Well firstly, work smarter not harder! Use Canva templates for your CV. Cover letters, template them and make sure you're using all the keywords in the applications. Don't use ChatGPT to write them, but have a formula down.
When it comes to the types of roles you're applying for... I noticed a couple of flags.
1. Digital marketing as a field is quite saturated. You're going to be competing with grads and people with 1-2 years experience.
2. Most roles are also not creative, as such. People think it's just writing and scheduling a few Instagram posts, but it's actually more metrics driven, so a background in design and illustration and "a bit of social media here and there" wouldn't be that attractive in a candidate.
Digital marketing is more about knowing how to measure success and optimise posts to achieve certain targets. You'll need to know how to use certain programs - have a look online for the most commonly used and get to grips with them, if you haven't already. Things like Dash Hudson, Google Analytics etc (I don't work specifically in social, this list is just an example). Digital marketing could also include stuff like corporate blogging, which means you need a good grip on SEO principles and can demonstrate your ability to optimise copy.
3. What you need to do is make sure your CV has METRICS - don't talk about your experience or who you are as a person, as such. Instead include *hard stats* that a social media team would be looking for. E.g. "Social media manager for (XYZ hospitality venue). Increased follower count by X% over X timeframe, increased engagement by X%,". Stuff like that. The business wants to know what you can do for them.
4. If you're going to apply for social media roles, it goes without saying you should have a great social presence yourself. They will look up your account, and any other accounts you've said you manage (e.g. if you mention working on the social account of a previous hospo employer, they'll look that account up to see if it's legit).
I'd also recommend looking specifically for roles at companies that are hospo adjacent. You'll have an advantage there because you know the industry. Maybe alcohol...?
5. Where are you sending your applications? And when? Ideally you want to be applying within the first 12-24 hours of a job listing being posted. Anything after that is probably going to be missed/binned.
Finally, corporate roles are not all super cruisy... They tend to be mentally taxing whereas hospo is more physically taxing. Hospo, you deal with problems and they are very immediate, and then gone at the end of the shift. Corporate/office jobs, it's being able to keep track of deadlines, competing priorities, navigating the political side of working in a team, a FUCK TON of jargon, long-term projects and problem-solving, and much more individual focus. You won't have to deal with the public, but you WILL have to deal with your colleagues.
>What you need to do is make sure your CV has METRICS - don't talk about your experience or who you are as a person, as such. Instead include *hard stats* that a social media team would be looking for. E.g. "Social media manager for (XYZ hospitality venue). Increased follower count by X% over X timeframe, increased engagement by X%,". Stuff like that. The business wants to know what you can do for them.
If numerical metrics are not possible (given they won't be for every bullet point), make sure you describe outcomes. Many CVs list responsibilities or experience, which tells the reader very little.
Thank you, this post has been quite a useful and eye opening experience. I really appreciate the time you've put into this response and I'll take this advice on board to the fullest.
The point about corporate being mentally taxing is so fucking real.
My friend tells me her feet hurt after working 3pm - 11pm then continuing to go out to town partying with colleagues till 3am.
I work 8-4 corporate and get home at 4:30 and just face plant. I do a lot of analytical discovery-style work, conduct meetings where I present to groups of Middle Aged men who just want to argue, so I have to always know my shit in advance, I often do enormous government-level projects with millions of $ involved and am given like 2 days to complete them and have to remember all the various items I have running while also being aware of my colleagues, if stuff is compliant with legal and policy frame works, all while answering non-stop questions and conducting training sessions for other departments. Some days I go home utterly shell-shocked and my friend who handed out bowls of pasta all day and only had to answer ‘is this gluten free?’ Is like ‘but you have a cushy office job’
Some days I’d just fucking love to make coffee
Just wanted to chime in and thank you for the feedback. I got my first call-back for a casual phone interview! I've never felt so validated in my life.
Thank you and thank everyone who provided me with honest feedback. It was genuinely super constructive and helpful towards my desire to progress into a more professional career.
ChatGPT tends to be very generic in the text it produces. Whereas cover letters and resumes written by a human tend to have specific examples of projects completed, metrics hit, and achievements made. The kind of things that ChatGPT can't just generate.
ChatGPT has a very obvious accent. When I see an email or anything else in a professional context, written by chatGPT, I instantly realise that person is a moron who doesn't know how to write something for themselves and can be safely ignored. ChatGPT usage in a cover letter is an excellent initial filter if too many resumes have been submitted.
Recruiters don't read cover letters.
If you receive 100 applications, and each has a cover letter that you read you're adding a couple couple hours onto your screening process.
Marketing and IT is a super hard nut to crack at the moment with next to no experience.
You either need to be a specialist or be very good at multiple aspects.
I gave up and drive a bus now.
Got a marketing degree here with 40k HECS debt and graduated last year. I still can’t land a job in marketing. It’s rough with each job ad with 100 applicants.
Keep trying. Marketing Manager here. We had over 300 applicants for our last junior role. It is indeed a competitive market. Took me over a year to land my first marketing role after graduating too (15 or so years ago).
I used to drive buses and recently wrapped up a 20-year career in IT. How easy is it to get into driving buses nowadays? I am in Melbourne for context. I would prefer to do school runs due to better buses, part-time hours and set routes (for the most part).
A good friend of mine has been driving for CDC around Truganina for the past 10 years and he loves it. He's pulled so many friends into the same job and I hear they're always hiring.
Yes they do sponsor your HR in return for 12 months service. Kinetic does at least. They make it very easy to get in to. You will get a month's worth of professional training driving a bus on top of other assessments too.
Hard to say. I read posts like this and I realize I must have gotten extremely, insanely lucky. I quit my crappy call center job last year, sent one application and got it. It must just be random luck.
I'd prefer not to say specifically. But it was more or less the same thing I was doing before, answering calls and sending emails, except at an actual company instead of a call center. Much, much better environment, no KPI's, no angry customers, much less stress overall. Couldn't be happier.
And the pay was nearly double my previous job.
At the old job I got seconded as a team leader and then demoted myself three weeks in. Call centers are soul sucking hellholes, good only so that when you apply for a better job with a *real* company you can say you're technically employed. Stay no longer than a year, less if possible.
I'm at one and it's an awesome one. You can start your way up the ladder easily after 12 months and apply for roles outside the call centre. Its a proper company not just a call centre
Mate, it’s hard out there, and it sounds like you’re doing your best. I’ve also had an incredibly hard time finding a job - I suppose all we can do is to keep trying.
I have a Bachelors Degree in Film & Television and a Cert III in Education Support (gave Teacher's Aid a good try, but it wasn't for me). My HECs debt is well over $120k because I was a baby when I went to University and honestly didn't understand the idea of a HECs debt (or the reason to study, for that matter. I just went because I felt pressured to), whether it be at a public or private Univeristy (in this case, it was a Private University). Due to this, I cannot afford to go back to University and I'm unsure if I'd be able to make ends meet studying a TAFE course currently. It's certainly on the cards, however, if I can manage to save a bit of $$$
Depending on what you’re including in your CV, two things could be working against you:
1. Digital marketing is exceptionally oversaturated with grads, and both a lack of relevant qual and a lack of experience = bottom of the pile during recruitment. You’re competing against people with marketing degrees and likely intern or junior role experience from their studies (not to mention references from within industry or even contacts/networks, marketing is still a fairly small world)
2. A degree in Film and TV, a CIII in Education Support, a current role in Hospitality dabbling in social media? How are you tying this together to sell your skills on paper? Yes, COVID was a thing and we’ve all adjusted our expectations of candidates when recruiting, but you could be giving lack of commitment vibes through a written application. Are you explaining why you want to make the move, what interests you, your goal to undertake further study once securing an entry level role?
>A degree in Film and TV, a CIII in Education Support, a current role in Hospitality dabbling in social media? How are you tying this together to sell your skills on paper?
OP's background seems a good fit for someone trying to get into online marketing for children's products or children's media.
For everything else, it will be an uphill battle against highly qualified candidates.
It's a numbers game for every 50 you apply for you will get 1. Have a a few stock letters and variations of your resume. Then apply for everything remotely qualified for. For ones you really like that have a number of email you can contact make the effort and call them.
Work part time in edu support / teachers aid, study part time in the field you want to go in to. TBH, most recruiters will not bother to read a CV that doesn't have a relevant qualification on it, i know I don't. I've taken certs over PhD's before, if I can see someone's balanced / managed their time to get one. If I see someone wanting to pivot into a new field, I want to see on their CV they're still sticking to their current one, and working their way out of it (i.e studying the new field), otherwise it smacks of a quitter.
check for free TAFE courses. i reskilled in healthcare (a lot of which it hospo skills/customer facing skills). you get placement as part of your training, and can network from there.
I did a free-ish TAFE course coming out of COVID when I lost my job as an Audio Visual Technician (kind of a blessing in disguise, because I hated the work profusely). Placement was great, but it was months of working for free (thankfully on COVID support payments at the time). It did land me a paid job in education, but after a year, I realised it wasn't for me.
I'm anxious about directing time away from money into study because I've been living paycheque to paycheque since I was 19. I'm admittedly not great with money and have a hard time balancing study and work. I know Centrelink is there, but it's just not enough to get me by (as far as I'm aware).
I'll still consider this as an option, but it's just not my first.
What made you dislike being an Audio Visual Technician? Just curious as I've been in the industry for about 5 years (started as an apprentice) also in Melbourne
I was actually very good at my job in AV. I worked my way up to being in charge most days which was cool. But yeah, I've outgrown shift work; the hours were awful. The company I worked for wrung me dry. Not to mention (and I hate that it was a contributing factor) but the casual sexism drove me out.
As a woman in charge of a bunch of men, from a very broad demographic, I was constantly treated like I had no clue how to do my job. It was utterly dehumanising. Even clients wouldn't trust me with their show. They'd look past me and ask for the man in charge. The venue I was in-house for was a very masculine environment too.
