So I have spoken to many of you from this forum and have found a common theme when it comes to the first job search in Australia, a bit lack of research and confusion on what may be required. I have listed a few questions below that you can ask yourself in preparing for the job hunt. These questions will also help you to have a more productive conversation when you approach an experienced engineer for advice.

1. Do I have a professional CV matching the job description and the keywords in the job ad?

2. Is my LinkedIn updated and has a professional headshot? Have I watched tips on YouTube about LinkedIn profile optimisation.

3. Is my email address in the CV a professional-sounding one? not like

4. Have I checked my CV through my university professional career services or from an experienced person working in Australia?

5. Do I know how to use ChatGPT to enhance my CV as per the job description or have I watched videos related to utilising ChatGPT in enhancing my CV?

6. Can I name five Tier 1/2 Civil Contractors in Australia?

7. Can I name five Tier 1/2 Consulting companies in Australia?

8. Can I name five Utility Service Provider companies in Victoria for water, electricity or gas and their area of operation?

9. Do I know about five regional local government councils in Victoria and researched their website?

10. Do I know about five outer Melbourne local government councils and researched their website?

11. Have I setup job job-specific alerts in Seek, LinkedIn or career.vic websites to send me alerts when a job suited to me is advertised?

12. Have I signed up for Grad connection website if looking for Grad roles ?

13. Have I signed up for free City of Melbourne library service and used Lynda.com (LinkedIn Learning) through it to upskill myself?

14. Do I know about Novo resume or Teal resume builder?

15. Do I know about organisations that I can volunteer in Victoria like Salvos, Vinnies, Meals on Wheels or Rotary?