa 😀

Dalam hati saya yakin, pekerjaan itu juga jodoh2an. Pada waktu saya datang untuk interview di cafe tempat saya bekerja sekarang, saya suka sekali dengan tampilan cafe ini yang luas, terang dan cozy. Di saat saya masuk ke dalam cafe, saya sudah memantapkan tekad saya untuk bisa mendapat pekerjaan disana. Et voila! Yes, I got the job just right after the 2-hour trial. They put me on the roster straight away and asked me to start working the next day.

The cafe layout

Jadi kira2 begitu tips & trik buat kamu yang pengin keluar dari jeratan Asian employers atau underpaid jobs. Communication skills and confidence are the keys to open the door to a better opportunity. Jangan selalu mengeluh western employers itu rasis karena sebenernya kita semua memang pada dasarnya rasis. Just try to think and act like them, maksudnya dalam hal outgoing, friendly dan polite nya yah. Supaya mereka merasa kita akan bisa beradaptasi dengan team member lainnya. Keep trying and good luck!

Cheers,

Ariesa Lie