Jobs,Jobs, Jobs

Well we have been here nearly 3 weeks now so I thought I'd update you with the job searching process. I will start with myself first!!!.

I have registered with 2 agencies in the city who specialise in financial recruitment. When you register with an agency you have to go in for a meeting whereby they interview you & you have to sit a few tests. The first agency I registered with was a company called Hudsons, they made me sit a microsoft word test, typing test & a data entry test, all which were ok. They then found me a job which they thought I was suitable for with a Credit Union for Quantas staff near the airport. I think it is a bit like a building society but it is for quantas staff mainly but other people can also have accounts there as well. It is a customer service role in a branch, basically what I did 6 years ago in Wakefield Branch. The lady at Hudsons told me 2 weeks ago she was arranging an interview for me, however she called me on Tuesday to tell me that the credit union would not be progressing my application as they believed that I was over qualified for the role & I would move on very quickly as I would get bored!!!, So Screw them!!!!.
I then applied for a Council position which was dealing with enquiries from the public to the council. I was invited to an assessment centre whereby we were told there were 12 jobs & 1300 people had applied!!!!!, so I was very lucky to be invited to the assessment day. The afternoon started with a guy from a recruitment company talking for an hour about the role!!!!!, which was only in a contact centre!!!!, you'd of thought that we'd of applied for the Managing Directors position the way he was wittering on!!. Anyway we then had to do a group discussion which was observed, we basically had to save 8 people to repopulate the world out of a list of 20 people, an example of people that were on the list was 'Mohammed Hussain 29 Doctor- who had been questioned about links with the 11 September Bombings, never charged not enough evidence'. Britney 17- Just recovered from Leukemia been in remission for the last 13 months. Tiffany 2 years old. The 8 people would be put in an underground shelter for 5 years then after the disaster would have to repopulate the world. Anyway you get the gist, we had 10 mins to look ourselves then had 20 mins as a group of 7 to discuss together & choose 8 people. We couldn't just chose or vote we had to say why we had chosen these people etc,etc. Which was fine. We then had to do 2 30 minute tests which are the hardest tests I've ever seen!!!!???? There is about 50 questions & you have half an hour to do them!!!!!. I'm gonna give you a link at the end of this post to see whether it is me who is thick or they are degree level!!!. Bearing in mind this is a call centre job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????. If I had been successful in the assessment I would of been invited for an interview, then a medical, then a second interview, then very thorough references then a job offer. Anyway to cut a long story short I got an e-mail the next day to tell me I had not been successful which I had gathered anyway from the tests!!!.

So that's 2 jobs down!.

I also registered with a recruitment agency called APRG, which was recommended to me from an old manager at Wakefield Branch who also moved to Brisbane 6 years ago. Anyway I have done more tests 2 hours in total with their agency & they arranged an assessment day with McQuarie Investment Bank of which the role is dealing with enquiries from Independent Advisers. I went on Thursday again we had a group discussion this time you had a list of celebrities/famous people of which you had to chose one to rule the world, again chose yourself then discuss in 10 mins this time. I chose 'Princess Diana', 'The Queen of hearts'. This again went fine. I then had 3 telephone role plays to do, which again was fine & then I had an interview with the Centre Manager (who was from Manchester, she moved to Oz in 1982). I could tell she really liked me, so I thought yes get in!!!!. At the end of the interview she told me she would like to invite me to some testing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOO not again!!!. So I am booked in for 4 hours of testing on Monday!!!!!! 1pm till 5pm. Please take a look at www.shldirect.com/example_questions.html scroll down the page and go to on line practice tests & do verbal & numerical reasoning & please, please,please let me know how you get on???????. So I can't wait for Monday, if I pass which is highly unlikely I am certain I will get a job offer, so I'll keep you posted.

I have also applied for a job with the Commonwealth Bank this is Part-Time in a branch, which again I could do stood on my head. I had a telephone interview today with someone from Sydney where I had criteria based questions like give me an example of when you showed excellent cust service, etc,etc. She said my interview was excellent & my answers were outstanding???, she must of interviewed some right numptys!. So I have been invited to a 2nd interview on Wednesday @ 2.30pm, so again I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile the recruitment agency have called back & Quantas Credit Union are now very interested in me & want to interview me on Tuesday!!!. I really wanted to say stuff ya, but beggers can't be choosers at the mo so I'm off, so again I'll keep you posted.

So that's me.

Ian has e-mailed lots of places & has made a few contacts through Grant who is Ian's cousins husband. Someone called him on Monday to say send me your resume as we are taking on Trade Assistants (which is what Ian has to do until he gets his full electrical licence), however as yet he has still not heard anything. It is a bit like Spain here Manana Manana. However today we went to Samford Village Park as Megan was wittering the bleeps off us to go. So we went then after we went across to the Samford Village Pub which is excellent for kids it has an outside (of course) playground an astro turf football pitch & an inside free games room with PS3's & films playing all in the beer garden!!. Anyway I was sat there & Ian had gone to help Megan on the slide when I heard a woman talking to another woman, & she was English. So I got talking to her, it turns out she has been here 8 years (no aussie twang whatsoever), her husband is an Electrician & also a foreman for a very large electrical firm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...............KERCHING!!!!, his brother in law turned up also who has only been here for 18 months who is also an electrician working as a trades assistant, so me been cheeky........which I am very much so now!!!. Said do you have any contacts & he pointed to the foreman Toby, who said we have got some very big jobs starting so this could be your lucky day!!!!. Anyway we are going around to their house on Sunday for lunch!!!!!!!, with Ian's resume, references, trade cert!!. You name we are taking it!! They both said when you come to Oz it's not what you no, it's who you know!!!!.

So that's pretty much it for now, still bums at present but fingers crossed something will come to fruition!!!