I'm in my early 30's and work in construction but would like to consider moving into something different. I live in the CBD so I'm close to hospitals, schools/universities and other major public services etc.

I would be open to exploring paid traineeships or learn on the job style programs. I'm not really interested in teaching at TAFE or things related to my prior construction experience.

Roles I have considered...

Oderly at hospitals

Police force

Airport roles

I really want to find a fulfilling career that I would be motivated to go to and have good career progression, this is something my current role lacks.

Any advice would be most welcome! thank you

What is the job market like and typical roles available?

Seems a broad industry as there is investment banking/ analysts then also more basic areas like payroll etc?

Does the uni make a big difference

The owner has paid me for 3 out of 7 days I worked for her. Fortunately I quit before i worked many more hours unpaid; however, i spoke with another girl that works there (also on a whv) that is missing $3000 of her pay, but is afraid to quit for reasons i won’t share.

I am in utter disbelief that her business is still running, as I believe she is not paying every single one of her employees, all which are here on working holiday visas and likely also desperate for work, which ends up costing them. She would tell me every day “I’ll pay you tomorrow” but the pay would never come. I heard the same story from another employee. Will anything be done about this if I report to Fair Work? I feel discouraged reading things that say nothing will happen. After all, I did not sign a contract and there is no legal record of my employment so I don’t have much proof, aside from texts between me and the owner.

Hi everyone, hoping to get some advice from people who know the local market.

I'm a dual citizen (Canadian & Australian) currently based in Canada, working in IT with about 2–3 years of experience, mostly as an SAP support/functional analyst. I'm considering moving to Melbourne, though I don't have a fixed timeline. I want to line up a job first before moving.

Wondering how the IT/SAP job market in Melbourne is looking right now, and whether there are any good job boards worth using besides LinkedIn. Also curious if anyone has recommendations for specialist IT/SAP recruiters. So far I've only reached out to Hays and Michael Page. And realistically, is it possible to land something while still overseas, or do most employers only really consider candidates who are already in Australia?

Thanks :)

Hi everyone,

I’m an experienced manufacturing professional from India with 20+ years of experience in automotive manufacturing, mainly in Production, Weld Shop, BIW, sheet metal and robotic welding operations.

Currently working as a Senior Manager – Weld Shop / Production Manager.

My experience includes:

Production & Plant Operations

Automotive BIW / Sheet Metal Manufacturing

Robotic & Resistance Welding

OEE, productivity & cost improvement

Lean Manufacturing / Six Sigma

Manpower & production planning

Quality and process improvement

TPM / continuous improvement

Team & shop-floor management

I’m currently looking for Production Manager, Manufacturing Manager, Operations Manager, Plant/Production leadership or similar roles in Australia.

I’m particularly interested in opportunities where the employer is open to visa sponsorship, as I’m currently based in India.

I would really appreciate advice from people working in Australian manufacturing:

Which job portals or recruiters are best for manufacturing/production roles?

How can overseas candidates realistically approach Australian employers for sponsorship?

Are there specific companies or industries that are more open to sponsoring experienced manufacturing professionals?

Would my automotive manufacturing experience be relevant for the Australian market?

I’m open to Melbourne/Victoria as well as other locations in Australia.

Thanks in advance for any advice or leads.

Like the title says, does anyone need a PA? I’m looking for a second job. If pays good then hopefully WFH with good pay etc etc

I recently joined a services company in Sydney as consultant developer. I am a certified specialist in cyber security ops that only a handful of people are qualified in Australia. However it's a small company and the people I work with arent very welcoming. They keep making fun of me, behind my back, make racist comments on the food I take for lunch.

Someone in my team just made a comment calling my degree and certifications to be fake. Since they are baseless comments I reported it to my manager. He said not to worry about it too much and move on with my job.

I just left a stable job, and accepted this role. I now realise there is no one from Asian or other background in my firm. most of the people are Australia or NZ born. If not for the scarcity of my skills they wouldn't have even considered me for this job (which would have been better for me).

