A migrant’s first job in Australia: How to settle down

(Disclaimer: This article contains some general pieces of information only. I recommend where required you seek advice from your employer.)

Congratulations!

Congratulations on landing your first job! Well done, you deserve this job. Your hard work through a large number of job searches, researching jobs, preparatory activities and job interviews has finally paid off. With the delight of getting your first job, other questions pop up in your mind:

♦ What’s next?

♦ How am I going to settle into this job?

♦ I know little about how they work in this place. How shall I survive?

Relax. I am a migrant too, to this beautiful country and I have been through this. I struggled with many questions and that is why I want to share some pieces of information with you.

Let’s take this article as a conversation between you and me.

The first day

Arrive on time

Arrive on time. To ensure you arrive on time, get the address from the recruitment agency or whoever has confirmed your employment. Also get the name and contact details of the person who you should report to upon arrival. Once you have got the address check the transport website (if you take public transport) or just Google how long it will take you to reach work from your home. It is actually a good idea to trial a journey to your work before you start working. That way on the first day you do not have to suffer from the anxiety of whether you will arrive on time or whether you will be able to spot the location.

Make sure you leave home at a time so you are not late for work. Keep in mind the time they show on the transport websites is indicative only. It is better to arrive 30 minutes early rather than running late for 2 minutes. Not just on the first day, never ever arrive late. It may seriously impact your future at work. Of course, there can be natural disaster, disruptions in public transport, family members can be sick. In those cases keep your manager informed, give them a call. And remember, being late is just an exception. Do not be late on a regular basis.

Upon arrival ask for your relevant contact at the reception. Once the person (usually your manager / supervisor) receives you, smile, greet them and do a warm hand shake.

Orientation

Your manager / supervisor will give you a tour of your new work place and introduce you to your colleagues. It may not be possible to remember everyone’s name on the first day and that is fine. However, if you happen to see a person for the second time during your lunch break or tea break you can still talk to them and ask their name in a nice way. Just tell them that you are new to the workplace and trying to remember everyone’s name.

A notebook and a pen

This is a very important habit. Always carry a notebook and a pen as you may need to handle so much of information that the only way to avoid getting lost is taking notes. Another benefit of taking notes is you can refer to these later.

Also note down these numbers by checking with your manager / supervisor:

♦ Help desk: They will help you with the computers and other technologies that you will use at work.

♦ Human Resources (HR): They will advise you on all your entitlements as an employee, payroll, leave, grievances.

♦ Any other related business unit you may need to call frequently.

Payroll and taxation

♦ Hopefully by this time you have already opened a bank account, and got your Tax File Number (TFN) or applied for it. On the first day your manager / supervisor will give you forms to complete your bank account details so they can pay you. They will also give you a form to complete your TFN details. Complete these details accordingly. It is always a good habit to keep photocopies of all paper work you have completed and submitted. Sometimes they employer may request your bank account and TFN details even before you have started working.

From the second day onwards

Clean desk policy

If you follow this policy, your life will be so much easier and this will save you from so many potential troubles. Always keep the minimum amount of documents and materials required, and that too neat and tidy. Do not leave sensitive personal or client information on the desk. At the end of the day, make sure you have cleaned the desk and put all important / sensitive documents in a secured location. If unsure, check with your manager / supervisor or a senior colleague.

Most importantly, I will tell you what I once read in a book (I regret not being able to recall the name of the book): ‘A clean desk means you are methodical.’

Privacy and confidentiality

Your manager will explain these issues to you in details. But to put these in dummies terms:

♦ Do not discuss key business / client information in public or at home.

♦ Do not ask questions that may sound like too personal.

♦ Think it this way: will you be happy if you overhear someone talking about your personal life or how much money you have in your bank account?

Speak up in team meetings

Voice your opinions in team meetings. In certain cultures being silent may be recognised as a way of expressing your humility but here being can be interpreted negatively. Also if you are not sure of a policy, request for a clarification. Take notes where relevant.

Complete the eLearning activities on time

Most organisations these days use eLearning as a method to train their employees. Always complete these on time. In certain cases not completing these may impact your performance assessment negatively and, even worse, in many cases you may potentially breach compliance if you do not complete the eLearning activities on time.

Know your customers and stakeholders

This may take some time to know. The best action will be asking your manager / supervisor and make some notes. With time you will get better at it. Knowing your customers and stakeholders always makes your work easier.

