• Self-awareness – know what skills and personal qualities you have to offer an employer
• Have an up-to-date resume
• Be active in your job hunting as a job is not likely to come to you
• Develop networks so you can apply for positions before they are advertised.

Where to look

Information has been sourced from the Fairwork website.

Cash in Hand Work

Getting paid cash in hand means an employment arrangement where the employer does not declare you as an employee and is quite common in many casual jobs. However, be aware that there can be problems associated with being paid cash in hand such as: you may not be covered by WorkCover if you are injured at work, you and your employer may be fined by the Australian Taxation Office if you don’t declare your income, your employer may not pay your full entitlements and you may have difficulty proving your employment when you need to for Centrelink purposes or if you are unfairly dismissed and want to take action against the employer.

We therefore recommend that if you are being paid cash in hand, you keep a record of all money paid to you.  In addition, it's important to declare all money earned to the Australian Taxation Office when you complete your tax return, declare all money earned to Centrelink if you are receiving a Centrelink benefit and seek advice if your employer refuses to declare you as an employee.

Australian Taxation Office: 
Voice  13 28 61  
National Relay Service  13 36 77
Web: http://www.ato.gov.au  

Centrelink:                    
Voice 13 24 90    
TTY 1800 810 586
Web: http://www.centrelink.gov.au

Commission-Only Work

Commission-only work usually involves selling. This could be virtually anything, from vacuum cleaners or insurance on a door-to-door basis, approaching people in the street to sell them a product such as a subscription, through to selling larger items such as office equipment and real estate. Driving taxis can be another form of commission-only work.

It is important to realise that under a commission-only arrangement that you will not be paid a basic wage or salary, so no sales means no pay. Any payment you receive is usually a set percentage of the sales you make. This type of work requires a great deal of self-motivation, confidence and organisation. In most cases you need to have some income to tide you over the first few weeks or months until you get yourself established.

Questions that need to be answered before taking on a commission-only role include:

• Do I have to invest any of my money to buy goods and equipment? If so, how much?
• What am I likely to earn and how soon?
• Will I be paid any expenses such as my travel expenses? If not, will my commission cover my expenses?
• Will the firm give me training?

Commission-only work can be risky. You need to know exactly what terms and conditions apply before you commit yourself. Read anything that you are asked to sign very carefully. Job Watch may be able to assist. Contact details are listed below.

Job Watch

Job Watch is a community based employment legal service that provides information about employment and training law. If you feel you have been treated improperly by an employer, such as being unfairly dismissed, under paid, bullied or harassed, then contact Job Watch for some free advice.

Phone (03) 9662-1933 or toll free 1800 331 617 (outside Melbourne metropolitan)
Web: http://www.jobwatch.org.au

From 1 July 2010, rates of pay and penalties for most national system employers and employees are calculated by comparing an employee’s entitlements from the modern award to their entitlements from the pre-modern award.

Some modern awards have specific transitional arrangements that apply as a result of the application of specific transitional provisions in the modern award or due to particular pre-modern award requirements.