Career Transformation in Sydney: How a Microbiologist Successfully Reinvented Her Professional Path

"Within Just 3 Weeks of Professional CV Optimization, Companies & Recruiters Started Reaching Out to Me"

Viviana, like many Latinos, traveled to Australia in 2017 in search of adventure and new opportunities.

After 3 years working in unskilled jobs, she decided to take the big step and leave her comfort zone to enter the professional job market in Australia.

How did she do it? Here, she shares her experience:

Figure Eight Pools in the Royal National Park, south of Sydney.

1. How long have you been living in Australia?

I arrived in Australia in April 2017 after living in New Zealand for a year. I came to study English.

2. What is your professional experience in your home country?

I have two professional degrees. I am a Bacteriologist and Industrial Microbiologist. I worked for 2.5 years as a microbiologist in Colombia.

After graduating, I started my professional career in quality control in the food industry. I truly enjoy working in this field.

I worked for well-known companies and laboratories in Colombia, such as "Kokoriko" and "Helados Popsy".

3. Did you have professional experience in Australia when you started your job search?

No, honestly, it took me a while to feel confident enough to look for a professional job. Even though I could manage with my English, I didn’t feel secure enough to hold a professional conversation, which delayed my job search process.

I didn’t feel confident enough to make the decision to find a professional job in Australia.

Find a mentor in your profession in our "Professionals Without Borders" (PWB) community.

However, I tried applying for a few jobs about 3 times, but I wasn’t successful.

Now I understand that my applications were incomplete and poorly focused. I wasn’t consistent in my search, and I simply sent out my resume without a clear plan or tailored approach to the positions I applied for.

Viviana meeting the kangaroos in Morisset Park, New South Wales, Australia

4. What services did you take with Ale Munoz, and how did they help you find a professional job in Australia?

I took two services:

First, the Professional CV to structure and adapt my resume to the local format.

 This service was initially recommended because my resume was very basic and didn’t meet the standards of the professional market in the city where I live.

I enjoyed and found the service so useful that I decided to complement it with the AVANZA, which covers all the aspects of the job search process including LinkedIn, salary negotiation and Mock interview.

The resume and CV are just a small part of looking for a job!

These services helped me structure my applications strategically. They taught me to approach my job search as a project that I needed to plan, measure, evaluate, and adjust.

They also gave me the tools to handle professional situations with confidence. For example, something as simple but useful as adding professional vocabulary to my English.

Additionally, I received personalized support throughout the process, which helped me build the self-confidence I needed to get to the interview stage.

5. Did you implement any strategies and step out of your comfort zone?

Yes, through LinkedIn, I started contacting recruiters, managers, and people in the field to introduce myself and ask if they knew of any hidden job opportunities.

In Australia, “networking” is key, and sometimes job offers aren’t published but are shared through referrals.

This approach felt uncomfortable and uncertain, but one of the recommendations in our sessions with Ale Munoz was to innovate. And honestly, it was worth it.

“Ale Munoz supported me throughout the process, reminding me that I am a professional with education and experience. That was one of the most valuable lessons I learned.”

In my case, the interviews I secured came from this approach. At one point, a company even considered creating a position for me after receiving my resume, something they hadn’t planned to do.

6. How long after taking the services did you start receiving calls from companies and recruiters?

The process was surprisingly fast. It’s important to mention that my commitment to the process was 200%, as recommended by Ale Munoz

Only with discipline, commitment, and applying what I learned did I achieve results.

We set clear goals, and the job search was so strategic that by the third week, I was already being contacted.

7. How was your first interview in Australia? What do you think is the key to a successful interview?

My first interview was an invitation from a manager I had contacted through LinkedIn.

The company didn’t have any vacancies at the time, but they invited me for a conversation to evaluate the possibility of creating a position for me.

Interestingly, after accepting my current job, they contacted me again and offered me a position.

I believe the key to a successful interview lies in the attitude and confidence you project.

Personally, the AVANZA gave me the tools to project myself in this way.

From the beginning, we aligned with all the knowledge and potential we have as professionals, along with the technical tools and strategies to achieve it.

Figure Eight Pools in the Royal National Park, south of Sydney.

8. What was the most challenging part of searching for a professional job in Australia?

For me, it was making the decision. In 2020, I was working in the tourism and hospitality industry, and due to the pandemic, I lost my job.

At that point, I had already been thinking about making a change and didn’t want to wait any longer. The pandemic was the final push I needed, as I no longer had the financial stability my job as a waitress provided.

Once I decided I wasn’t going to wait anymore, that I wanted a change, and that I wouldn’t make any more excuses, I focused on my job search and decided to find someone to guide me through the process. That’s when I started with the Professional CV service.

From that moment, everything started falling into place relatively easily.

9. Did you discover anything about yourself or the Australian recruitment process that you didn’t know before?

I think the most valuable lesson was understanding that my skills, knowledge, and experience don’t depend on where I live.

The process also showed me areas where I could improve and led me to explore courses I’d like to take to enhance my profile.

“The company saw transferable skills in me that I could apply to an entirely new industry.”

10. Tell us more about your first professional job in Australia.

I work as a Quality Assurance Officer (QA) in a company producing garage doors.

I am responsible for developing and implementing a quality programme. The company found in me transferable skills which I can apply to an industry that is completely new to me.

I am also working as a Food Safety Consultant (developing a food safety plan for a company that produces kit meals (box-ready meals)).

Six months ago I worked as a waitress in a restaurant, but thanks to Ale Munoz’s advice, today I have not only 1 but 2 jobs as a professional.

As a Quality Assurance I work full time and as a Consultant in my spare time.

Viviana in Centennial Park

11. What 3 things would you tell other professionals to encourage them to start their professional job search in an English-speaking country?

The most important thing is to decide to look for opportunities and get out of the comfort that some unskilled jobs give us. You are also open to a professional reinvention and identify skills that are transferable.

Unfortunately, many of us impose limits without trying. Sometimes all we need is to trust ourselves and someone to guide us in making the process easier and less overwhelming.

In my view, creating a job search plan is fundamental to meeting objectives. It helps you to have control over the process, assess progress, facilitate changes if necessary and accelerate target achievement.

Our skills, experience and knowledge are valued by us, not by where we live. There are indeed many career opportunities abroad.

12. Finally, would you recommend our recruitment services?

Absolutely!

Trusting Ale Munoz, who understands the English-speaking job market and gave me the tools to enter the professional world, was an excellent decision after so many years when it seemed unattainable.

By seeking advice from professionals who have navigated the challenges we face as international professionals, you go in with confidence, the right strategy, and, most importantly, achieve results that exceed expectations.

📽📽📽  Watch the full interview on Youtube - click here

Note from Ale Munoz:

"We loved working with Viviana. From the first day we knew her goals and challenges, we knew that she was going to be 200% committed and that she was going to be a professional without borders.

Viviana stepped out of her comfort zone with confidence and put into practice what she learned in the sessions.

We learned a lot from their process, among this, that keeping options open to other industries is fundamental, there are endless opportunities"

Ale Munoz – Career & Life Coach

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