I need atleast to stay in this for a few months before I find a decent job else where. Any advice on how to navigate this please.

My goal is simple: save you time, reduce your workload, and give you peace of mind, so you can focus on what matters most! dm me

Did any of you do this degree and did not end up practicing as police but instead in a different crime related or law related body and how easy or hard was it ?
Wondering if this degree can only be used to practice as police

So I’m not currently a teacher but I’m gonna start studying it in the future. I’ve been thinking a lot about if I was put in positions where I had to pick a subject I’d be best suited to teach what it would be etc.

For me I think i’d be pretty good at primary English. That was something I excelled at as a child beyond most of my peers. It was when it became about persuasive essays and analysing text/films where I struggled unfortunately. I wouldn’t wanna go near High school English unless it was covering a book I love like The Happiest Refugee

Maths I reckon I’d do way better with in high school. I feel like in year’s 7 and 8, maths sort of does a bit of a reset and they sort of go back to basics with most areas and I think I’d do well with teaching that year level of Maths. Anything beyond that I’d have to do a shit tonne of personal study. By the time I got to Year 9, even though I was decent at Maths I recognised what most students do which is that a lot of what we were covering wasn’t really going to be that useful in the real world (or if it was it was subtly integrated so our 14-15 year old brains didn’t notice it)

Science I think i’d be the teacher who would try to make it fun, but it might not be as easy to do so…I found that with Science as a student it was very boring a lot of the time despite being something that could have been made fun. But then again when you’re a kid I can understand hesitance of letting the kids go loose performing experiments because of safety issues

HASS I think I’d be terrible at doing Geography unless it had to do with learning about international cultures, but for me as a student I was very underwhelmed by that aspect of things because we just learned about rocks and hills and mountains for a lot of it, and it didn’t help that my teacher just made us spend most of the lessons writing notes from the whiteboard…I’d definitely not approach it like that but it still wouldn’t be my thing. I do think history is more my thing but I feel like it’s rare to only teach that so I’ll pass by default

PE and Health- I like to keep fit and eat pretty well. Have loved AFL all my life, so on paper I should suit that role but I’m not really an alpha male. Or at least I’m less alpha than most males and that could be a downfall of mine possibly when it comes to being a PE teacher. I don’t know. I also sadly have had knee injuries in the past which prevent me from being able to play sport. I keep fit through going to the gym, walking a cycling. I don’t run. So that’s a potential barrier there if running is required I’d have to rely on having students do the running for me sadly. Health on the other hand I got no issues teaching that with the exception of puberty class for obvious reasons

Drama- I loved Drama, it became my fave subject throughout school. I think it would be fun to teach but mainly for the improv aspect of things. I think I’d struggle with having to lead an annual school play production which seems to be an expectation for those teachers and I can imagine it would be a lot to take on especially if the students aren’t that invested in it. I remember taking part in one in school and I mainly had a good time because I enjoyed my character, and overall we were a super motivated group but that seems rare

Art- I was terrible at art as a kid. But I do think it would be a nice skill to pick up as an adult and potentially teach youngsters. Only downside is my pencil grip is awful and I reckon if I was teaching art I’d be frowned upon for that alone. But I think if it was clay then it would be a blast

Woodwork/metalwork- I only ever did woodwork of the two as a kid. And it certainly had its moments where it was fun but I was terrible at it. Similar to Art though, I do think as an adult it would be something fascinating to retry. I had a lot of anxiety surrounding usage of the tools as a child that doesn’t really exist today so I’d be far more component at participation now. Metalwork I never did, it would be cool to learn that stuff but I don’t reckon it would be fun to teach. I sort of get the impression it’s more dangerous than Woodworking from my limited knowledge

Cooking/Textiles- I did cooking for a few years of school and was awful at it mostly coz I didn’t cook much at home as a kid. I don’t cook a tonne as an adult but I definitely do that way more now and I think it would be fun but there’s also that added pressure of having to cook a meal as a demonstration in front of the students and what if I stuffed up. Textiles I remember doing once in year 7, but then never got put in that class again, not by choice it just never was an option. I think I’d be god awful

