Melbourne jobs: Where to find employment after coronavirus lockdown

Lost your job because of the coronavirus? We spoke to a Melbourne careers expert and heard from people who lost their jobs but found a way to get back on their feet. Here’s what they said.

While some industries have taken a hit other Melbourne job sectors are booming.

Finding a new job is tough, but in the midst of a pandemic — or immediately following — it can seem nigh on impossible.

Melbourne career coach Leah Lambart said her business, Relaunch Me, had been inundated by calls from newly unemployed Melburnians seeking advice on how to jump back into the job market.

Retail, hospitality, travel and related industries had taken a hit in 2020, she said, but other sectors were booming.

While some industries had all but disappeared, she said that didn’t mean work opportunities didn’t exist.

“There’s so many people out there who don’t know where to start,” Ms Lambart said.

“There’s still a lot of recruiting in health care, government, not for profit.”

Networking was key to landing a new job and she warned against spamming recruiters with hundreds of generic job applications.

Less was more seemed to be a good rule of thumb, and she said it was far better to spend time tailoring an application to suit a job listing than to flood recruiters’ inboxes.

“I’ve seen some resumes recently that would never get a an interview in this market,” Ms Lambart said.

“Use the same key words and language they use in their job ad.”

Ms Lambart also warned against jumping straight into a new degree.

People could save themselves time and money by trying a short course first to see if their new chosen career was something they were interested in, she said.

RMIT Online had some great short course options, she said, while Udemy Inc was a valuable online learning tool.

Updating resumes, LinkedIn and other social media profiles was also important so they looked professional and had up to date information about skills and professional achievements, Ms Lambart said.

Foodbank has partnered with the State Government on its Working for Victoria program, which aims to help people find employment during the coronavirus crisis.

Job placements are available with not-for-profits, the public service and private companies.

Chief executive Dave McNamara said thousands of Victorians needed support during the pandemic and the charity sector was a great place to look for a job.

“I think there’s probably never been a time when society needed the charity sector more,” Mr McNamara said.

Foodbank lost most of its volunteer staff when the pandemic struck, but he said up to 60 paid positions were made available, he said.

So far their new recruits had came from a variety of professional and unskilled backgrounds and now found themselves working in positions ranging from warehousing and forklift driving to logistics and inventory control.

Some new employees told him they loved the work so much they wanted to stay on full time after the coronavirus died down, Mr McNamara said.

“I think the great thing is the sense of satisfaction these guys are feeling.

“They’re really feeling fulfilled in playing such a critical role at a critical time for the state.”

Melburnians: Working for Victoria

Nick Hilliard

Operations manager Nick Hilliard got a job with SecondBite after the pandemic hit.

Age: 37

Suburb: Wallan

Occupation: Operations manager

Laid off in March, Nick Hilliard, 37, of Wallan was working as an operations manager at a wholesale company prior to the pandemic.

His partner, a travel professional, also lost her job, and he said their financial situation was looking dire.

“My partner is working in a very limited capacity now, and I was going to lose a substantial amount if I couldn’t secure a job and secure it quickly. It was going to mean significant long-term financial hardship for us,” he said.

Mr Hilliard said he hit the phones and started networking.

He also registered with the Sidekicker app and eventually got a job through Working for Victoria after five weeks of unemployment.

Mr Hilliard now works as a logistics co-ordinator with SecondBite, a charity that rescues and redistributes fresh food to the community.

“I feel very lucky. I’m genuinely grateful for the way things have panned out,” Mr Hilliard said.

Lucy Pellegrino

University student Lucy Pellegrino said she was grateful to start a temporary cleaning job with Spotless when work at her usual job dried up.

Age: 26

Suburb: St Kilda

Occupation: Student / duty manager

St Kilda’s Lucy Pellegrino was studying teaching and working as a duty manager at a sport facility when the coronavirus hit.

Victoria’s lockdown restrictions meant gyms and aquatic centres were forced to close and she had to find a new way to earn money, she said.

Ms Pellegrino said her situation was made more difficult because she wasn’t eligible for JobKeeper or JobSeeker relief payments.

But in April she said she found a job as a team leader with Spotless and began working with a cleaning crew to keep public spaces safe and sterilised.

The job was handy because it worked around her study commitments, she said.

And while she’d since regained her hours back with her usual employer and no longer worked with Spotless, she said the temporary income when she needed it was invaluable.

“A lot of people were put out of work and my shifts dropped dramatically,” Ms Pellegrino said.

“I was still working about one shift a fortnight in my substantive job, but the hours had dropped to the point where it wasn’t sustainable to support myself.

“It’s a huge benefit, I think, and everyone (at Spotless) is very grateful for the opportunity.”

Adam Trombino

Adam Trombino’s dad died at about the same time Adam lost his job.

Age: 19

Suburb: Melbourne

Occupation: Student/ contractor

RMIT business management student Adam Trombino, 19, was working as a contractor at Melbourne Airport when he lost his job.

Sadly, he said his dad died at about the same time.

With pressure mounting to find a new job but to also be there for his family to provide emotional support, Mr Trombino said he was lucky to find work with Miepol, a civil construction and maintenance company.

The role enabled him to learn new skills, he said, and since starting with the company he’d tried his hand at everything from customer service to hands-on infrastructure work.

Mr Trombino now works 20 hour weeks to fit around his family and study commitments, and he said he was looking forward to building a career with the company.

“My long-term goal would be to obtain a position in management where I am able to oversee the operation and come up with new strategies to improve certain practices” Mr Trombino said.

David Gordon

David Gordon, 51, has low vision and was working as a pricing analyst for Jetstar when the coronavirus hit.

Age: 51

Suburb: Brunswick

Occupation: Pricing analyst

David Gordon was working as a pricing analyst with Jestar when he lost his job at the start of the coronavirus crisis.

Mr Gordon, who has low vision due to genetic condition, said he’d been in his role for seven years but suddenly found himself out of work after a 25-year career in the travel industry.

“To begin with, I was looking for an analytical role but later in my search I was looking for anything. I began to lose confidence and my self-doubt grew. Sometimes we’re our own worst enemy,” Mr Gordon said.

“I had been looking for work for around two and a half months and had applied for about a dozen jobs a week.”

After 10 weeks of looking for work, Mr Gordon finally found a job working with the Brotherhood of St Laurence as a data reporting analyst.

He said the job had not only helped pay his bills, but it had also helped improve his sense of wellbeing.

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