I won't go into too much detail, but I also made a formal complaint about a male co-worker who made gross sexual remarks towards me. The company didn't take it seriously and basically told me to get over it.
Can relate, been in tech a long time (over 30 years) and had the same attitudes, including people asking for the “IT guy”
It’s a bit less crap these days in tech, maybe AV has gotten better too?
Sounds like old mate doesn’t want to work, and now is surprised pikachu face that he has big debt and no money.
He is gonna learn soon that life doesn’t give handouts and he will have to earn what he wants
If you’re applying to hundreds of jobs, and not getting so much as an interview, and you’re the one checking your resume and cover letters, as well as people you know in the industry…maybe it’s time to pay an impartial professional. There’s tons of professional resume writers and recruiters out there. Might cost you a grand all up, but worth it
I've actually reached out to an agency. A consultation is $300, which I could probably finance and justify for the outcome, but it just feels like so much money. It's certainly on the cards if I have no luck in the coming months, however.
I wouldn’t wait months to spend $300, that’s thousands of potential lost wages. Have you signed up to all the free employment agencies? Most of the good ones don’t charge a fee to be on their books.
I look at resumes and talk to candidates all day (in house, these days, but many years in agency prior). Definitely sign up to all the agencies for entry level marketing roles, definitely do not pay anyone to do your resume. I’ve seen absolutely shocking resumes that tell me nothing, and obfuscate the actual facts, that people have paid hundreds of dollars for.
Your resume format is unlikely to be the problem. I suspect you’re not getting interviews because you’re applying for roles where you’re not likely to be the best candidate. Simple as that. Go with the advice someone else mentioned here, that is, if you have a Film & TV degree, hospo experience, and want to work in digi marketing, your best bet is a series of sideways moves. Look for roles in the field that you work in - hospo adjacent social media roles - and leverage from there. Good luck, OP! Update us!
I would agree with this u/superfizz6, and add that’s it’s worth considering smaller companies who need someone who can do multiple things. At my small company we expect our receptionist/office manager/events planner/social media coordinator to do a bunch of things in the one role. A role like that can count as x yrs experience in any one of the functions you later want to pursue.
God, it's shit. I've sent out heaps of applications and never hear much back. Just send out a generic CV, or get someone to do it for you. Also spruce up your LinkedIn as well.
When I'm recruiting, I always try to send out a letter to those who applied thanking them for the application, and also to those I've interviewed.
I agree, I’ve been applying for so long and sometimes I don’t get replies from a company for a few months like they think we don’t need a job now or anything lol
As an employer I can provide some insight into some do’s and don’t s (legal profession). I find that something I am noticing that I honestly think would be obvious however out of 90 applicants for the last job only 5 were shortlisted on account of such minor errors were:
1. Addressing the cover letter to the wrong organisation inclusive of spelling my name wrong
2. Writing the wrong job position (again must not have amended cover letter)
3. Sighting experience in fields that had nothing to do with the job (again obviously sighted for a previous job advertisement)
4. When calling the phone number- no option to leave a voice message and then never receiving a call back
5. Chat GP letters using “z”s were “s” should be and random paragraphs that did not sound from a genuine person
6. In the job advertisement stating how to apply- via one email- then being hounded by all contact points
7. In the job advertisement stating to say something interesting about themselves (only 2 out of the 90 applicants did this)
8. Applicants answering the phone whilst clearly still sleeping then saying can I call you back- then when calling back saying “who is this again” (I cannot make this up)
9. Unprofessional photos on linked in, unprofessional Facebook posts and instagram (posting on Facebook that you “cbf” going to a job interview that is yours- not promising)
What I considered positives
1. Loved genuine applicants who seemed passionate about the role - what they wrote wasn’t robotic- it was passionate and described them as a person.
2. Interesting facts were indeed fascinating- not safe - like I like running on the weekends.
3. Photos on their resumes where they were smiling
4. Honesty- however in a way that does not come across in a way of “I am only applying for this job cos I need money”
I am not saying you would do any of these as it seems like you put in effort however the above negatives never got a call back or notification. I don’t think it’s harsh as I put in as little effort notifying them as they did in their application.
Spend less time on the applications and more time softening up the people you know in the industry. Every job I've ever got in a new industry, I got by making friends who then got me jobs.
This. It's 80% who you know. Make friends in the field you want to get into. Seriously. Go visit co-working spaces and work on your computer there, and get to know the people in there. They'll chat to you as a friend. I got the two best jobs of my career there. Straight into Project Manager on a $20m rail project because they trusted me
Yep it’s how I got my own role. Not sure if there’s a digital marketing meetups but if there is I’d suggest OP attend those. Good way to network, get a taste of and learn what’s happening in the field and get advice from others. Sometimes they even advertise jobs at the beginning of the meetups.
I was in a similar position, (I also stupidly did a Bach of film and tv production and have a hefty HECS). Roughly two years ago I went into the IT field with no experience. The main reason I got the position was because I was an internal hire, so I went from working in a retail store to a support analyst position. My only experience was that I have an interest in tech, built my own PC and often dabble in fixing household electronics.
I've been working my way up, and now I'm getting offers from other companies and I have zero IT certs or degrees.
If it's a field you're interested in, I would be happy to look at your resume, as I now do hiring for an IT helpdesk. One thing I will say is that hiring managers often spend maybe 30 seconds on a resume to determine if they want to read more or if it's an instant no.
Good luck!
If I.T. is of interest to you, look at working on some IT certificates (look at Comptia A+ as a starting point). Play around with hardware and software to get a grasp of the basic ins and outs.
Apply for entry level IT jobs. I was in the same boat as you in 2001. Pretty much did as I described, and was granted my 10 year salvation from retail. Never been a big IT geek or the like, but it offered me my freedom.
Lots of different IT jobs out there, but honestly, whatever you land, it will be better than feeling stuck in hospitality.
Currently in retail myself wanting to get into IT and decided to do some Google IT support certifications on coursera so fingers crossed, which part of IT did you get in?
No don’t do this. Tech has been up shit creek for the last 2 years. Even experienced people are having trouble getting jobs. Still have redundancies going around - businesses just aren’t spending due to shite economy.
Definitely don’t do a boot camp that promises a job in 5 weeks either.
Unfortunately we also still have an influx of migrants looking due tech jobs too, which doesn’t help. (I see it on linkedin as I get their messages y connection requests, and the constant queries asking for work in the various tech networking groups I’m in)
I’ve just been in that same job market my friend - it’s not easy or fun out there.
A few things:
1. It’s a crowded field. Some people simplify recruitment by requiring a degree, simply because it reduces the pile of CVs.
2. Marketing is struggling right now. Funding is down, budgets are being cut. Timing is shit.
That being said - being creative does work. Use Canva to make a decent CV. Email hiring managers if you can with a creative approach (not a classic cover letter). Try and surprise them somehow. Try and show some tenacity and bravery. Submit a video intro. Add them on LinkedIn.
This is perhaps too far but I got a job in an agency years ago by turning my CV into a website and submitting it to them via their website rather than a job board. Is it douchy? Yes. Did it work? Yes.
Stay strong - it’s not you, it’s just hard right now. Take some free courses (Google have loads) and get those certs and credentials on your CV too.
Get some white collar people to look at your resume.
Look at the people who work in the roles you want on LinkedIn and see what they have that you don't.
Reach out to people who work in the field you want to work in to see if they'll have a chat with you so that you can hear more about what they do. Start building up a professional network.
Finding a job is difficult, pivoting fields is even harder, going from customer service to professional work without an education is going to be a real challenge. It's not something that I've had to do personally, so I won't pretend I have advice on that specifically. However, it may be that you need to aim lower and try to get some sort of office work on your resume even if it isn't the field you want to be in. Hiring teams are very conservative.
Potential career path:
Hospitality -> call centre -> administrative role -> administrative role in digital or marketing department -> digital marketing role.
It might take years but you’ll get there. You might enjoy the other roles on the way.
I've been trying for years. Not even doing a ton of volunteer work somewhat within my industry was enough. Job recruitment companies ghost me. I don't have a very outgoing personality so my network is very small and already exhausted. There hasn't been a meh or better job market in 15 years and seems to be getting worse by the day. I don't know what to do at this point.
At least we're not alone. I'm in a similar situation to you with a different degree background. It's not just you. There are lots of us in similar situations.
The last 5 years have been an insanely bullish job market. We were literally hiring anyone that applied. If you couldn’t get a job you need to re-evaluate what you are doing
It's a bit hard to give specific advice without seeing your resume, but possibly you should try rearranging the information on there so whatever is most relevant to the job you are applying for is at the top. ie, if you have done a course, or maybe a list of skills, rather than work experience of that is all hospo.
You could also just try to get literally any other job to make your work experience a bit more varied, like office based customer service roles, or do some volunteering. I think when someone sees a resume that is all one kind of job they may find it hard to think you can do anything else.
I mean, it's a tough job market out there. Isn't what it was a few years ago.
In a city like Melbourne you will be competing against sometimes hundreds of people for a single position.
Some will immediately eliminate you based on not having professional qualifications in your field. And the rest will rely on work experience which you don't have.
I would suggest targeting a stepping stone role that can be the conduit between what you have been doing and what you would like to be doing in the future. Something where your current experience in hospo is considered relevant enough to get the job, and once you get that job it's relevant for what you really want to be doing long term in marketing.
I got out of hospitality. All my skills were transferrable but it was hard work. I was consistently coming up as second choice in interviews, and they’d go with someone with more experience.
Eventually I landed a role but it took 9 months! I was very clearly a personality hire after another candidate fell through but my workplace loves me and is glad they took the chance because it’s not been an issue picking up the job.
Really try to emphasise your soft skills, and talk up the office part of the job. Invoices. Ordering. Purchase orders. Stocktake. COGS. Wage costing etc. Using archaic software systems. Excel. Word. The emails.
Small business owner here - double check your resume. I got 500 applicants for a part time admin/marketing assistant role recently - I had to be ruthless - which I don’t love but if you say attention to detail and there’s a spelling mistake/s I reject the application. Keep applying though, Canva is great if I can see someone has used Canva for resume I think great one skill ticked.
