3 months since moving to Brissy and no luck.
Hi all. A bit of a back story before I get into it.
My wife and I recently moved to Brisbane from NZ.
We're both 40, working professionals and owned our home mortgage free in NZ.
We were sick of the cold weather where we lived and decided to make a lifestyle change so we sold up everything we had and made the move over, now living up in the Mortan Bay area.
My wife found herself a job within the first 3 weeks we landed, and a very good one at that. Enough to support the both of us so I'm very grateful that we don't have to touch our savings.
But for myself, holy hell it's been a tough grind.
I worked in the aviation industry for 6+ years as a Airport Rescue Firefighter. I was a station officer who managed a team of 6, deputy chief and absolutely loved this role. I was sad to leave, but i knew warmer weather was on the horizon. Prior to this, I worked in the heavy manufacturing industry for 10years.
HR license, high reach forklifts, front end loaders, bobcats, you name it, I've probably operated it. Unfortunately the kiwi forklift licence isn't transferable to Aus so I haven't gone and paid to get that ticket just yet. To be honest I was hoping I wouldn't need to, but it looks like I won't have much of a choice.
I think I've lost count on the amount of applications I've sent off via seek and employer websites. Initially I was applying for positions that matched my previous salary or higher but I'm striking absolutely nothing. I have since lowered my expectations and have started applying for pretty much anything below what qualifications and skills i have.
I did manage to land one interview with Virgin Australia as a ground crew member but was unsuccessful in making it to the next round. Which if I'm being brutally honest, absolutely crushed me. Without trying to come off as condescending, I have many years of experience marshalling private jets, managing and dealing with multiple stakeholders in a airport environment. If I couldn't even land this entry level role there, where am I going wrong?
The constant rewriting of cover letters, tweaking my CV so it flags Ai filters has become exhauting. Getting a bit desperate at this stage and really finding it a challenge to keep the mental health in check. My wife tells me to just enjoy this period of transition but i just want to be a contributing individual again, at least for my own sanity. But seriously, I've never been unemployed for this long before. 😬
I'm very aware of the current political climate here and was apprehensive about writing my story because "bloody migrants" right? 😅...but I get it.
If anyone has some tips or can point me in a better direction than I'm already heading, It would be very much appreciated.
Thanks team.