Job Starter

You might be involved with accounts payable or accounts receivable and you’ll have to manage the relevant paperwork, data entry and filing. Accounts Clerks may have to reconcile bank statements and keep a check on invoices, payments and purchase orders.

An Accounts Clerk needs to have excellent attention to detail. You’ll need to be good with numbers and able to use a range of accounting software programs. It’s important that you can work as part of a larger team and follow correct company procedures. Accounts Clerks should be highly organised and need to be able to manage several tasks at once.

An Allied Health Assistant works with people using various therapies to help them reach their goals. You might assist people with a disability, elderly people or people recovering from illness or injury. Allied Health Assistants implement programs prepared by other allied health professionals such as occupational therapists, speech pathologists or physiotherapists.

Allied Health Assistants should have strong personal skills and be able to communicate well with clients. You should be able to understand a therapy plan and follow correct procedures. Allied Health Assistants need to be able to listen to client concerns and understand their needs.

A Beauty Therapist provides a range of beauty services and treatments to clients at a beauty salon. You might specialise in a type of service such as hair removal, manicures and pedicures or eyebrow work. Beauty Therapists might assess their clients’ needs and provide advice on suitable treatments or products. You might also provide skin and make up services for special events like weddings or school formals.

Beauty Therapists should have excellent personal skills and be able to communicate well with their clients. You’ll need to be a good listener and be able to understand customers’ needs and concerns. Beauty Therapists must be able to organise their time and work well in a team environment.

Community Care Workers work at nursing homes, aged care facilities, rehabilitation units, adult care and group homes. They provide children and adults who cannot live independently with personal services.

As a Community Care Worker you could be doing anything from showering, dressing, and feeding your clients — to liaising with immediate family members and keeping them informed of progress and life events. Developing a close relationship with your clients (as well as their families) is key to your role.

An Early Childhood Educator delivers educational programs for young children in a childcare facility. You might assist other childcare staff to create appropriate teaching materials and help to carry out learning programs. Early Childhood Educators may work in a childcare centre or a home care service or they might be employed by other facilities such as hospitals or community centres. You’ll be working with large groups of children with a range of ages and developmental levels.

Being an Early Childhood Educator is a demanding but rewarding role. You should be energetic and able to keep up with multiple children. You’ll need to be patient and a good communicator. Early Childhood Educators work with young children from a range of backgrounds and you’ll need to be flexible in the way you carry out your daily tasks.

Hairdressers style and cut hair as well as carry out a range of hair treatments like perming, tints and colouring, straightening, and adding extensions. Working in a hair salon you’ll begin your career washing hair and preparing customers for their treatments, then and as your skills increase you’ll be mixing chemicals and carrying out advanced styling techniques.

Hairdressers don’t just cut hair though. Even beginners will be making appointments, selling retail products to clients (shampoos, conditioners, and take-home treatments), conducting cash sales, plus cleaning and sanitising equipment in between customers.

A Hospital Attendant performs a range of general duties in a hospital environment. You might help with patient care by moving patients to other sections of the hospital or lifting patients from beds if required. You might also move equipment to different areas of a hospital or deliver items to areas of the hospital where they are needed.

Hospital Attendants should have excellent people skills and be able to communicate well with patients. You should be able to follow instructions and work to correct procedures at all times. Hospital Attendants must be able to work as part of a larger team and be able to prioritise tasks.

Junior Web Developers work on project teams to create and maintain complex websites. They work under the supervision of senior developers and may be assisting with the development and testing of backend projects (such as system architecture and data management) or front end technologies (the user interface).

As a Junior Web Developer, you must be familiar with a range of web programming languages including HTML, CSS / SASS / LESS, Javascript (jQuery), PHP, MySQL, Roots Sage — and also be comfortable working as part of a team. You may also be directed to use third-party plugins and social media applications.