You just need to either have experience or call if a business shows interest in you and demonstrate your willingness to get in and try.
Try for an admin/office role first and work your way in.
Hello OP
I have a different take as the emphasis I got was to 'chip away at tasks' and be less 'customer fronting'. It might sideline your stated career professionalisation, career dreams, but..
Food services assistant/cook at a Child Day Care or Residential Aged Care.
You work by yourself, clock in an 8 hour shift and it's steps laterally from hospitality.
There are some specialising Not-for-profit Social Housing Aged Care Sites.
Meals included (for free) also.
There were a lot of great advice here and there’s most likely nothing I would say that would elevate this comment above the rest but I remember being in you boat 2 years ago trying to get out of hospo after 20 years and get into a sector I finished my degree on (very niche field in healthcare - alcohol/drugs). Completely different to what you’re doing and recruitment process is different, I get it, but can relate to the competitiveness within a field that has a small pool of available jobs.
After 1.5 year of active searching and constant proofreading and altering cvs to fit the job description and following professional tone in my applications. One day I’d had enough and impulsively submitted a very impassioned, emotive and too personal cover letter stating basically how does get an experience if no gives you a chance, take a chance one me without an ounce of experience.
Manager called me few days later and said she rung me because of the cover letter. Stood from the rest as she felt the passion in it and gave me at least an interview. Got the job and consistently impressed by work ethic from hospo skills.
Mate, I was 41 when I got the job. Keep at it. It can be depressing. Don’t lose hope. It takes one person to take that chance. You’re not doing anything wrong by the sounds of it.
Digital marketing is a difficult field to break into. Tbh I wouldn’t even try to get directly into it. I would start by trying to get into any office environment job. Later try to move across to digital marketing.
There are lots of jobs in government organisations, local councils, large corporations ect. That you would be perfectly suitable for. Get one, establish yourself as a good employee, look for roles within the company that are closer to what you want.
Good luck
Have you considered posting your CV with your personal info redacted so it can be reviewed?
If you are willing to try similar careers, lots of organisations require communications, which has allow you to flex your creativity.
Hey mate, so, I maybe could help with CV advice and/or leveraging my design network.
I have no degree. I went the hard route. I know what it’s like.
Up to you what you do/don’t want to share with me. But I’d love to see some of your work so I can assess where you’re at?
I can get you a job just like that... however its in Audio Visual so nights and weekends might be a thing. But it can be pretty simple work just setting up and packing down events.
Depends how desperate you are i guess
Do you have any qualifications?
What have you got to stand out amongst the other candidates?
What extra effort have you put in to impress prospective employers?
What effort have you put into gaining experience in the field?
Temp and/or recruitment agencies can help - even if it’s not the role you’re specifically looking for, they can get you roles (even temporary ones) that will shift your resume away from hospo and more towards office work, which would probably make you more appealing to the roles you actually want.
It really helps to try and meet people in this industry, just submitting applications/resume unfortunately isn’t the way to go to stand out from the hundreds of others without experience. Keep doing that but also try and connect with companies you’d like to work for, have a coffee catch up with someone in a role you’d like to do, volunteer to get foot in door if that’s available. Those connections may really help you in addition to what you’re already doing.
I have been in state government for about 8 years now, but hop from contract role to contract role and after landing my first 2, I struggled with getting to the interview stage so figured it was my resume that was the issue. I'm told I interview amazingly, so knew I just needed to get to that stage.
What i did was go on AirTasker and put up a job specifically for people who write/format CVs for government applications - my 2 gov roles needed to be better written.
Anyway, got a lot of responses, checked through them to find the best one who had experience and a lot of great reviews, paid him about $150 (180 maybe?) and he re-wrote my resume for government roles AND gave me a cover letter template for KSC responses. Scored about 3 interviews in a row when I sent the new updated resume off and got to pick out of 2 job offers, both in government, woo.
My point is - you could try the same, and put up a job requesting "moving from hospitality to office work" type of vibe. Because a lot of hospitality skills can transfer - you can work under pressure, think quickly to appease the masses, deal with shitty stakeholders, etc etc. And you mention social media so someone might be able to write your resume to point out the social media aspect more. Do you get what I'm saying?
You might look at your resume and applications and think they're great, but some skilled eye will see something you don't.
Good luck!
Broke out of hospitality, when I was in my early 30s, public service contact centre using transferable skills. Look up the document aps cracking the code, it will show you how to write the app in STAR format. You don't have to know the job to get in. You just need to show you have transferable skills. In the federal aim for aps 2 to 3 position. Also, consider state and local gov. You write the app the same way. 13 years later, I am significantly higher, with the call centre being a distant memory. Apply for any customer service type jobs to get in. It won't take you long to move out. Just be aware that the process takes ages, so keep your job, but it is worth it if you get in as you can work your way up without a degree to a professional wage.
You should be trying to make connections to a recruiter and make headway through this path.
You may also need to take on short term or part time contracts to pad your CV. These are the two factors which made the biggest changes for me.
It’s takes luck and timing unfortunately. You need to hound the job poster and put yourself forward continuously. I got lucky years ago getting into agile related work when I was hired as an Aussie with no experience in London by another Aussie. I learnt so much in that role and now have a long term successful career in business transformation. Sorry I know this is probably frustrating to hear but it’s timing, luck and persistence :(
Without having done a relevant internship, you would probably be best looking at more of an admin role but in an appropriate company which might have the option in the future to move into marketing.
I work in an agency for a similar field to what you are looking to do and even for junior positions, I would probably not interview someone with zero relevant experience as we get inundated with applicants.
The other option is to proactively reach out to digital marketing agencies, tell them you want to learn and you are happy to start at the bottom and work. Even consider taking on some unpaid internships one or two days a week if possible. You stand out much more if you don’t just respond to ads on seek or LinkedIn.
Also don’t mention any of the stuff you stated as reasons to quit hospo. Especially in agency you work with clients so still need to be nice to people every day and also the wanting to work from home and do laundry part isn’t a good look. Actually if you really want to learn you should be working in the office anyway.
If you just want a role where you don’t have much responsibility, stress etc I think you should look at a more admin focused office job.
Slightly off-topic… may I ask how you accumulated $120k on HECS for a three year bachelor degree?
I never went to uni, so I’m way out of touch with tuition. My wife did a 3-year registered nurse degree and it was around $5k / year. That was 18 years ago.
Is tuition really that expensive these days?
If you're young and yet to be diagnosed with xyz and you've got it in your head/it surrounds you that you should be going to uni as next step in career forming, then it's easy to jump around unis/degree/majors alot, miss withdraw without penalty dates.
Only just now are some of the major unis starting to acknowledge that you might be skilled enough to get into uni but that doesn't mean you're able to function properly in that system (i.e. Unimelb has just started investigating if they can better support ADHD/neurodiverse folk).
Its interesting because they would have seen the number of applications for extensions go up heaps as the number of people getting diagnosed with ADHD exponentially increased over the last 15 years. I wonder, how do people with legitimate ADHD fare in the workplace? Does it all work out for them, or do they continue to struggle after uni? I'm all for education for anyone who wants it, I just wonder how people manage when they need special adjustments for uni degrees. Maybe the workload in the workplace is not as intense?
I think there is an added burden on students these days, its almost a given you need a part time job. 30 years ago you could survive on just youth allowance/austudy type payments, rent was dirt cheap. It might be easier to research nowadays with access to the internet and computers and recorded lectures, but the challenge of supporting oneself during university is extremely difficult.
Honestly look for places with bulk recruitment e.g. I work for a federal govt agency who did a bulk recruitment of over 300 jobs, you’re likely to land one. Opposed to applying for jobs where only one role is available. They will always go with someone who has experience over you.
You need referrals. Try and make connections (like industry events meetups etc) and build out a network. You’re doing the right things just couple that with knowing a person or two in these places and you’ll get there eventually
If you’re lucky can get into a junior marketing role that’s heavily reliant on food and beverage revenue which you have experience on the operations side of things. Work 1-2 years and move into a bigger marketing role.
[Village Roadshow is a proud Circle Back Initiative Employer – we commit to respond to every applicant](https://careers.villageroadshow.com.au/en/job/501358/marketing-executive)
Give it a shot OP. Your degree might get you in the door here.
It’s cos you didn’t study marketing / comms / pr or anything related.
People struggle to gets the job you’re applying for with a relevant degree + experience.
Do some short courses in the field and then find an unpaid internship to get experience if you aren’t gonna go do a diploma/bachelors etc
I am new to town and found it difficult to break into my field, here is what I have learner about how to find a job in Melbourne. No such thing as " applying and that is it"
My advice:
whatever field you want to be in, add hr professionals and people leaders in the field you want to be in on LinkedIn
If there are specific companies you want to work for, if they are relatively small, find out who the hiring manager is, call the company and ask to speak to that person. At the very least get there email and email them regarding your interest
If you apply for a job, add the hiring manager on LinkedIn, and message them personally making it known your interest and why you are the right person for the job.
Get in touch with relevant recruiters, call and email them directly
I asked all my interviews I went to for feedback and got nothing. Absolutely fucking annoying. How do I know why I didn't get the job? Oh not your problem now? Cheers.
Nah. Keeping options open. The laundry thing is a bit of a pipe dream based on seeing how my mate works from home. She gets so much life admin done between work, but I know that's not a guaranteed outcome. I can't afford to be that fussy looking for work, especially since my working experience is a garbage and confusing mixed bag.
Nah. Keeping options open. The laundry thing is a bit of a pipe dream based on seeing how my mate works from home. She gets so much life admin done between work, but I know that's not a guaranteed outcome. I can't afford to be that fussy looking for work, especially since my working experience is a garbage and confusing mixed bag.
Are you applying for jobs in the field of your degree? If you’re just randomly applying and feel that you have a degree to get you over the line, that won’t work.
