OBP AUSTRALIA

#9 - Rochelle: The importance of industry contacts

Rochelle is a Senior Consultant, Business Analyst and Product Owner, with more than 10 years’ ICT industry experience in both Australia and Sri Lanka. Working within the SDLC and agile environments.
 
Rochelle has experience preparing project documentation, implementing projects which require integration with 3rd party software, Process re-engineering, Change management, business process analysis and GAP analysis to name a few.
 
I first met Rochelle in January 2016, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where I was running an OBP Australia information session at the Kingsbury Hotel, for professionals intending to emigrate to Australia. She was eager to do the preparation required to make a successful transition to a new life in Australia. Rochelle is a highly-focused and clearly very good at her job, given the roles she has held.
 
In our conversation, Rochelle talks about:
Finding accommodation on arrival
Importance of having industry contacts
Difference between Adelaide & Melbourne
Job interviews
IT Consulting roles
Dealing with software developers
Pathways to becoming a Business Analyst and breaking into the profession

#8 - Bazzi: Client-facing roles

Bazzi has more than 15 years’ experience in UAE and Australia, where he has worked, initially as an Electronics Maintenance Engineer… then as a Seismic Engineer, General Field Engineer, Account Manager and in Technical Sales… and is now working as a General Wireline Field Engineer. That’s an interesting mix of technical and client-facing role experience.
I first met Bazzi in 2017. What struck me was his willingness to seek advice and flexibility in how to pursue his career in Australia. Always professional in his approach, he mapped out a strategic pathway to where he is today.
Bazzi talks about:
Preconceptions of Australia Vs reality
Why he chose Australia over other destinations
Strategies, both success and unsuccessful, he used to find work
Being efficient with applications
Value of doing a work placement to overcome the lack of local experience
Employer perceptions Vs reality
Technical Sales/Client-facing roles – being the face of the company
Covid-enforced career redirection
Being headhunted by companies
FIFO employment
Family/Work/Life balance in Australia
Initial cost of resettling
Role of ‘survival jobs’
Conversation in the Australian workplace
AFL/Footy

#7 - Mohit: Using social media to find your next job

Mohit grew up in Mumbai, India where there’s a strong cricket culture. He left a rewarding IT job in 2017 to pursue a career in sports, and enrolled in the Masters in Sports Management from Deakin University to develop his skills and create a career path in sports administration. He made this career change because he felt as though he’d hit a brick wall and did not see himself working in the IT industry any longer.
 
I first met Mohit at the end of 2020 when he had already been highly active in the Melbourne sports scene but was looking to consolidate his experience and take that next step. His journey has had many highlights and he is currently working in State government as a Project Support Officer in Recreation, Sport and Racing.
 
Mohit is an avid reader and posts frequently on LinkedIn, encouraging those who are seeking self-improvement and career development, and is an inspiration to many.
 
... another inspirational success story from an overseas-born professional and ex-OBP Australia client. I encourage you to share, subscribe, spread the word - the immigration journey can be tough, but dreams come true for those on the right path.
If you're looking for guidance & support to find your next job, shoot me an email - terry@obpaustralia.com.au 

#6 - Sajid: Project Management jobs in Australia

 
Join me in a conversation with Sajid, a program leader with 15+ years’ experience in delivering large scale digital transformation programs. He talks about his journey – arriving from Pakistan in 2014 to his current role as President of PMI Melbourne Chapter, covering:
Revelations about how the found a job after an initial lack of success
First interview in Australia
The value of a coach/mentor/guide
Critical components of a job application
Work from home challenges and the impact of Covid on the workplace
What clothes people wear at interviews and in the workplace
I first met Sajid in 2014 and was impressed by his eagerness and positive outlook. It was clear at the outset that he was going to find work easily with the right strategy and that it wouldn’t be long before he had a range of vocational options.
If you'd like more information about PMI, visit https://www.melbourne.pmi.org.au
 

#5 - Vinoth: The value of job seeking guidance

I first met Vinoth in April 2020, after he’d been in Australia only a couple of months.  He found professional work shortly after accessing OBP Australia services and did not find his 500 dependent student visa a hinderance to gaining employment. With a positive attitude and open mindedness, he is another migrant success story.
In our chat, Vinoth talks about:
Testing in the automotive industry
Blindly applying for jobs
Value of OBP Australia guidance
Multicultural workplaces in Australia
Interview process and questions
Networking
If you're looking for guidance and support with your job seeking, feel free to email your resume to terry@obpaustralia.com.au
 

#4 - Iqbal: Are your ’overqualified’ to work in Australia?

I first met Iqbal in March 2020, after he’d been in Australia for a year. I was very impressed by his preparation, professionalism and his open-mindedness about exploring career options. He attributes his success in finding professional work in Australia to: his willingness to think laterally about his career options, gaining certification, developing his public speaking skills through Toastmasters, and the guidance and advice he received through OBP Australia.
Having held senior corporate positions in Pakistan and owning his own company, he faced the challenges of being a migrant in his late forties and being overqualified for roles.
In our conversation, Iqbal talks about:
Being overqualified for roles
Importance of certification
Local experience
WHS standards in Australia
Typical day at work in Australia
Risk assessments
Value of OBP Australia guidance
Networking Vs Applications
Toastmasters
Difference between Pakistan & Australia for managers

#3 - Hasan: Importance of communication in finding a job in Australia

I first met Hasan at the end of 2020, after he’d completed his Master of Engineering Management in Australia. Finding professional employment can be tough for people on a 485-graduate visa, with no local experience and limited overseas experience, but Hasan was able to secure a rewarding job in a large corporate.
He attributes his success to developing his English language skills, being willing to take advice and upskilling in the software applications required for his industry.  With the guidance he received from OBP Australia, he went from not getting any interviews to having a choice between multiple offers.
Hasan talks about his:
dream to come to Australia
difficulties with the English language
barriers to securing work
software upskilling
job seeking strategy changes which led to him being offered multiple roles at the same time.

#2 - Rakesh: ’Survival’ jobs as a step to professional employement

Rakesh talks about his current job and how he found professional work in Australia, after an initial customer service role. Arriving from India, not knowing anybody in Australia, and right at the start of the Covid, he was able to secure professional employment through adopting the OBP Australia strategy which he describes as, ‘Simple, but not easy to do on your own’.
I first met Rakesh in April 2020, after he’d been in Australia a couple of months. The first thing that struck me was his excellent communication skills, something that no doubt helped him secure work in his profession.
He talks about:
What’s important in a job application and job interview
What causes applications to be rejected
Relevance of industry domain experience
His work and professional development on the job
His ‘survival jobs’ and how they were useful
The mistakes he made in his initial efforts to find work
Networking events
The ‘no local experience’ issue
Humour & Australian culture and the differences working in India
Preparing to come to Australia