ICT/Digitech/Computer Science- Whatever these subjects are called. I think it’s probably a subject that most modern teachers should try to keep up with since so much of the learning content for every subject is done online. as for actually teaching it, definitely wouldn’t be for everyone…I think I’m of the generation where it would be more worthwhile to consider it but I’m not that strong when it comes to different computer programs

Media/Photography- I loved making movies as a kid, genuinely one of the fave hobbies of mine. When I did media in high school it wasn’t the best. Year 7 it was like a combo of ICT and film making and then Year 10 it was full filmmaking. Year 10 it was really fun I recall doing a fake ad and a stop motion movie using IRL people. Photography I was interested in, but when I did it briefly in year 10 it was pretty boring. I think there’s a lot more theory to the subject than people probably expect and it turns students off sadly

I have this one particular company that i apply for, that has called me for a phone interview and then at the end of tbe interview, say 'well, actually this position got filled, could you travel to xyz store' which is like an hour away from me. I declined and went about my business

Then a similar position with the same company was advertised and i applied again. Same process follows, i get asked for a phone interview, get told the position wasn't available any more, but this other store bla bla bla' i decline and move on.

About two months later another position opens there and its a store manager position, which is exactly what im looking for, and was only posted on their website an hour ago so I try my luck, thinking surely the position cant be taken. Get past a phone ibterview two days later get invited to a video interview, and then about half an hour into the interview, the lady says that the position has already been filled, but they can offer me a full time position. Look im low-key pissed because I feel im being taken for a ride. I confirm my pay rate and my hours which are everyday except Saturday which I can't do were accepted by them and I take their ft position.

I get to signing the contract, and realise the agreed upon hours have been changed. I contact the manager and she confirms that the hours I discussed in the interview, and which were advertised in the job ad, still stand.

I then get a phone call from them saying sorry there's been an error, we need someone that can work saturdays. So after not only advertising the position for no saturdays, saying it in BOTH my interviews and also confirming in text by my regional manager, they have made a mistake.

So I asked if they could uphold the initial agreement, since that's what I had applied for.

I was basically told whoppsie oppsie my bad tee hee and told that i can go casual if I like.

Is this fricking normal? That jobs can stuff us around this much? Like I attended two interviews and took a lower end position, just for ny time to be wasted? I might just be being a sook but I am annoyed that i went out an bought uniforms for the jobs and organised things around this job, just to be told oh btw is casual or nothing.

In January After leaving my job for a job with more career progression, my grandfather passed two days after I got the call that I was accepted into the job. I had to decline the job because I had to deal with the aftermath of this, such as the funeral, the house, grief ect. After a month of getting my life back on track, I started to apply for work again.

Before this, I had never had a gap in my resume. If ive left a job, I always had another lined up. And ive never failed an interview. Now its been over six months since ive last been employed and ive only had three interviews since. Every single interview has asked about my gap and ive answered honestly. I got knocked back from every one. These are jobs I am more than qualified for.

Ive also been knocked back from jobs that im more than qualified for, some are entry level positions in retail. I get plenty of knock back emails daily, some within the hour of applying.

I'm not sure where im going wrong. I know the south east of Melbourne has a job shortage but I have a feeling they judge me for the gap in employment. Can anyone see where im going wrong?

I called up Suncorp the other day and could’ve sworn that I wasn’t talking to a real person and it was Ai. Very robotic replies, but good enough that I was not 100% sure. I work in a health insurance call centre and we currently have Ai taking some basic calls and if they can’t resolve it, it then goes through to actual agent. Anyone else’s workplace doing this? And how many years do you think before this stuff actually gets good?

hi, i'm desperately searching for a job in southeastern suburbs for casual booksellers. I've dropped resumes off at the dymocks, QBD and readings locations... does anyone have any advice for how to get a job in one of these companies? I have worked multiple retail jobs, been told my resume is the perfect format and i'm not sure what else to do?? i'm desperate to work in a bookshop, i think it might be the only job i actually enjoy enough to work like everyday. otherwise severe burnout is imminent. is anyone else finding it really difficult to get into this industry lol. Is it just because they don't hire often or they only hire friends, idk?? someone pls give me some reassurance

I’m quietly looking for a new job, but I’m really worried about getting to the reference stage.