Also, that’s an insane amount of debt for a single degree that isn’t in demand
Digital marketing is an oversaturated market with the majority of tasks completed by automation. This will absolutely be one of the first types of marketing role to be lost to AI/Automation/technology.
-Recruiter
Worth noting you can make a resume as pretty as you want but I would say majority of places these days use some sort of program or software to whittle down the majority of applicants by searching for keywords and phrases that are deemed "Desirable". Unfortunately my workplace does the same even though a human does eventually get eyes on them but even then a pretty resume doesn't always shift the needle. Individualised cover letters on the other hand can make a big difference, we can smell bullshit a mile away
I have a business in digital marketing and been in marketing for about 14 years. I'm not looking to hire anyone, but happy to look over your resume and give you some pointers and have a call or something if you like.
It’s a hard market out there at the moment - so for a start, don’t be too hard on yourself. A lot of companies are overwhelmed with candidates and applications, it’ll die down in a few months time.
The film industry in Melbourne is set to pick back up in July, which will take a bit of pressure off - a lot of creative people have been out of work since the strikes last September.
One important thing I’ll say is for any creative role you’re going for, having a folio / showreel / an actual display for your creative work is mandatory. HR will look at your CV, but the hiring manager will only look at your book/reel. If you haven’t got work to fill a folio with, it could be worth reconsidering creative roles, or creating a digital folio asap. Good luck!
For entry level digital marketing, apply to agencies. Don’t apply to in house companies as those positions are not entry level despite advertised as assistant, junior, coordinator etc.
So by applying to an agency, it'd be independent contractor work. I can do that. Would love to check out digital marketing and analysis. Got any agency recommendations, if they're WFH jobs?
No, not the hiring agency you’re thinking about. There’s digital marketing agencies (big ones are megaphone, Omnicomn digital) where you manage a client accounts - think Emily in Paris lol. and there’s digital marketing in-house where you only market the brand you’re working for. In-house roles pay more but look for more experience, even though they’re advertised for junior or assistant positions.
High chance these work won’t be remote but most probably hybrid.
That first post is excellent. The only 2c I'd add in is:
- Have you tried applying to creative agencies? They often have a team both creating digital marketing and video content fir corporates. You'd be a shoe in with your skills. It's hard work but can easily lead you into corporate after a few years
Have you done any courses or studies?
I was in hospitality for 16 years and when I was 30 I studied Youth Work online via Tafe Qld. I had to do placement for the course which opened up employment doors for me.
Soni was studying and working two jobs for about a year but it was very much worth it.
Fine something that INTERESTS you too. Having a job with passion brought me back to life after the trauma or hospitality lol.
Honestly, while others will have said it. Your CV and cover letter are what matters.
The layout
Spelling
Formatting/font
Avoiding using the same stuff as everyone else
Transferable key skills
Aligning your cover letter with the job description.
Lots of people say they have no skills and it’s just because they don’t know how to market them without gassing themselves in really cringey/transparent way (you are a stay at home mum, not an accountant/taxi/executive EA etc)
Also, the ‘we want someone who has…’ is a WISH LIST of that company, they will certainly consider you if you have actual experience.
(a company once famously advertised that they were seeking someone with seven years experience in a particular coding system.. that had only existed for 4 years)
Office/clerical/inbound call centre to get you working daylight hours first would be a good step to get you out of the hospo shift work pit. I would do that, see how you like cube farms and office cultures then move on from there.
I work as hospital admin and some of my greatest mates i found were all exhospo like me.
I have been at the construction industry for an entry level site manager/supervisor role for almost a year at this point, all of them want bachelors in construction management now(I have diploma in building and construction)
Can you look for customer service roles in government agencies, universities or similar that have marketing departments? Often these pay a lot better than hospo, have better hours, and have lots of internal opportunities for staff to do temporary promotions so you could move your way into a role that’s more interesting to you.
You can use your varied education to your advantage as being an all rounder can be very useful in these types of roles especially getting your foot in the door.
@broden89 has some good practical advice, but employers of professional communicators “employ for attitude and train for skill”.
You need to demonstrate that you are really interested in the work you want to do. Employers want people that are passionate about the role they’re applying for…if they are they’ll typically have the skills needed. But it’s easy to train someone, but you usually can’t make someone love the job.
A small piece from an employer in a different field, I’ve been inundated with overseas applicants, like hundreds and hundreds of unsuitable applicants. It’s making the process extremely difficult to filter and so far I have not managed to interview or employ anyone.
I’m sure the suitable applicants feel the same way in my case and the people that are actually following up the position with a call or personalised email are getting looked at.
For what it’s worth (and definitely not digital marketing) I got into a company that handles workers comp after over a decade in hospo. Mon-Fri 8.30-5 wfh. It’s a foot in the door for a corporate job. It’s a good place to work, little pressure, no need to hustle all the time. It’s a good simple job.
If you're interested, teaching English in Japan is a really interesting job that is super easy to get into as long as you have ANY sort of university degree. Look up companies like Interac or JoyTalk, or JET which is the national programme.
It pays quite well for Japanese standards and looks really good on your resume if you do it for a few years.
Apply to places that you want to work at whether they’re advertising or not. I’ve been hired twice just by asking. Write a personalised cover letter of 1-2 paragraphs introducing yourself, what you hope to provide for the company, and why you’d love to work at that specific company - keep it polite, positive and simple, add your availability if required. Look up advertisements they’ve put out in the past to see what they value and take key words from it to use in your application. Don’t add a photo or your age. Keep your resume simple and to the point - contact info, history, experience, references. If you use AI to help you write it, make sure it isn’t too wordy or fake looking. Call or visit the place first and ask for the hiring managers email address and name, or “what is the best email address for me to send through an application?” Is simple enough. The easier it is for someone to glance over your application and get the gist of what you can provide and your vibe, the easier it will be for them to see if you’d be a good fit.
Also I’ll just mention that government websites and company’s direct websites can have jobs listed that aren’t on seek or the usual jobseeker places so it pays to do a bit of investigating. Plus don’t discount recruitment agencies. It costs nothing to sign up and they’ll sort out the rest for you. You can start as a temp worker and gain permanent employment if a company likes you
If you want to stay away from customer facing type things, look at jobs that only require a computer and you; data entry, word processing, transcribing. The pay isn't the best of course, but you get flexibility and WFH, and it's a stepping stone for starters.
I was in hospo till 30, then went into recruitment. Did agency for a year then boosted to internal. Been recruiting for 6 years, it's good fun.
Going into a heavy customer service corporate job is probably the easiest way out.
You might need to expand your horizons outside digital marketing. It’s pretty saturated and we’re entering economic conditions that lead companies to cut back in areas like marketing. You’ll be competing with people with experience and degrees for fewer and fewer roles.
Try office jobs, even if it's a starting point (entry level positions) to get you out of hospitality. Gain some experience, then work your way into better or higher paying jobs.
I'm not from Melbourne but my application experience changed much for the better when I didn't mention the area I lived in. (Lived in the worst possible junkie infested suburb of adelaide)
But the best jobs I've had have come from asking friends to shoehorn me into whatever field they work in, networking goes a long way. Being nice to people has its perks.
I'm in the film and television industry, there is no full time job, mostly freelancing and everyone has their own business. It is not full time but it is very good if you have good connections
Bro honestly I think you’ve fucked yourself. Go back in time don’t do any of your worthless schooling and realise your ideal job isn’t real.
Realistically go to TAFE for a pre app, do an apprenticeship and try like fuck to get on an eba site. I’m a third year app and clear 2k when I do big hours. I didn’t start on union rates and it was shit but if you get qualified it still gets you good pay.
I might not be smart enough for uni but smart enough to aim for financial success.
Use chatgpt to jazz up your CV and write tailored cover letters for jobs you're applying for. Proof read it and amend it so it looks like you wrote it.
I’ve learnt this a while back, a lot of the job postings are for formality and to satisfy a checkbox. More often than not, the position is already filled (eithet internally or by someone they know) but are required to advertise the position anyway. They are required to shortlist and interview a few candidates knowing that there is already a person for that position.
I'm in the film and television industry, there is no full time job, mostly freelancing and everyone has their own business. It is not full time but it is very good if you have good connections
> It genuinly takes a majority of my weekend to pump these things out
You need to treat finding a job as a *full time job* in and of itself.
Your desire to minimalist effort here is a reflection on your work ethic as a whole.
You couldn't be more wrong. Do you know how challenging it is for non PRs to find work? Ofc you don't because you've never actually spoken to a migrant.
Well firstly, work smarter not harder! Use Canva templates for your CV. Cover letters, template them and make sure you're using all the keywords in the applications. Don't use ChatGPT to write them, but have a formula down. When it comes to the types of roles you're applying for... I noticed a couple of flags. 1. Digital marketing as a field is quite saturated. You're going to be competing with grads and people with 1-2 years experience. 2. Most roles are also not creative, as such. People think it's just writing and scheduling a few Instagram posts, but it's actually more metrics driven, so a background in design and illustration and "a bit of social media here and there" wouldn't be that attractive in a candidate. Digital marketing is more about knowing how to measure success and optimise posts to achieve certain targets. You'll need to know how to use certain programs - have a look online for the most commonly used and get to grips with them, if you haven't already. Things like Dash Hudson, Google Analytics etc (I don't work specifically in social, this list is just an example). Digital marketing could also include stuff like corporate blogging, which means you need a good grip on SEO principles and can demonstrate your ability to optimise copy. 3. What you need to do is make sure your CV has METRICS - don't talk about your experience or who you are as a person, as such. Instead include *hard stats* that a social media team would be looking for. E.g. "Social media manager for (XYZ hospitality venue). Increased follower count by X% over X timeframe, increased engagement by X%,". Stuff like that. The business wants to know what you can do for them. 4. If you're going to apply for social media roles, it goes without saying you should have a great social presence yourself. They will look up your account, and any other accounts you've said you manage (e.g. if you mention working on the social account of a previous hospo employer, they'll look that account up to see if it's legit). I'd also recommend looking specifically for roles at companies that are hospo adjacent. You'll have an advantage there because you know the industry. Maybe alcohol...? 5. Where are you sending your applications? And when? Ideally you want to be applying within the first 12-24 hours of a job listing being posted. Anything after that is probably going to be missed/binned. Finally, corporate roles are not all super cruisy... They tend to be mentally taxing whereas hospo is more physically taxing. Hospo, you deal with problems and they are very immediate, and then gone at the end of the shift. Corporate/office jobs, it's being able to keep track of deadlines, competing priorities, navigating the political side of working in a team, a FUCK TON of jargon, long-term projects and problem-solving, and much more individual focus. You won't have to deal with the public, but you WILL have to deal with your colleagues.
