Recruitment criteria in Australia

1. The level of English and communication skills

Fluency in English is a key selection criterion for Australian employers.

The IELTS is the reference test to attest to its level of English with recruiters (generic test module) and Australian institutions (academic module).

The IELTS evaluates four language skills: written expression, speaking, reading and listening. You can take this test in Pakistan and all over the world.  To be competitive on job postings in Australia, it is recommended to have a level corresponding to level 7 of the IELTS  In practice, getting this score requires two to six months of specific preparation on the basis of intermediate English.

 IMPORTANT! Employers often require "full professional capacity" in English. Practice your English as much as possible to be comfortable enough in the professional setting: writing mail, basic telephone conversation.

Description of English levels according to IELTS .Overall score out of 9 (IELTS)

9 -Expert  level

Complete operational mastery of the language. Your use of English is adequate, precise and fluent.

Full comprehension ability

8-Advanced  level

Complete operational mastery of the language, despite some misunderstandings in unknown situations,

Complex argumentation ability.

7-Confirmed level

(Minimum level recommended)

Operational mastery of the language, despite inaccuracies, misuse and misunderstandings in certain situations. Generally, you are handling a relatively complex language and understand the detailed reasoning.

6-Competent level

Effective mastery of the language; despite inaccuracies, misuse and misunderstanding You can use a relatively complex language, especially in familiar situations.

2. Qualifications / diploma and professional experience

These two recruitment criteria are essential, but they do not always have the same value from the point of view of the Australian recruiter. The importance of these criteria is reflected in the terms of reference of a job offer.

The terms "Junior" or "Senior" preceding a job title reflect, for example, the level of experience required by the recruiter.

·         A "Senior" position is only available to candidates with extensive professional experience.

·         For technical trades (apprenticeships, highly qualified professions): unsuitable or incomplete training is eliminatory.

·          For entry level jobs: training and academic experience are taken into account as well as professional experience. These different aspects make it possible to evaluate the overall employability of a candidate.

·         The higher the level of responsibility ("senior position") , the more the professional experience (scope, variety, achievements) is an important selection criterion

CV - "Concrete achievements" often make the difference

·         There is a big difference between having a solid professional experience and being able to present that experience in a suitable way.

·         Many candidates - despite their excellent profile - are stuck in the early stages of recruitment because they have not known:

o   present their academic / professional achievements,

o   adapt their application to the description of a job offer

o   Australian recruiters are particularly sensitive to the presentation of factual data in your career, especially if they echo the criteria of the job offer.

So you have to spend time to reformulate the contents of your CV to approach the criteria of the offer, describing the tasks leading to concrete results, and to highlight the key role that you held in success collective.

3. The "soft skills", so important in Australia

The "soft skills" means the skills and expertise relevant to personality traits useful in the professional world.

The "transferable skills" means the skills acquired over your professional or academic career and potentially "transferable" in a new position.

These two skill families are of great value in the Australian labor market as they reflect your ability to adapt to a new work environment. Among the "soft skills" and "transferable skills" particularly appreciated by Australian recruiters:

Communication The "queen" skill : Ability to understand and share information, both written and oral. It is imperative to develop this capacity in order to overcome the negative bias of recruiters towards non-native English speakers

Teamwork: ability to collaborate effectively with professionals of different levels of responsibility, especially in crisis or emergency situations.

Initiative: initiative taking and independent action capacity

Technology: mastery of modern communication tools and provisions for their learning

"Problem Solving: problem-solving skills mobilizing creativity (innovation), or using pragmatism and the formulation of hypotheses

Self-management: Ability to perform tasks autonomously (without direct supervision) by self-evaluation of progress

Planning: ability to foresee the necessary resources (time, human resources, budget) for the realization of a project

Learning: ability to develop personal and professional knowledge in the workplace and to share or transmit team expertise.