A Legal Assistant works with other legal professionals in a court or lawyer’s office. Your daily activities will be varied but could involve helping to prepare legal documents, assisting clients to get ready for a court appearance or gathering information needed for a legal case. You might have to do some research to help with an upcoming trial and will need a strong knowledge of the legal system. Legal Assistants will also have to perform some administrative tasks during their day.

Legal Assistants need to be thorough and have good attention to detail. It’s important that you can follow instructions and work well as part of larger team. You’ll need good people skills and you’ll have to be a good communicator. Legal Assistants will usually be working with many clients at any one time so you’ll need to have good time management skills and be able to multi-task.

A Medical Receptionist works in the office of a hospital, health clinic or medical practitioner. You’ll perform administrative duties such as answering phone calls, dealing with patient enquiries and processing payments. Medical Receptionists make patient appointments and might have to schedule appointments with specialist medical consultants.

Medical Receptionists should be excellent communicators and be able to speak with patients from a range of backgrounds. It’s important that you provide good customer service and maintain patient confidentiality. Medical Receptionists should be organised and able to hand several tasks at once. You’ll need to prioritise your tasks and manage your time well.

Office Assistants (also known as clerks) provide administrative support to a team of professionals. They assist with typing, filing, opening and distributing mail, photocopying, and faxing — plus distributing office correspondence (reports, letters, and brochures).

As an Office Assistant you’ll be expected to know everything about the office including the location of files. You could be asked to fix the photocopier, grab coffees and the occasional lunch order, or reformat a company document. You’ll sometimes be answering the phone and responding to front desk enquiries.

A Payroll Clerk processes wage and salary payments for employees in both large and small businesses. You’ll collect information from timesheets or electronic sign-in systems to determine payments and you’ll have to calculate things like overtime, shift allowances, superannuation contributions and tax deductions. Payroll Clerks need to maintain employee records and may have to respond to enquiries about employee payments.

Payroll Clerks need to be able to follow correct procedures to ensure all staff are paid correctly. You’ll need to have good attention to detail and be skilled in a range of administrative tasks. Payroll Clerks will usually use electronic payment systems so you’ll have to be able to work with technology. You’ll need a strong understanding of current industrial awards relating to your workplace.

A social worker is somebody who helps people navigate everyday issues brought on by a range of factors, including but not limited to, physical and mental health, income, illness, injustice and changed circumstances such as divorce. They can work with individuals, small groups or entire communities depending on the position and location of the role. Duties can involve everything from meeting with those in need to provide resources and develop programs to helping shape policy with key decision makers and stakeholders.

Social workers must be prepared to help clients work through difficult situations and circumstances, including homelessness, sexual abuse, domestic violence, drug addiction and more. As a social worker, you will be fully equipped with knowledge of helpful resources, such as pertinent literature, refuge contact information, hotline numbers, applicable government aid and other places to which those in need can turn for help. Social workers can specialise in certain areas like older clients, children and those who have experienced certain types of hardship.

A Teacher Aide works alongside teachers in primary and high schools to deliver learning programs to a range of students. You might assist teachers to prepare classroom activities or you might work with individual students to help them participate in lessons. Teacher Aides often work with students with special needs or you may provide general classroom assistance to all students. You might supervise students during lunch and play times or have other tasks such as bus duty.

Teacher Aides should be passionate about learning and should enjoy working with children. It’s important that you can be flexible and work with students with a range of abilities. Teacher Aides should be patient and understanding and be able to communicate well with both students and other staff members.

Youth Case Workers are assigned to individual children or teens, working one-on-one to help improve their quality of life. You’ll need advanced interpersonal skills in communication, deep listening, and counselling to build trust with your clients.

As a Youth Case Worker you could be helping your clients access social security payments, collaborating with the justice system, or just checking on their foster homes and family environment. Youth Case Workers have to keep clients files up-to-date and lodge specific documents with government departments, so you’ll need a good understanding of Australian social welfare systems.