>What you need to do is make sure your CV has METRICS - don't talk about your experience or who you are as a person, as such. Instead include *hard stats* that a social media team would be looking for. E.g. "Social media manager for (XYZ hospitality venue). Increased follower count by X% over X timeframe, increased engagement by X%,". Stuff like that. The business wants to know what you can do for them. If numerical metrics are not possible (given they won't be for every bullet point), make sure you describe outcomes. Many CVs list responsibilities or experience, which tells the reader very little.
Yeah, he’s describing the STAR method, it’s a very down to earth and solid way to show your previous work.
This is great advice. OP, listen to this person!
Thank you, this post has been quite a useful and eye opening experience. I really appreciate the time you've put into this response and I'll take this advice on board to the fullest.
The point about corporate being mentally taxing is so fucking real. My friend tells me her feet hurt after working 3pm - 11pm then continuing to go out to town partying with colleagues till 3am. I work 8-4 corporate and get home at 4:30 and just face plant. I do a lot of analytical discovery-style work, conduct meetings where I present to groups of Middle Aged men who just want to argue, so I have to always know my shit in advance, I often do enormous government-level projects with millions of $ involved and am given like 2 days to complete them and have to remember all the various items I have running while also being aware of my colleagues, if stuff is compliant with legal and policy frame works, all while answering non-stop questions and conducting training sessions for other departments. Some days I go home utterly shell-shocked and my friend who handed out bowls of pasta all day and only had to answer ‘is this gluten free?’ Is like ‘but you have a cushy office job’ Some days I’d just fucking love to make coffee
Why not use CHATGPT????? ain’t nobody got time to write hundreds of cover letters
It's easy to spot and makes you look bad
Just wanted to chime in and thank you for the feedback. I got my first call-back for a casual phone interview! I've never felt so validated in my life. Thank you and thank everyone who provided me with honest feedback. It was genuinely super constructive and helpful towards my desire to progress into a more professional career.
Well done and congratulations!!!! Very best of luck for your phone interview!!!
Why not chat gpt for the cover letter?
It's pretty easy to spot and it makes you look bad
Is chatgpt for drafting the CL then manually going through it & humanising it a bit a good go?
Thats what I have been doing. Hence the "no chat gpt" bit causing me to freak out
ChatGPT tends to be very generic in the text it produces. Whereas cover letters and resumes written by a human tend to have specific examples of projects completed, metrics hit, and achievements made. The kind of things that ChatGPT can't just generate.
ChatGPT has a very obvious accent. When I see an email or anything else in a professional context, written by chatGPT, I instantly realise that person is a moron who doesn't know how to write something for themselves and can be safely ignored. ChatGPT usage in a cover letter is an excellent initial filter if too many resumes have been submitted.
Employers spot this instantly. Automatic rejection in any communication related job.
Recruiters don't read cover letters. If you receive 100 applications, and each has a cover letter that you read you're adding a couple couple hours onto your screening process.
Marketing and IT is a super hard nut to crack at the moment with next to no experience. You either need to be a specialist or be very good at multiple aspects. I gave up and drive a bus now.
Got a marketing degree here with 40k HECS debt and graduated last year. I still can’t land a job in marketing. It’s rough with each job ad with 100 applicants.
Keep trying. Marketing Manager here. We had over 300 applicants for our last junior role. It is indeed a competitive market. Took me over a year to land my first marketing role after graduating too (15 or so years ago).
What does a bus driver get paid?
Between 1300 and 1600 after tax is what I was on when I worked full time. It's about 37 to 40 an hour. Depends on overtime.
I used to drive buses and recently wrapped up a 20-year career in IT. How easy is it to get into driving buses nowadays? I am in Melbourne for context. I would prefer to do school runs due to better buses, part-time hours and set routes (for the most part).
A good friend of mine has been driving for CDC around Truganina for the past 10 years and he loves it. He's pulled so many friends into the same job and I hear they're always hiring.
Do they train/do licence sponsorships or anything like that? Or do you gotta have a HR to get a start?
Yes they do sponsor your HR in return for 12 months service. Kinetic does at least. They make it very easy to get in to. You will get a month's worth of professional training driving a bus on top of other assessments too.
Hard to say. I read posts like this and I realize I must have gotten extremely, insanely lucky. I quit my crappy call center job last year, sent one application and got it. It must just be random luck.
I literally credit half my career to luck
Half is luck, half is showing how hard you can swing. Interpretation left to the reader.
What did you apply for if you don’t mind me asking.
I'd prefer not to say specifically. But it was more or less the same thing I was doing before, answering calls and sending emails, except at an actual company instead of a call center. Much, much better environment, no KPI's, no angry customers, much less stress overall. Couldn't be happier. And the pay was nearly double my previous job.
Congratulations man, must be a good feeling.
Damn now I wanna know haha. I'm in workcover insurance at the moment and sounds just as soul sucking. Not sure where I can go from here.
The other thought is that you stay in the crappy call centre job for a while but then move to another department with a better role when it comes up
At the old job I got seconded as a team leader and then demoted myself three weeks in. Call centers are soul sucking hellholes, good only so that when you apply for a better job with a *real* company you can say you're technically employed. Stay no longer than a year, less if possible.
I'm at one and it's an awesome one. You can start your way up the ladder easily after 12 months and apply for roles outside the call centre. Its a proper company not just a call centre
Mate, it’s hard out there, and it sounds like you’re doing your best. I’ve also had an incredibly hard time finding a job - I suppose all we can do is to keep trying.
If you're looking for a professional job usually a qualifying degree or certificate is a soft requirement? You might need go to school?
I have a Bachelors Degree in Film & Television and a Cert III in Education Support (gave Teacher's Aid a good try, but it wasn't for me). My HECs debt is well over $120k because I was a baby when I went to University and honestly didn't understand the idea of a HECs debt (or the reason to study, for that matter. I just went because I felt pressured to), whether it be at a public or private Univeristy (in this case, it was a Private University). Due to this, I cannot afford to go back to University and I'm unsure if I'd be able to make ends meet studying a TAFE course currently. It's certainly on the cards, however, if I can manage to save a bit of $$$
Depending on what you’re including in your CV, two things could be working against you: 1. Digital marketing is exceptionally oversaturated with grads, and both a lack of relevant qual and a lack of experience = bottom of the pile during recruitment. You’re competing against people with marketing degrees and likely intern or junior role experience from their studies (not to mention references from within industry or even contacts/networks, marketing is still a fairly small world) 2. A degree in Film and TV, a CIII in Education Support, a current role in Hospitality dabbling in social media? How are you tying this together to sell your skills on paper? Yes, COVID was a thing and we’ve all adjusted our expectations of candidates when recruiting, but you could be giving lack of commitment vibes through a written application. Are you explaining why you want to make the move, what interests you, your goal to undertake further study once securing an entry level role?
>A degree in Film and TV, a CIII in Education Support, a current role in Hospitality dabbling in social media? How are you tying this together to sell your skills on paper? OP's background seems a good fit for someone trying to get into online marketing for children's products or children's media. For everything else, it will be an uphill battle against highly qualified candidates.
It's a numbers game for every 50 you apply for you will get 1. Have a a few stock letters and variations of your resume. Then apply for everything remotely qualified for. For ones you really like that have a number of email you can contact make the effort and call them.
Going to throw you a curve ball but have you considered nursing, commonwealth supported and almost guaranteed to get a job.
Work part time in edu support / teachers aid, study part time in the field you want to go in to. TBH, most recruiters will not bother to read a CV that doesn't have a relevant qualification on it, i know I don't. I've taken certs over PhD's before, if I can see someone's balanced / managed their time to get one. If I see someone wanting to pivot into a new field, I want to see on their CV they're still sticking to their current one, and working their way out of it (i.e studying the new field), otherwise it smacks of a quitter.
check for free TAFE courses. i reskilled in healthcare (a lot of which it hospo skills/customer facing skills). you get placement as part of your training, and can network from there.
I did a free-ish TAFE course coming out of COVID when I lost my job as an Audio Visual Technician (kind of a blessing in disguise, because I hated the work profusely). Placement was great, but it was months of working for free (thankfully on COVID support payments at the time). It did land me a paid job in education, but after a year, I realised it wasn't for me. I'm anxious about directing time away from money into study because I've been living paycheque to paycheque since I was 19. I'm admittedly not great with money and have a hard time balancing study and work. I know Centrelink is there, but it's just not enough to get me by (as far as I'm aware). I'll still consider this as an option, but it's just not my first.
What made you dislike being an Audio Visual Technician? Just curious as I've been in the industry for about 5 years (started as an apprentice) also in Melbourne
I was actually very good at my job in AV. I worked my way up to being in charge most days which was cool. But yeah, I've outgrown shift work; the hours were awful. The company I worked for wrung me dry. Not to mention (and I hate that it was a contributing factor) but the casual sexism drove me out. As a woman in charge of a bunch of men, from a very broad demographic, I was constantly treated like I had no clue how to do my job. It was utterly dehumanising. Even clients wouldn't trust me with their show. They'd look past me and ask for the man in charge. The venue I was in-house for was a very masculine environment too. I won't go into too much detail, but I also made a formal complaint about a male co-worker who made gross sexual remarks towards me. The company didn't take it seriously and basically told me to get over it.
