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A calendar of AOD conferences. See the Education pages for formal study.
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A listing of local PD workshops and training.
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Activities to enhance your professional development.
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Employment
Job vacancies.
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Suggestions for self care.

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Employment

The Australian National Council on Drugs administers Jobs of Substance, the only jobsite dedicated to people working in the Australian health, community and welfare sectors. Employers can now advertise vacant positions to a targeted market, thanks to the cross-promotion with the Australian drug and alcohol sector's most widely read publication - Of Substance magazine.

General job postings can be found on sites like Seek, My Career and JobSearch.

Post a vacancy or advertise that you are looking for a job on Update the free AOD electronic bulletin board administered by the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia.

Applying for a job

Once you have found a possible new job you will need to think about the written application, the cover letter, your resume and then the interview.

When writing a job application it is important to obtain the selection criteria, duty statement and any other job related information available.  It's also a good idea to visit the organisation's website, read their annual report and even visit their office if appropriate (be sure to check with the contact officer first).  Job applications take a lot of time and work so if you have any questions about the position or you are trying to decide if its right for you ring and discuss with the contact officer.

Cover letter

Your cover letter should cover only one thing; the facts. Make it brief and to the point. The purpose of the cover letter generally is to demonstrate that you’re interested in the position, and that you are available to accept the position if offered. Additional information beyond this can be counterproductive as it dilutes the core purpose of the cover letter and resume.
Do not include details about why you want to leave your employer or why you don't have a job at present and try to avoid any discussion of money at this stage too.

Your letter should be to the point, with a good layout that is easy to read.  The prospective employer should be able to scan the text quickly.

Resume

MS Word has resume templates you can use or you could design one yourself.  Here are some top tips for your resume:

  • Be accurate and truthful - any detail could be checked and if incorrect lose you the job.
  • Ensure your resume is current, adding details whilst it is being read looks unprofessional and disorganised.
  • Keep your resume brief and to the point, not too long and make sure the layout includes white space to make it easy to read.
  • Have at least one other person proof read your resume to avoid spelling and grammatical errors and a colleague could remember items you have forgotten.
  • Regularly review your resume so that each job application doesn't require a major rewrite.

The interview

Remind yourself of the "public face" of the organisation you are applying for - take a look at their website at least.

  • Rehearse some answers to some standard opening questions - Tell me about yourself, what are your strengths and weaknesses, how would you respond to difficult situations, what is your management style.
  • Try not to comment too much on your previous employers, remember you still work there.

  • Obviously be mindful of your appearance, be on time, and think about any questions you might have for your potential employer.

More information
READ

Villiers, Ann D.  2011  How to write and talk to selection criteria : improving your chances of winning a job / Ann Villiers  Mental Nutrition, Hawker, A.C.T.  (Summary of this book)

LISTEN

Using the voice in job interviews. Interview with Michael Kelly, voice expert, Kelly Speech Communication.  Learn about the importance of your voice, how to have an authoritative voice, the importance of energy and getting to know your voice.

Job searching techniques for mature age workers. Interview with Dr Graham Jackson, a mature age worker. Learn about the strategies one person used to find full time paid work after an early retirement.

These sound tracks and other useful information are available from Mental Nutrition.

WATCH

We know networking is important but it doesn't come naturally to everyone.  Try these short videos for networking ideas to help you progress your career .

Networking basic - Careergo  Networking Tips - Networking Coach

 

Page last updated: 24 Oct 2011