I know you don't believe me...

...but I'm still here. I think we have finally settled into or new digs here in Sydney. It's kind of nice to be back. There are a lot of advantages to living in a big city. At the same time there are drawbacks. I am trying to acclimate to the weather. I loathe hot weather when it includes high humidity. We of course have had nothing nut hot days with humidity in the 85% + range. I told myself if I can just get through the end of summer I will be just fine. Technically there are only have four more weeks of summer so I'll just see how I go. I mean I lived here for six years before we moved to Tassie so I know I can put up with the weather. Probably the other big difference is the amount of people and traffic. We moved from Sydney with over four million of people down to Tassie with only 500,000 for the entire island of which Hobart only had a little over 200,000 people. So getting used to the buzz of the big city will take some time especially seeing that one of the reasons we left Sydney in the first place was to get away from all of the hustle, bustle and noise.

I begun the job search in earnest up here and I hope I have a more positive experience than I had in Tasmania. I at least have more options and more job opportunities available which will hopefully make looking easier. All I can do is try and as the say in the lottery "you have to be in it to win it" and so I have to apply for things as they won't just come to me.

Anyway, there isn't much else to tell at the moment. As I said we have just now settled into our new but temporary living space. We started house hunting and plan on taking our time in order to get just the right place. We are grateful to have our current lodging which allows us to take said time so we won't feel so rushed and pressured to buy quickly. Now, don't get me wrong if the right place came along this afternoon we would definitely take it but I don't think it will be that easy. We shall see what comes our way. I hopefully will now pick up on my posting. As usually I am also always on over at Facebook if you want to keep up with me that way. Okay, until next time, take care and try to enjoy life and the world around you.

I'm exhausted...

This whole looking for work thing is exhausting. I'm literally worn out by the end of the day and all I'm doing is looking for jobs on the net and then when find one that i might have a chance at I then have to answer question that they call selection criteria. You have to answer the question and then send those in along with your cover letter and your resume or as we say here in the land down under your CV (Curriculum Vitae). Then you wait.

Let me give you and example of one of the questions. Bear in mind that sometimes they look more like a statement. Either way I have to tell them how I can do the things they are looking for based on my previous work experience. so here goes:

Communicating:

• High level of interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to communicate using a range of mediums and with a multi-cultural and socioeconomically diverse client base in a strongly customer focused environment.
• Ability to work cooperatively as a team member.
• Well developed conflict resolution skills.
• Ability to liaise and negotiate effectively in a tactful and diplomatic manner with other employees at all levels within the Council

Now that's all one topic and usually there at least five or six different topics that they want you to comment on. Anyway, up to this point over the past two weeks I have done six of theses things. I know that may not sound like a lot but believe me your mind turns to mush after working on this stuff for four hours straight. The nice thing about it is that the government pays me while I'm looking for work. It's like unemployment but unlike unemployment you can sign up anytime and all you have to do is prove that you have been looking for the jobs. They give you a book that you write down every job you apply for and even those that you just contact and then maybe you don't apply because you can't fulfill that company's selection criteria. All I know is I'm worn out but I know that it will be worth it in the end someone will find out that I'm that right person for the job and I'll discover that they are the tight job for me.

In the mean time just so i don't make this a boring post I will share some pictures took at a dear friends wedding two weeks ago. They had a professional photographer but I just wanted to see what I could do using my good camera. I took a total of 200 pictures of which I ended up with only 183 that I thought were good enough to give to the couple that got married. So have a look see at theses sweet wedding pictures. They were married at the beach and it was EXTREMELY wind but I think I did an okay job and who knows maybe this is what I should look to do for a living maybe after a lot more practice. Anyway Enjoy...

The groom (the blond) and the best man


The Bride


The Bride and Maid of Honour (not the best shot but I wanted to show one with the maid of honour)


The ceremony


The ceremony


One more of the ceremony. I know you're probably bored out of your minds by now but then again no one is twisting your arm and making you look at the photos.


Signing the marriage certificate


Cutting the cake (I suppose you can tell that yourself but I'm just trying to be helpful)


The first dance (Don't they look like the kind of like each other?)

Where am I? What day is this?

That's the way I feel right now. I don't know if I'm coming or going. You see dear readers I am looking for a job. In this current economic climate it's not easy, but none the less I will keep looking. I have two solid applications pending and I'm just waiting to hear if I've been shortlisted for the job. I have three more jobs that I'm applying for but I have to finish the selection criteria (see below for definition) for each of them.

There is is a difference here in the land down under compared to how I was used to looking for a job in the states. Generally in the states I sent my resume in with a cover letter and hoped they would give me an interview. Usually if there was an interview I would talk to someone in personnel and then if they liked me they would set up one or two more separate interviews and after all of that if they all liked me they would offer me a job. Here it's a bit different. Here not only do you send in a cover letter and you resume or as they tend to call it your CV (Curriculum Vitae) and then you also have to attach a copy of the selection criteria with your answers.

The selection criteria is a set questions and or statements pertaining to the skills that the employer wants you to possess and they want you to quantify not only that you have the skills but how you used the skills and if possible at which previous job. I'll give you a sample question/statement.

Ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise initiative, judgment and discretion and to work without direct supervision.

Now to that statement I would have to write no more and no less than a paragraph to explain how I am capable of doing this.

After I answer all of the selection criteria of which there are usually 5, 6, maybe more questions. I send that in as I mentioned along with my cover letter and a CV. After that I wait to see if I've been shortlisted (a short list of applicants that they want to actually interview) and if I have well then I get to have an interview, if not I get a nice polite thanks but no thanks letter. The interview process here for professional based jobs opposed to labour skilled jobs are different once again than what I'm used to in the states. Labour based jobs here consist of one or maybe two separate interviews with different individuals. Professional skilled jobs consist of one interview and a panel of at least two but usually three people from within the company. All of the interviewers have some direct knowledge or working experience of the job you are applying. Usually one of the people will be the person you will be reporting to if you get the job.

The interview process consist of a series of questions asked by the three panelists and each of them score your questions. A the end of the interview they say thank you and they will let me know in the next day or so rather or not they are going to offer me the job. Once I'm gone they all discuss me both on physical presentation and also the content of my answers. If they think I'm the one they then call my references and believe me the truly call all of your references, of which you have to have at least two and most times three. If that all pans out, they call me to offer me the job. Of course if any part of the interview process including the referee check does not pan out you get a thanks but no thanks letter.

So looking for work has been a huge learning curve for me but it is interesting. Now all I have to do is get an interview and then hopefully impress the interviewers with my knowledge, wit and overwhelming charm. Anyway that's what's going on here so the posts will be sporadic but I will do my best to, keep you updated. I'll be back, wish me luck.