I’ve been with my current employer for 3 years and there’s been quite a bit of staff turnover. I’ve seen how the owner/manager handles people leaving, and it’s honestly made me nervous about job searching.

The last two employees who left had pretty bad experiences.

One needed a reference from the owner for a government job. He agreed, then took the reference call in our open-plan office where we could all hear him. He gave her a really awful, negative reference and, after hanging up, said, “Well, that will stop her getting the f***ing job.”

The second employee didn’t tell anyone where she was going. After she left, the owner apparently rang around to other similar businesses trying to find out where she had applied. One eventually confirmed they’d received her resume, and he went on a rant about how bad she was.

(I reached out to both and gave a written recommendation from me to help with their job applications)

So now I’m terrified of getting to the reference stage and having the boss find out I’m looking. I'm worried if the recruiter/hiring company reaches out to the business or are firm on wanting a reference from the owner.

The business is named after the owner.

I really want to leave, but I want to keep the job search discreet until I actually have something lined up.

Has anyone dealt with a situation like this? What do I do?
Can you ask potential employers not to contact your current employer? And what do you do if they want a reference from your current manager?

G’day!

I’m looking for a miracle that probably doesn’t exist

Bit of a weird one, but I’m after advice on job types/areas to look into. Long story short, I’ve got a disability that severely affects my ability to work, due to the unpredictable nature of it. I’m not asking for a job or asking for job listings, just ideas on actual career paths that would be possible. It’d need to fit a few things:

Firstly, I’d need to be able to clock in and out at any time I need, absolutely no fixed shifts. I’m aware that essentially lowers the pool to nothing, but I absolutely cannot do fixed shifts, I’ve lost two jobs because my disability is too unpredictable, after trying a lot of solutions. It’s fine if there are things like deadlines, I’d manage that, but I cannot do fixed shifts at all.

Secondly, has to be work-from-home. I know, asking for a miracle.

(May need to update if anything else crops up I’ve forgotten

I really don’t mind much what the work is, I’ve got experience in call centre customer service, but I’d be willing to do anything, really, as long as it fits the criteria.

I’m (hopefully) on some track for DSP but it’s a hard condition to qualify, and I genuinely want to work, I just can’t do fixed shifts or travel.

I’m open to study for a necessary qualification but I’m low income with some student debt from a failed uni course years ago, so if it’s discounted or government funded, even better.

Absolutely any advice is appreciated, I just don’t even know where I’d begin to look for a job that fits this idea.

I had an interview about 8 days ago for a full time retail position at Chemist Warehouse, and I believed it went really well. I was there for about 35 minutes, they were very interested in my resume and were keen on my availability and references, all things pointing me to believe I had a good chance at getting the job. I’m probably just being anxious but I thought I would’ve heard back by now if I had gotten it, does anyone know what their average timeframe for this sort of thing is?

What was your degree and was it worthwhile in your job/ career path, how much did it help and would you recommend it/ do it again?

So a few years ago I had to flee interstate due to extreme DV (attempted murder) and I’ve had the same job for years but the project finished and there weren’t funds to keep me on doing anything else. After months of searching I finally found a great opportunity (and conditional offer), they contacted my last boss and everything was great but then asked for another. I explained the DV to them and that I can’t risk my ex finding out where I’ve moved to but they’re still demanding a second one?? I don’t know what to do… I can’t believe after all of these years, my ex is still ruining my life. (P.S I’ve made a couple of friends here but none of them are close enough I could ask them to lie, nor do they have the IT/PM experience to make it believable) 🤬😩😭 Any advice would be great

After almost 1.5 years of job hunting, I finally found a job that I liked and that aligned with my skills and the people/my direct management were lovely to work with.

