School's out and now you want to get a job, be independent, earn some respect and earn some cold hard cash?  There are plenty of bad news stories about job seeking, but you can do a few simple things to improve the odds in your favour.

So Where Do You Start?

You could:

• drop by different workplaces and organisations and give employers the chance to eyeball you first-hand. This works for some, but not everyone.
• look for vacancies in the papers and send in an application. Basic, but important.
• talk to friends and "friends of friends". Employers often like to employ someone they feel they know a little bit about (even if indirectly).
• enquire at places where you have done work experience
• visit the local Centrelink or job network offices and check out the vacancy boards.
• all of the above! (and anything else you can think of).

The Very First Step - Your Resume

Whatever you do you, are going to need to have a Resume to leave with employers, job agencies or to send with a letter of application for any advertised jobs. A Resume is a great "memory jog" to leave with a busy employer, who has plenty of other business in the day to fill their head.  You think you don't have enough experience to make a Resume worth the effort? Think about this - even school may have taught you some useful skills such as;

• computer skills
• numeracy and literacy
• communication skills
• team work (maybe on school projects)
• Work experience is a great way to get an idea about how some industries work. What have you learned from work experience?
  

If you have already had part time jobs that experience is a real bonus.  A well-presented Resume creates a good impression about your organisation, attitude and motivation.

Writing Your Resume

Be honest and thorough. Exaggeration about your skills and experience will be quickly discovered and make it harder to either gain or keep a job. Scrawling a few ideas "off the top of your head" isn't too useful either, as it suggests you are not too serious in your hunt for employment.

Make some time to sit down with pen and paper and write a list of your skills, experiences and personal attributes. Even though job adverts don't often talk much about character qualities, when employers are asked what they think makes a good employee, character qualities are usually top of the list. So don't neglect to share something positive about your character and personality.

Putting a Resume together requires excellent presentation as well as "selling" your skills and abilities. There is no point having one without the other. As a minimum you should use headings to cover personal details and contact information, personal and character qualities (even better if backed up by references or work reports), specific skills, interests and any relevant work or voluntary experience.

There is a bit of debate about whether including a photo with your Resume is a good idea or not.  Many Human Resources professionals consider it to be an inappropriate practice, because it allows an employer to make judgements about the age, gender, and race of the applicant. This is a reasonable point of view. However, a passport-sized photo on the Resume can be useful too, helping an employer to keep track of candidates. This is especially true if you have had the chance to deliver your Resume in person and chat with the employer.

So get your paper and pen at the ready, or start tapping away on the keyboard if that's your style, and start the ball rolling. With a bit of good planning you won't need so much good luck!

More Help

"Best Foot Forward..." is an easy to read book that shows you how to write your own Resume. The book also has an example format.  Go to it!!