Know the support points

Initially your manager may buddy you up with an experienced colleague so you get a feel of the job and after this they may put you to do the job under supervision. During these phases you will not have to worry about doing things correctly. The real challenge will appear when you start working on your own. To make sure you can face these challenges well, make sure you know if there:

♦  is an internal knowledge site that has information on all the company policies, processes and procedures.

♦  are training materials and cheat sheets that may help.

♦  are internal help lines who advise on critical issues.

Understand your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

You will be judged in your work against certain KPIs. When your manager explains these to you, listen carefully and take notes, wherever relevant. It may take some time for you to understand the KPIs, so it is a good idea to check with your manager at a later time. But make sure you ask the questions in a way that doesn’t make you look dumb. You can say, ’Because I am still new can I clarify my understanding of this KPI issue with you?’ That way you will create an impression that you take responsibility and you are serious about your work.

Participate in workplace activities

Your workplace may have activities such as quizzes or drinks on a Friday, fund raising for a good cause, going for a yoga session once a month, or volunteering to help a charity. Participate in these. This will add fun to your work plus help you in networking as well.

Your rights and responsibilities as an employee

Your manager will explain these to you. If you need more information, contact the HR team of your workplace, or look into the company intranet. Many workplaces have employees’ unions and their representatives may approach you. You can join them and your fee may be tax deductible.

Employee package benefits

Many organisations offer certain benefits for their employees, for example, discounts on:

♦ shopping.

♦ car loans and servicing.

♦ home loan interest rates.

♦ membership fees for gyms.

♦ fees for professional courses.

Check with your manager for details. It is a very god idea to take advantage of these benefits.

Check and retain the payslips

Check the payslips. Always. Because of a system error you may be under paid. The only way to check it is always note the number of hours you have worked and see if that has been reflected on your payslip. If not, speak to your manager to get it fixed.
Also never destroy payslips. You may need these for other purposes, for example:

♦ renting a place.

♦ applying for a loan.

Career progression

It is a natural human tendency to want to progress in your career. Unlike many cultures where people get promoted every few years and on the basis of how many years they have been in a job, Australian organisations follow a different path. You will not be promoted just because if you have been in a particular role for a certain number of years.

The best way is to start by talking to your manager about your career aspirations and how they can help you. In most cases, they will support you with a development plan and, in some cases (as it is very natural that not all managers are good managers), they may not want to help you at all.

If your manager does not want to help you, you can still work on achieving your desired job. This is where networking helps. There are many helpful talks on Youtube about how to network. Listen to those. One of my mentors once told me, ’Networking is like learning swimming. Just talk to people about themselves, how they do their job and then it will become a habit.’ See if there is another senior colleague who is willing to mentor you for your desired job.

Also use the right word. In my experience I have seen potential employees telling their manager that they want to ‘grow’ and the manager gets confused. In such cases use sentences like, ‘I want to progress in my career and would appreciate if you support me.’

Exhibit these behaviours constantly

♦ Acknowledge and smile: Courtesy costs nothing but wins everything. Always acknowledge clients and colleagues with a smile.

♦ Listen, ask and take notes:

◊ Listening is a very important habit. Listen carefully before you jump into asking a question. Wherever necessary take notes. Your manager may want you to do 5 things for the day. For a normal human being it is possible to forget most, if not all, of these tasks. So take notes. After taking notes, it is a good habit to clarify the points with your manager / supervisor.

 ◊ If you have to ask a question, don’t stop someone halfway through their speech. You can either raise your hand to show that you have a question or ask them at the end of their speech.

◊ When they start training you, take notes. Your colleagues and superiors will appreciate if you take notes. You can refer to your notes in future when needed. That way you can avoid interrupting a busy colleague for an answer to a question. Also it creates a good impression that you are serious about work.

♦ Respect the diversity: Australia respects the diversity of its people and has a very strong legal frame work to protect the diversity. The diversity can be of ethnic background, language, sexual choice, political beliefs, having and not having a religion, and of many other types. You may have a colleague who is gay or you may have a colleague who is an atheist, and you need to respect their choice. Australia is not a theocratic state and you are not required to conduct moral policing on anyone. At work place you are only to complete the jobs assigned to you.

♦ Be courteous and show decency: Common sense applies. Show courtesy to everyone. Be professional. One way of showing decency is not sharing jokes that may:

◊ sound vulgar

◊ indicates, directly or indirectly, a condescending attitude to certain groups of people

◊ get lost in translation.

♦ Keep networking: Just talk to everyone. Get to know them. Ask them what skills they use to do their job.

Have faith
Last but not the least, keep faith in yourself and take it easy.