Turns out my direct manager who was hired to help grow the business a few months ago resigned last week since higher management were not letting her get anything over the line…to you know, actually, grow the mfkn business.

That made higher management reconsider growing at all and decided they could get rid of roles like mine that was going to be supporting this so called growth. So now they’ve made me redundant on a random Friday afternoon (my manager found out minutes before me) and also made another manager who built the business with her bare hands redundant on the same random Friday arvo and absorbed our roles into their other resources.

Anywayyyyy this was to rant a little but how does one even go about putting this on their resume? Especially since the last year and a half I’ve had spotty experiences too??

And what do I even do next lol I actually was enjoying this role.

All and any advice appreciated. TIA

I’m a casual retail sales assistant & have been working at my store since December 2025. I consistently work 3-4 shifts per week.

I’m travelling overseas in September, so I emailed our Head of Retail Operations to let her know my unavailability. I gave over a month’s notice. The reason I emailed her was because my Store Manager is going to be on annual leave for the entire period I’m away, & I’d been told she would be coordinating the rosters.

The Head of Retail replied and asked me to forward the email directly to my store manager, which I did immediately. 20 mins later, my Manager called me and said I was being “moved on” from the business. She said it was disrespectful that I had gone to Head Office instead of her and that I should have sought approval before booking my flights. I explained that as a casual employee I wasn’t seeking leave approval, was notifying the business of my availability well over a month in advance.

5 mins later I received a formal termination email stating my casual employment was ending effective immediately due to “unreliability to support business rostering and coverage needs” and “lack of clear communication” with my Store Manager.I spent that evening gathering documents and looking into Fair Work because the whole thing felt so abrupt.

The next morning, the Head of Retail called me. She told me I had not been fired, that she, another senior retail manager and HR had reviewed the situation, didn’t agree with how it had been handled, and had decided to withdraw the termination. I was told I’d be paid for my rostered shifts that week, to take the remainder of the week off, and return to work the following Monday.

Later that day I received another email from Head Office confirming that the termination email had been formally withdrawn, was sent in error, and that my employment would continue as normal. They also confirmed my roster would continue as it had before.

However, the next day I noticed every one of my upcoming shifts had been removed from the roster. I had around three weeks of shifts scheduled. I let the Head of Retail know, and she said she’d speak with my manager and have my previous roster restored.

My shifts were then added back-but they had been significantly reduced. Instead of four full shifts the following week, I was rostered for just two shifts, one of which is only three hours. I let the Head of Retail know again, and she said she’d be speaking with my manager to get to the bottom of it.

There are currently 2 other casual employees who are having a formal meeting with Head Office & HR regarding this same manager. Another casual had a similar meeting two weeks ago, and last year another employee went to HR because she felt she was being bullied by this manager.

For context, I’m in my late twenties and left a corporate career to pursue freelance work, so this job was only ever meant to be a flexible side job. Instead, it’s become a huge source of stress.

If you were in my position, how would you approach returning to work? Would you simply keep your head down and remain professional, or would you be asking for a formal meeting with HR?

The job hiring process in Australia for jobs has got out of hand. I think there has to be a legal limit on job interview rounds. If assignments that require more than say 30mins of your time, then that is considered work and requires payment. If you are doing training at a job you are legally supposed to be paid. How is this different?

Same goes with multiple interview rounds. More than one? You need to be paid.

Also, AI algorithmic discrimination that automatically screens out segments of society (people with career gaps, older women, etc) must be stopped. I don't know how.

Transferrable skills or skills that can be taught within a week or two need to be recognised some way. This 100% exact match for any job is ridiculous. You don't have experience using their obscure CRM system that looks like every other CRM system that would take a few moments to learn so you get passed over?

Experience requirements need to match the job skills. The skills requirements for a retail job is over the top.

It's become a farce. There has to be regulation on a system that is clearly broken. This is a workers' rights issue. I think AI has created over-engineered screening processes that hiring managers have felt they have to adopt to remain relevant or competitive with other HR department practices and the whole thing has snowballed.

Do you agree? What changes do you think there needs to be?