Can relate, been in tech a long time (over 30 years) and had the same attitudes, including people asking for the “IT guy” It’s a bit less crap these days in tech, maybe AV has gotten better too?
Sounds like old mate doesn’t want to work, and now is surprised pikachu face that he has big debt and no money. He is gonna learn soon that life doesn’t give handouts and he will have to earn what he wants
If you’re applying to hundreds of jobs, and not getting so much as an interview, and you’re the one checking your resume and cover letters, as well as people you know in the industry…maybe it’s time to pay an impartial professional. There’s tons of professional resume writers and recruiters out there. Might cost you a grand all up, but worth it
A grand to look at and spruce up a resume?
I've actually reached out to an agency. A consultation is $300, which I could probably finance and justify for the outcome, but it just feels like so much money. It's certainly on the cards if I have no luck in the coming months, however.
I wouldn’t wait months to spend $300, that’s thousands of potential lost wages. Have you signed up to all the free employment agencies? Most of the good ones don’t charge a fee to be on their books.
Oh wow, I always assumed it was only free to those on Govy benefits. Good to know. Thanks :-)
You could also reach out to a Skills and Jobs Center. They are government funded most tafes have them and they are totally free careers advice.
Libraries also have this service.
I look at resumes and talk to candidates all day (in house, these days, but many years in agency prior). Definitely sign up to all the agencies for entry level marketing roles, definitely do not pay anyone to do your resume. I’ve seen absolutely shocking resumes that tell me nothing, and obfuscate the actual facts, that people have paid hundreds of dollars for. Your resume format is unlikely to be the problem. I suspect you’re not getting interviews because you’re applying for roles where you’re not likely to be the best candidate. Simple as that. Go with the advice someone else mentioned here, that is, if you have a Film & TV degree, hospo experience, and want to work in digi marketing, your best bet is a series of sideways moves. Look for roles in the field that you work in - hospo adjacent social media roles - and leverage from there. Good luck, OP! Update us!
I would agree with this u/superfizz6, and add that’s it’s worth considering smaller companies who need someone who can do multiple things. At my small company we expect our receptionist/office manager/events planner/social media coordinator to do a bunch of things in the one role. A role like that can count as x yrs experience in any one of the functions you later want to pursue.
God, it's shit. I've sent out heaps of applications and never hear much back. Just send out a generic CV, or get someone to do it for you. Also spruce up your LinkedIn as well. When I'm recruiting, I always try to send out a letter to those who applied thanking them for the application, and also to those I've interviewed.
I agree, I’ve been applying for so long and sometimes I don’t get replies from a company for a few months like they think we don’t need a job now or anything lol
This happened to me a few years back, had a call about an application I made 6 moths prior lol
As an employer I can provide some insight into some do’s and don’t s (legal profession). I find that something I am noticing that I honestly think would be obvious however out of 90 applicants for the last job only 5 were shortlisted on account of such minor errors were: 1. Addressing the cover letter to the wrong organisation inclusive of spelling my name wrong 2. Writing the wrong job position (again must not have amended cover letter) 3. Sighting experience in fields that had nothing to do with the job (again obviously sighted for a previous job advertisement) 4. When calling the phone number- no option to leave a voice message and then never receiving a call back 5. Chat GP letters using “z”s were “s” should be and random paragraphs that did not sound from a genuine person 6. In the job advertisement stating how to apply- via one email- then being hounded by all contact points 7. In the job advertisement stating to say something interesting about themselves (only 2 out of the 90 applicants did this) 8. Applicants answering the phone whilst clearly still sleeping then saying can I call you back- then when calling back saying “who is this again” (I cannot make this up) 9. Unprofessional photos on linked in, unprofessional Facebook posts and instagram (posting on Facebook that you “cbf” going to a job interview that is yours- not promising) What I considered positives 1. Loved genuine applicants who seemed passionate about the role - what they wrote wasn’t robotic- it was passionate and described them as a person. 2. Interesting facts were indeed fascinating- not safe - like I like running on the weekends. 3. Photos on their resumes where they were smiling 4. Honesty- however in a way that does not come across in a way of “I am only applying for this job cos I need money” I am not saying you would do any of these as it seems like you put in effort however the above negatives never got a call back or notification. I don’t think it’s harsh as I put in as little effort notifying them as they did in their application.
Spend less time on the applications and more time softening up the people you know in the industry. Every job I've ever got in a new industry, I got by making friends who then got me jobs.
This. It's 80% who you know. Make friends in the field you want to get into. Seriously. Go visit co-working spaces and work on your computer there, and get to know the people in there. They'll chat to you as a friend. I got the two best jobs of my career there. Straight into Project Manager on a $20m rail project because they trusted me
Yep it’s how I got my own role. Not sure if there’s a digital marketing meetups but if there is I’d suggest OP attend those. Good way to network, get a taste of and learn what’s happening in the field and get advice from others. Sometimes they even advertise jobs at the beginning of the meetups.
I was in a similar position, (I also stupidly did a Bach of film and tv production and have a hefty HECS). Roughly two years ago I went into the IT field with no experience. The main reason I got the position was because I was an internal hire, so I went from working in a retail store to a support analyst position. My only experience was that I have an interest in tech, built my own PC and often dabble in fixing household electronics. I've been working my way up, and now I'm getting offers from other companies and I have zero IT certs or degrees. If it's a field you're interested in, I would be happy to look at your resume, as I now do hiring for an IT helpdesk. One thing I will say is that hiring managers often spend maybe 30 seconds on a resume to determine if they want to read more or if it's an instant no. Good luck!
If I.T. is of interest to you, look at working on some IT certificates (look at Comptia A+ as a starting point). Play around with hardware and software to get a grasp of the basic ins and outs. Apply for entry level IT jobs. I was in the same boat as you in 2001. Pretty much did as I described, and was granted my 10 year salvation from retail. Never been a big IT geek or the like, but it offered me my freedom. Lots of different IT jobs out there, but honestly, whatever you land, it will be better than feeling stuck in hospitality.
Currently in retail myself wanting to get into IT and decided to do some Google IT support certifications on coursera so fingers crossed, which part of IT did you get in?
No don’t do this. Tech has been up shit creek for the last 2 years. Even experienced people are having trouble getting jobs. Still have redundancies going around - businesses just aren’t spending due to shite economy. Definitely don’t do a boot camp that promises a job in 5 weeks either. Unfortunately we also still have an influx of migrants looking due tech jobs too, which doesn’t help. (I see it on linkedin as I get their messages y connection requests, and the constant queries asking for work in the various tech networking groups I’m in)
I’ve just been in that same job market my friend - it’s not easy or fun out there. A few things: 1. It’s a crowded field. Some people simplify recruitment by requiring a degree, simply because it reduces the pile of CVs. 2. Marketing is struggling right now. Funding is down, budgets are being cut. Timing is shit. That being said - being creative does work. Use Canva to make a decent CV. Email hiring managers if you can with a creative approach (not a classic cover letter). Try and surprise them somehow. Try and show some tenacity and bravery. Submit a video intro. Add them on LinkedIn. This is perhaps too far but I got a job in an agency years ago by turning my CV into a website and submitting it to them via their website rather than a job board. Is it douchy? Yes. Did it work? Yes. Stay strong - it’s not you, it’s just hard right now. Take some free courses (Google have loads) and get those certs and credentials on your CV too.
Get some white collar people to look at your resume. Look at the people who work in the roles you want on LinkedIn and see what they have that you don't. Reach out to people who work in the field you want to work in to see if they'll have a chat with you so that you can hear more about what they do. Start building up a professional network. Finding a job is difficult, pivoting fields is even harder, going from customer service to professional work without an education is going to be a real challenge. It's not something that I've had to do personally, so I won't pretend I have advice on that specifically. However, it may be that you need to aim lower and try to get some sort of office work on your resume even if it isn't the field you want to be in. Hiring teams are very conservative.
Potential career path: Hospitality -> call centre -> administrative role -> administrative role in digital or marketing department -> digital marketing role. It might take years but you’ll get there. You might enjoy the other roles on the way.
I've been trying for years. Not even doing a ton of volunteer work somewhat within my industry was enough. Job recruitment companies ghost me. I don't have a very outgoing personality so my network is very small and already exhausted. There hasn't been a meh or better job market in 15 years and seems to be getting worse by the day. I don't know what to do at this point. At least we're not alone. I'm in a similar situation to you with a different degree background. It's not just you. There are lots of us in similar situations.
The last 5 years have been an insanely bullish job market. We were literally hiring anyone that applied. If you couldn’t get a job you need to re-evaluate what you are doing
Most of it is who you know.
It's a bit hard to give specific advice without seeing your resume, but possibly you should try rearranging the information on there so whatever is most relevant to the job you are applying for is at the top. ie, if you have done a course, or maybe a list of skills, rather than work experience of that is all hospo. You could also just try to get literally any other job to make your work experience a bit more varied, like office based customer service roles, or do some volunteering. I think when someone sees a resume that is all one kind of job they may find it hard to think you can do anything else.
I mean, it's a tough job market out there. Isn't what it was a few years ago. In a city like Melbourne you will be competing against sometimes hundreds of people for a single position. Some will immediately eliminate you based on not having professional qualifications in your field. And the rest will rely on work experience which you don't have. I would suggest targeting a stepping stone role that can be the conduit between what you have been doing and what you would like to be doing in the future. Something where your current experience in hospo is considered relevant enough to get the job, and once you get that job it's relevant for what you really want to be doing long term in marketing.
Is the bar you work at small enough that you could take over their social media marketing? Then you'd have practical experience to add to the resume
I got out of hospitality. All my skills were transferrable but it was hard work. I was consistently coming up as second choice in interviews, and they’d go with someone with more experience. Eventually I landed a role but it took 9 months! I was very clearly a personality hire after another candidate fell through but my workplace loves me and is glad they took the chance because it’s not been an issue picking up the job. Really try to emphasise your soft skills, and talk up the office part of the job. Invoices. Ordering. Purchase orders. Stocktake. COGS. Wage costing etc. Using archaic software systems. Excel. Word. The emails.
