Banji Alo Profile picture
Oct 12, 2022 16 tweets 8 min read Read on X
I had a 50% pay cut when I left my casual jobs in Australia to start a professional 9-5 one

You might think it's a crazy idea

Here are five reasons why it wasn't:

#thread
1. Post-Study Visa

After my degree, I received a two-year post-study work visa.

This visa lets you work unlimited hours in Australia. Same with Canada, the UK, etc

The problem is that many international students don't use this visa correctly.

They:
- Use it to work as much as they
- Use it to relax, cool off and travel the world for months

I am not saying this is bad, but if your goal is to get a permanent visa, then you need to understand that these aren't your immediate priorities.
Some international students don't even know the expiry date of their post-study visas.

They are very busy and only remember 3-6 months to visa expiry.

@OgbeniDipo
If you use this two-year visa to work four jobs back-to-back to make as much money as possible, then just know you are likely to put these savings back into school to get another student visa when your post-study visa expires.

Wasted efforts.

What's the point?

@ritapurity
#2. Gain work experience

Your casual jobs might be fantastic, but you can't put most of them on your CV.

You can't put most casual jobs on your CV.

The result?

Resume gaps

Some employers generally don't like gaps.

- Getting a pay cut was a strategy to prevent this
#3. Develop and utilise my skills in a proper setting

It's nice when you can apply what you have learnt in a proper setting.
Your casual jobs might be fantastic, but you are most likely not utilising your skills.

- The pay cut might not be ideal, but I was able to utilise my skills, add value and grow my career
#4. Advance my career

I used to think education was the key to unlocking any career and job you want.

I was wrong.

Work experience > degree
You don't need three master's degrees and a PhD if your goal is to grow fast in your career [except you are in a highly specialised field]

Go ask most professionals with 4 degrees working 9-5.
They will tell you their bosses have maybe one or no degree. That's it.

Why?

They know degrees are not equivalent to pay grades.
They start early and work their way up.
Work experience > degrees

- I needed to get into the workplace fast and start growing my early career. Local work experience is key
#5. Permanent visa

It's easier to get permanent residency if you have a formal job offer.

Most casual jobs don't provide this pathway.

Again, the money might be good, but no future.

- The pay cut and new job helped me land a Global Talent Visa in 10 months.
If you enjoyed this thread:

1. Follow @BanjiAlo for more like this
2. RT and share with a friend
3. Get my guide to land any job you want after your degree

Get it here for free.

hinterviews.com.au/freecourse/

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Banji Alo

Banji Alo Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @BanjiAlo

Apr 28, 2023
A friend rang me after applying for 40+ jobs in 2 months with 0 contacts and 0 interviews

I got him 4 recruiter contacts, 3 interviews and 1 officer in 2 weeks

Here's what we tweaked:

#thread
He initially told me he was job hunting and would prefer to apply online

After reading his profile, I tried to discourage him, but he insisted on online applications.

I agreed but on a condition
I told him:

"If you don't get a job in 60 days, we will do it my way"

He agreed.

Deal.
Read 17 tweets
Apr 16, 2023
I recently helped 3 professionals prepare for job interviews.

They landed their dream jobs at:
- JP Morgan, UK
- Australian Government Health Department
- International Research Institute, UK

They couldn't thank me enough.

Here's how I prepared them:

[steal my template]
1. There are 3 key stages in a job interview - entry, process and exit.

The entry and exit are the most important.
#1. The Entry

You need to put your best foot forward for the entry by ACING your first question.

It's crucial
Read 18 tweets
Sep 25, 2022
I get shortlisted for at least 90% of the jobs I apply for.

Here are the 5 resume strategies that work for me every single time.

[Not your average resume advice]

#thread
1. Knowing the job of a resume

Your application process becomes easier once you understand that a resume only has one job.

-- To SELL you. @OgbeniDipo

Yes, a resume is a marketing tool.

@wakawaka_doctor
If it doesn't sell you, then forget it.

You won't smell the interview door no matter how solid your skills are or how talented you are.

You are the king, and your resume is your messenger.

It needs to represent you and convey your message properly. @ritapurity
Read 26 tweets
Sep 3, 2022
Many international students enrol for another degree to remain lawful in various countries because they couldn't find a job.

I feel terrible.

Why?

It can be very expensive to study again.

Here are 5 ways to avoid this loop:
#1. Mindset

The problem with many students is that they only think about work after they graduate.

They live like we are in the 80s.
In the '80s:

- Education wasn't as common
- Employers wooed students with jobs
- Our parents got jobs before leaving school.

E.g. My dad, in his early 20's, got a job before leaving school. The job came with a brand new official car and a driver.
Read 21 tweets
Aug 27, 2022
Do you think your challenges will end once you travel abroad?

You lie!

The journey never ends.

Here's what I have found:

(read more)
It's interesting how many young professionals think all they need is to travel abroad and all their challenges will be resolved.

@SummerOkibe @Oludeewon
I am sorry to inform you that it will most likely be the beginning of your challenges.

Why?
Read 15 tweets
Aug 9, 2022
I have reviewed 100+ resumes of graduates and early career professionals in 2022.

99% of these resumes need massive re-work

Here are 12 common issues I noticed

#Thread
#1. Resume Length

Most CVs with 4-5 pages have less than 3 years of work experience.

#Employers will only scan your resume for less than 10 seconds

Keep it to one page
#2. Formatting

Many of these CVs are poorly formatted.

- Margins are not concise
- Bullet points are out of order
- Inconsistent font size and style
Read 18 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(