Break the re-cycle

[Badshah Mamun]

Break the re-cycle

By Kath Lockett

If reapplying for your job seems like Groundhog Day, try Kath Lockett's tips to keep you sane.

Have you ever had to apply for the job you thought you already had?

With many businesses merging and government departments being restructured, employees find they have to prove to their bosses again why they deserve a place in the new organisation, which creates a great deal of stress, especially if the process is drawn out.

The Australian Public Service report State of the Service found 18 per cent of selection exercises took more than four months and "the best applicants may reject job offers or take up other job offers if the process takes too long".

Alex*, an IT specialist, knows this too well. "I was employed contract-by-contract for four years before our unit underwent a complete review," he says.

"It was difficult enough having external consultants wanting to know every little thing we did but when we had to reapply for our jobs at the end of it, many people didn't cope very well."

He recalls that the application process took six months and "half of the staff had already gone, having found positions outside the department. We lost a lot of really good, skilled people.

"Next time I'll either get out or be part of the group that decides the new structure."

Alex isn't alone with this view. The report states 41 per cent of staff find the recruitment process "overly demanding" and only 35 per cent have a positive impression afterwards.

Cate* is a medical adviser in a state government agency who has endured three restructures in seven years and had to reapply for her job every time.

"Even though the selection committee 'knew me', I still applied for my position as though I was a complete stranger," she says.

University workers also face the joys of having to reapply for their jobs. The policy and research co-ordinator for the National Tertiary Education Union, Paul Kniest, paints a grim picture:

"The use of casual staff and staff on fixed-term contracts is becoming increasingly common. Almost one-third of university staff are employed on short-term contracts and another 15 per cent as casuals."

With lack of job security, career structure or access to the 17 per cent UniSuper employer contribution, many discouraged staff eventually leave.

Greg* worked as a lecturer and tutor. It was a contract position and as a father of young children and sole breadwinner he resigned for a permanent role in school teaching. Then he found his old position was being advertised as permanent.

"My supervisor told the head of the department that they should offer it to me as a permanent position," he says. "Instead they only offered a contract until the end of the year.

I accepted it in good faith but when they advertised the position as a permanent one the year after, I applied but did not even get an interview."

So how do you prepare for the rigmaroles of reapplying?

Keep your CV up to date

This is your most important document. Keep it updated so that it's ready to go without delay. A psychologist with Innovative People Solutions, Mark Gallagher, says: "Remember that a CV is usually used to rule you out of a job, not to get you a job." Make a habit of reviewing yours monthly.

Stay informed

Learn what you can about the objectives of the restructure and the likely focus of the new organisation. Offer to participate; this will put you with the key players of the organisation and show them how you can fit in with new opportunities and positions.

Research the process

Find out about the dreaded selection criteria. One or two clearly written paragraphs is usually sufficient and the Australian Public Service Commission's information paper Cracking the Code: How to Apply for Jobs in the Australian Public Service provides hints for writing a good application.

Cate agrees that responding to selection criteria is time-consuming. "The first time is the worst,"she says. "I save the standard criterion and often base my new applications on them because the qualities needed are often very similar, so why write everything from scratch?"

Look further afield

If your CV is updated, don't restrict your job searching to your current role. Restructures can be the impetus needed to step out and find something better.

Source: http://content.mycareer.com.au/advice-research/search/break-the-recycle.aspx