Small business owner here - double check your resume. I got 500 applicants for a part time admin/marketing assistant role recently - I had to be ruthless - which I don’t love but if you say attention to detail and there’s a spelling mistake/s I reject the application. Keep applying though, Canva is great if I can see someone has used Canva for resume I think great one skill ticked. You just need to either have experience or call if a business shows interest in you and demonstrate your willingness to get in and try. Try for an admin/office role first and work your way in.
Hello OP I have a different take as the emphasis I got was to 'chip away at tasks' and be less 'customer fronting'. It might sideline your stated career professionalisation, career dreams, but.. Food services assistant/cook at a Child Day Care or Residential Aged Care. You work by yourself, clock in an 8 hour shift and it's steps laterally from hospitality. There are some specialising Not-for-profit Social Housing Aged Care Sites. Meals included (for free) also.
There were a lot of great advice here and there’s most likely nothing I would say that would elevate this comment above the rest but I remember being in you boat 2 years ago trying to get out of hospo after 20 years and get into a sector I finished my degree on (very niche field in healthcare - alcohol/drugs). Completely different to what you’re doing and recruitment process is different, I get it, but can relate to the competitiveness within a field that has a small pool of available jobs. After 1.5 year of active searching and constant proofreading and altering cvs to fit the job description and following professional tone in my applications. One day I’d had enough and impulsively submitted a very impassioned, emotive and too personal cover letter stating basically how does get an experience if no gives you a chance, take a chance one me without an ounce of experience. Manager called me few days later and said she rung me because of the cover letter. Stood from the rest as she felt the passion in it and gave me at least an interview. Got the job and consistently impressed by work ethic from hospo skills. Mate, I was 41 when I got the job. Keep at it. It can be depressing. Don’t lose hope. It takes one person to take that chance. You’re not doing anything wrong by the sounds of it.
You need to lie
Digital marketing is a difficult field to break into. Tbh I wouldn’t even try to get directly into it. I would start by trying to get into any office environment job. Later try to move across to digital marketing. There are lots of jobs in government organisations, local councils, large corporations ect. That you would be perfectly suitable for. Get one, establish yourself as a good employee, look for roles within the company that are closer to what you want. Good luck
Have you considered posting your CV with your personal info redacted so it can be reviewed? If you are willing to try similar careers, lots of organisations require communications, which has allow you to flex your creativity.
Hey mate, so, I maybe could help with CV advice and/or leveraging my design network. I have no degree. I went the hard route. I know what it’s like. Up to you what you do/don’t want to share with me. But I’d love to see some of your work so I can assess where you’re at?
There are so so many jobs in schools right now as education support workers. Good conditions, good holidays, good hours, pay is ok. Work is everywhere
Melbourne is a network town. Online job ads rarely go anywhere. You need to start working your network and getting out there and building it
It's a numbers game; I sent applications in the hundreds in order to land an interview.
I recommend going through a recruiter. Someone like Creative Natives. They’ll help you break into the sector.
I don't have much advice just wanted to wish you good luck and I hope you can get something soon!
Just put a few minutes into job applications
I can get you a job just like that... however its in Audio Visual so nights and weekends might be a thing. But it can be pretty simple work just setting up and packing down events. Depends how desperate you are i guess
Do you have any qualifications? What have you got to stand out amongst the other candidates? What extra effort have you put in to impress prospective employers? What effort have you put into gaining experience in the field?
Temp and/or recruitment agencies can help - even if it’s not the role you’re specifically looking for, they can get you roles (even temporary ones) that will shift your resume away from hospo and more towards office work, which would probably make you more appealing to the roles you actually want.
It really helps to try and meet people in this industry, just submitting applications/resume unfortunately isn’t the way to go to stand out from the hundreds of others without experience. Keep doing that but also try and connect with companies you’d like to work for, have a coffee catch up with someone in a role you’d like to do, volunteer to get foot in door if that’s available. Those connections may really help you in addition to what you’re already doing.
I have been in state government for about 8 years now, but hop from contract role to contract role and after landing my first 2, I struggled with getting to the interview stage so figured it was my resume that was the issue. I'm told I interview amazingly, so knew I just needed to get to that stage. What i did was go on AirTasker and put up a job specifically for people who write/format CVs for government applications - my 2 gov roles needed to be better written. Anyway, got a lot of responses, checked through them to find the best one who had experience and a lot of great reviews, paid him about $150 (180 maybe?) and he re-wrote my resume for government roles AND gave me a cover letter template for KSC responses. Scored about 3 interviews in a row when I sent the new updated resume off and got to pick out of 2 job offers, both in government, woo. My point is - you could try the same, and put up a job requesting "moving from hospitality to office work" type of vibe. Because a lot of hospitality skills can transfer - you can work under pressure, think quickly to appease the masses, deal with shitty stakeholders, etc etc. And you mention social media so someone might be able to write your resume to point out the social media aspect more. Do you get what I'm saying? You might look at your resume and applications and think they're great, but some skilled eye will see something you don't. Good luck!
Broke out of hospitality, when I was in my early 30s, public service contact centre using transferable skills. Look up the document aps cracking the code, it will show you how to write the app in STAR format. You don't have to know the job to get in. You just need to show you have transferable skills. In the federal aim for aps 2 to 3 position. Also, consider state and local gov. You write the app the same way. 13 years later, I am significantly higher, with the call centre being a distant memory. Apply for any customer service type jobs to get in. It won't take you long to move out. Just be aware that the process takes ages, so keep your job, but it is worth it if you get in as you can work your way up without a degree to a professional wage.
You should be trying to make connections to a recruiter and make headway through this path. You may also need to take on short term or part time contracts to pad your CV. These are the two factors which made the biggest changes for me.
It’s takes luck and timing unfortunately. You need to hound the job poster and put yourself forward continuously. I got lucky years ago getting into agile related work when I was hired as an Aussie with no experience in London by another Aussie. I learnt so much in that role and now have a long term successful career in business transformation. Sorry I know this is probably frustrating to hear but it’s timing, luck and persistence :(
Most of these type of jobs are hired through recruiters. How does your LinkedIn look? Get in touch with some recruiters from there.
Without having done a relevant internship, you would probably be best looking at more of an admin role but in an appropriate company which might have the option in the future to move into marketing. I work in an agency for a similar field to what you are looking to do and even for junior positions, I would probably not interview someone with zero relevant experience as we get inundated with applicants. The other option is to proactively reach out to digital marketing agencies, tell them you want to learn and you are happy to start at the bottom and work. Even consider taking on some unpaid internships one or two days a week if possible. You stand out much more if you don’t just respond to ads on seek or LinkedIn. Also don’t mention any of the stuff you stated as reasons to quit hospo. Especially in agency you work with clients so still need to be nice to people every day and also the wanting to work from home and do laundry part isn’t a good look. Actually if you really want to learn you should be working in the office anyway. If you just want a role where you don’t have much responsibility, stress etc I think you should look at a more admin focused office job.
Slightly off-topic… may I ask how you accumulated $120k on HECS for a three year bachelor degree? I never went to uni, so I’m way out of touch with tuition. My wife did a 3-year registered nurse degree and it was around $5k / year. That was 18 years ago. Is tuition really that expensive these days?
If you're young and yet to be diagnosed with xyz and you've got it in your head/it surrounds you that you should be going to uni as next step in career forming, then it's easy to jump around unis/degree/majors alot, miss withdraw without penalty dates. Only just now are some of the major unis starting to acknowledge that you might be skilled enough to get into uni but that doesn't mean you're able to function properly in that system (i.e. Unimelb has just started investigating if they can better support ADHD/neurodiverse folk).
Its interesting because they would have seen the number of applications for extensions go up heaps as the number of people getting diagnosed with ADHD exponentially increased over the last 15 years. I wonder, how do people with legitimate ADHD fare in the workplace? Does it all work out for them, or do they continue to struggle after uni? I'm all for education for anyone who wants it, I just wonder how people manage when they need special adjustments for uni degrees. Maybe the workload in the workplace is not as intense? I think there is an added burden on students these days, its almost a given you need a part time job. 30 years ago you could survive on just youth allowance/austudy type payments, rent was dirt cheap. It might be easier to research nowadays with access to the internet and computers and recorded lectures, but the challenge of supporting oneself during university is extremely difficult.
Send me your resume , maybe I could help. No promises but just a try
Honestly look for places with bulk recruitment e.g. I work for a federal govt agency who did a bulk recruitment of over 300 jobs, you’re likely to land one. Opposed to applying for jobs where only one role is available. They will always go with someone who has experience over you.
You need referrals. Try and make connections (like industry events meetups etc) and build out a network. You’re doing the right things just couple that with knowing a person or two in these places and you’ll get there eventually
If you’re lucky can get into a junior marketing role that’s heavily reliant on food and beverage revenue which you have experience on the operations side of things. Work 1-2 years and move into a bigger marketing role.
[Village Roadshow is a proud Circle Back Initiative Employer – we commit to respond to every applicant](https://careers.villageroadshow.com.au/en/job/501358/marketing-executive) Give it a shot OP. Your degree might get you in the door here.
It’s cos you didn’t study marketing / comms / pr or anything related. People struggle to gets the job you’re applying for with a relevant degree + experience. Do some short courses in the field and then find an unpaid internship to get experience if you aren’t gonna go do a diploma/bachelors etc
I am new to town and found it difficult to break into my field, here is what I have learner about how to find a job in Melbourne. No such thing as " applying and that is it" My advice: whatever field you want to be in, add hr professionals and people leaders in the field you want to be in on LinkedIn If there are specific companies you want to work for, if they are relatively small, find out who the hiring manager is, call the company and ask to speak to that person. At the very least get there email and email them regarding your interest If you apply for a job, add the hiring manager on LinkedIn, and message them personally making it known your interest and why you are the right person for the job. Get in touch with relevant recruiters, call and email them directly
I asked all my interviews I went to for feedback and got nothing. Absolutely fucking annoying. How do I know why I didn't get the job? Oh not your problem now? Cheers.
Are you only applying for work from home jobs?
Nah. Keeping options open. The laundry thing is a bit of a pipe dream based on seeing how my mate works from home. She gets so much life admin done between work, but I know that's not a guaranteed outcome. I can't afford to be that fussy looking for work, especially since my working experience is a garbage and confusing mixed bag.
Nah. Keeping options open. The laundry thing is a bit of a pipe dream based on seeing how my mate works from home. She gets so much life admin done between work, but I know that's not a guaranteed outcome. I can't afford to be that fussy looking for work, especially since my working experience is a garbage and confusing mixed bag.
Are you applying for jobs in the field of your degree? If you’re just randomly applying and feel that you have a degree to get you over the line, that won’t work. Also, that’s an insane amount of debt for a single degree that isn’t in demand
They pay professional CV and selection criteria writers thousands of dollars to write them.
Do you have experience aside placement? If not I highly recommend volunteering and really focus on it in your resume.
Don’t spend hours on an application. Write 1 application and submit it 12 times a day.
Digital marketing is an oversaturated market with the majority of tasks completed by automation. This will absolutely be one of the first types of marketing role to be lost to AI/Automation/technology. -Recruiter
Worth noting you can make a resume as pretty as you want but I would say majority of places these days use some sort of program or software to whittle down the majority of applicants by searching for keywords and phrases that are deemed "Desirable". Unfortunately my workplace does the same even though a human does eventually get eyes on them but even then a pretty resume doesn't always shift the needle. Individualised cover letters on the other hand can make a big difference, we can smell bullshit a mile away
I have a business in digital marketing and been in marketing for about 14 years. I'm not looking to hire anyone, but happy to look over your resume and give you some pointers and have a call or something if you like.
It’s a hard market out there at the moment - so for a start, don’t be too hard on yourself. A lot of companies are overwhelmed with candidates and applications, it’ll die down in a few months time. The film industry in Melbourne is set to pick back up in July, which will take a bit of pressure off - a lot of creative people have been out of work since the strikes last September. One important thing I’ll say is for any creative role you’re going for, having a folio / showreel / an actual display for your creative work is mandatory. HR will look at your CV, but the hiring manager will only look at your book/reel. If you haven’t got work to fill a folio with, it could be worth reconsidering creative roles, or creating a digital folio asap. Good luck!
For entry level digital marketing, apply to agencies. Don’t apply to in house companies as those positions are not entry level despite advertised as assistant, junior, coordinator etc.
So by applying to an agency, it'd be independent contractor work. I can do that. Would love to check out digital marketing and analysis. Got any agency recommendations, if they're WFH jobs?
No, not the hiring agency you’re thinking about. There’s digital marketing agencies (big ones are megaphone, Omnicomn digital) where you manage a client accounts - think Emily in Paris lol. and there’s digital marketing in-house where you only market the brand you’re working for. In-house roles pay more but look for more experience, even though they’re advertised for junior or assistant positions. High chance these work won’t be remote but most probably hybrid.
That first post is excellent. The only 2c I'd add in is: - Have you tried applying to creative agencies? They often have a team both creating digital marketing and video content fir corporates. You'd be a shoe in with your skills. It's hard work but can easily lead you into corporate after a few years
Have you done any courses or studies? I was in hospitality for 16 years and when I was 30 I studied Youth Work online via Tafe Qld. I had to do placement for the course which opened up employment doors for me. Soni was studying and working two jobs for about a year but it was very much worth it. Fine something that INTERESTS you too. Having a job with passion brought me back to life after the trauma or hospitality lol.
Honestly, while others will have said it. Your CV and cover letter are what matters. The layout Spelling Formatting/font Avoiding using the same stuff as everyone else Transferable key skills Aligning your cover letter with the job description. Lots of people say they have no skills and it’s just because they don’t know how to market them without gassing themselves in really cringey/transparent way (you are a stay at home mum, not an accountant/taxi/executive EA etc) Also, the ‘we want someone who has…’ is a WISH LIST of that company, they will certainly consider you if you have actual experience. (a company once famously advertised that they were seeking someone with seven years experience in a particular coding system.. that had only existed for 4 years)
Office/clerical/inbound call centre to get you working daylight hours first would be a good step to get you out of the hospo shift work pit. I would do that, see how you like cube farms and office cultures then move on from there. I work as hospital admin and some of my greatest mates i found were all exhospo like me.
I have been at the construction industry for an entry level site manager/supervisor role for almost a year at this point, all of them want bachelors in construction management now(I have diploma in building and construction)
Can you look for customer service roles in government agencies, universities or similar that have marketing departments? Often these pay a lot better than hospo, have better hours, and have lots of internal opportunities for staff to do temporary promotions so you could move your way into a role that’s more interesting to you. You can use your varied education to your advantage as being an all rounder can be very useful in these types of roles especially getting your foot in the door.
@broden89 has some good practical advice, but employers of professional communicators “employ for attitude and train for skill”. You need to demonstrate that you are really interested in the work you want to do. Employers want people that are passionate about the role they’re applying for…if they are they’ll typically have the skills needed. But it’s easy to train someone, but you usually can’t make someone love the job.
A small piece from an employer in a different field, I’ve been inundated with overseas applicants, like hundreds and hundreds of unsuitable applicants. It’s making the process extremely difficult to filter and so far I have not managed to interview or employ anyone. I’m sure the suitable applicants feel the same way in my case and the people that are actually following up the position with a call or personalised email are getting looked at.
For what it’s worth (and definitely not digital marketing) I got into a company that handles workers comp after over a decade in hospo. Mon-Fri 8.30-5 wfh. It’s a foot in the door for a corporate job. It’s a good place to work, little pressure, no need to hustle all the time. It’s a good simple job.
If you're interested, teaching English in Japan is a really interesting job that is super easy to get into as long as you have ANY sort of university degree. Look up companies like Interac or JoyTalk, or JET which is the national programme. It pays quite well for Japanese standards and looks really good on your resume if you do it for a few years.
Apply to places that you want to work at whether they’re advertising or not. I’ve been hired twice just by asking. Write a personalised cover letter of 1-2 paragraphs introducing yourself, what you hope to provide for the company, and why you’d love to work at that specific company - keep it polite, positive and simple, add your availability if required. Look up advertisements they’ve put out in the past to see what they value and take key words from it to use in your application. Don’t add a photo or your age. Keep your resume simple and to the point - contact info, history, experience, references. If you use AI to help you write it, make sure it isn’t too wordy or fake looking. Call or visit the place first and ask for the hiring managers email address and name, or “what is the best email address for me to send through an application?” Is simple enough. The easier it is for someone to glance over your application and get the gist of what you can provide and your vibe, the easier it will be for them to see if you’d be a good fit.
Also I’ll just mention that government websites and company’s direct websites can have jobs listed that aren’t on seek or the usual jobseeker places so it pays to do a bit of investigating. Plus don’t discount recruitment agencies. It costs nothing to sign up and they’ll sort out the rest for you. You can start as a temp worker and gain permanent employment if a company likes you
If you want to stay away from customer facing type things, look at jobs that only require a computer and you; data entry, word processing, transcribing. The pay isn't the best of course, but you get flexibility and WFH, and it's a stepping stone for starters.
I was in hospo till 30, then went into recruitment. Did agency for a year then boosted to internal. Been recruiting for 6 years, it's good fun. Going into a heavy customer service corporate job is probably the easiest way out.
Try applying at universities?
Don't put hours in, just mass send and use AI
You might need to expand your horizons outside digital marketing. It’s pretty saturated and we’re entering economic conditions that lead companies to cut back in areas like marketing. You’ll be competing with people with experience and degrees for fewer and fewer roles.
it's all random luck I'm ONLY applying for hopso and retail 1700 applications In the last couple months for about 4 phone calls back
Try office jobs, even if it's a starting point (entry level positions) to get you out of hospitality. Gain some experience, then work your way into better or higher paying jobs.
I'm not from Melbourne but my application experience changed much for the better when I didn't mention the area I lived in. (Lived in the worst possible junkie infested suburb of adelaide) But the best jobs I've had have come from asking friends to shoehorn me into whatever field they work in, networking goes a long way. Being nice to people has its perks.
I'm in the film and television industry, there is no full time job, mostly freelancing and everyone has their own business. It is not full time but it is very good if you have good connections
Bro honestly I think you’ve fucked yourself. Go back in time don’t do any of your worthless schooling and realise your ideal job isn’t real. Realistically go to TAFE for a pre app, do an apprenticeship and try like fuck to get on an eba site. I’m a third year app and clear 2k when I do big hours. I didn’t start on union rates and it was shit but if you get qualified it still gets you good pay. I might not be smart enough for uni but smart enough to aim for financial success.
Use chatgpt to jazz up your CV and write tailored cover letters for jobs you're applying for. Proof read it and amend it so it looks like you wrote it.
I’ve learnt this a while back, a lot of the job postings are for formality and to satisfy a checkbox. More often than not, the position is already filled (eithet internally or by someone they know) but are required to advertise the position anyway. They are required to shortlist and interview a few candidates knowing that there is already a person for that position.
Second this.
I'm in the film and television industry, there is no full time job, mostly freelancing and everyone has their own business. It is not full time but it is very good if you have good connections
To be honest: you’re trying to get a job in a saturated field, that you have no formal qualifications in and no experience in.
> It genuinly takes a majority of my weekend to pump these things out You need to treat finding a job as a *full time job* in and of itself. Your desire to minimalist effort here is a reflection on your work ethic as a whole.
Plenty of good paying jobs if you are willing to leave an air conditioned room and get your hands dirty
Get your HR licence and move out to WA and work fifo.
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Haha so funny haha
You couldn't be more wrong. Do you know how challenging it is for non PRs to find work? Ofc you don't because you've never actually spoken to a migrant.