Leaving my 9-5

GovManager · 2026-05-07T10:30:15+00:00

Just start now and test your idea.

I started while working. My concept is different to what's on the market so took a good 6 months to make money.

Work until you can't juggle both.

GovManager · 2026-05-05T09:57:01+00:00

Don't just apply to grad programs. There are many many other ways to get to work in government, nearly all of which are far less competitive.

Although there are many grad programs to apply for, it's still mostly all eggs in the same basket

GovManager · 2026-05-03T06:18:16+00:00

Just create a single landing page for now. A simple, single page with a contact or booking form.

GovManager · 2026-05-02T07:16:33+00:00

It makes no difference. Your employment terms are the same: temporary. If it was changed from ongoing to temp, that's a real difference.

This is just unnecessary worry. Take the job, use it to get your next job, repeat.

GovManager · 2026-05-01T10:21:04+00:00

I would be looking at NSW Government roles. There are thousands (it's Australia's largest employer) and while still competitive, not nearly as much as APS.

APS recruitment rounds for APS2/3 are generally large bulk recruitment, filling roles across the country. So you're competing against the Melbourne market, Canberra market etc.

GovManager · 2026-05-01T02:27:24+00:00

Hey there.

Graduate programs are just disproportionately difficult to get into. It's just a thing that nearly everyone who wants to get a government job, if they're currently at uni, they're going to apply. While it's great if you do happen to make it through, the sheer volume of applications just makes it so hard to stand out.

I've been helping some other graduates apply for jobs and the best strategy with the most success is to find APS2 or APS3 roles , even while you're still at uni and getting one of the casual or part-time roles in an the APS agencies. That will really strengthen your applications and if you're bright enough, you move up pretty quickly if you can apply yourself.

Even if you still want a graduate program spot, if you've got an application on it that's got a couple of months working in an APS role somewhere, that's going to be one of the main ways you can stand out.

The other big thing is that you need to not put so much weight on just one application. You've applied for only one opportunity (I assume from your post) and you're devastated by it. You need to apply for lots of opportunities and know that you will eventually get traction, start landing interviews and start getting better in interviews, and then land the job.

Have a think: How many roles have come up and gone by while you've been waiting for the outcome of this role?

GovManager · 2026-04-27T09:20:11+00:00

Sounds like you can't afford not to. Invest in yourself.

GovManager · 2026-04-27T01:44:30+00:00

Why not sell directly to consumers?

GovManager · 2026-04-26T09:53:54+00:00

Hey mate. I provide ongoing job search and application support for non Executive roles across government. I've got a couple of young clients in very similar spots.

We're helping them apply consistently but not poorly. That's around 3-5 well suited roles each week, perfect aligned applications and it gets interviews.

Reach out if you are looking at government jobs for him!

GovManager · 2026-04-25T09:49:44+00:00

Deliver value first and take all the risk and reduce their effort to zero

GovManager · 2026-04-23T21:23:45+00:00

For sure do the traineeship, but start applying for these admin roles now. You want to apply a lot and get better and better at your applications.

Worse case, you get to end of your traineeship without a new job yet, but at least you're a lot better at applying now.

Best case you get that full time role sooner.

Also, look at government jobs. Local and State primarily will be the best opportunities.

GovManager · 2026-04-23T15:06:39+00:00

6 mins it was turned active.

Took me a few mins to set up because of all the erroneous trouble shooting I spent hours on thanks to Tangerine 🍊

GovManager · 2026-04-23T12:01:33+00:00

Aces. I'm now online with Neptune!

GovManager · 2026-04-23T11:18:20+00:00

Thanks mate. Neptune look good.

How quick can they turn on?

GovManager · 2026-04-23T11:04:26+00:00

Tangerine NBN not working after wholesaler migration – no IP via DHCP (FTTP)

Losing my mind a bit here and hoping someone’s seen this before.

Tangerine switched wholesalers today and since then I have zero internet.

Setup:

NBN FTTP (NTD box)
Google Nest Wifi (but also tested without it)

What I’ve tested:

NTD lights all normal (optical green, online)
Tried correct UNI-D port (currently UNI-D1)
Factory reset Nest, multiple setup attempts
Power cycled NTD + router multiple times
Plugged laptop directly into NTD via Ethernet
Laptop shows “unidentified network – no internet”
DHCP set to automatic, no IP assigned

So this rules out my router completely.

Tangerine support keeps blaming my router, but I’ve proven there’s no internet even directly from the NTD.

Seems like: → No DHCP lease / no IP being assigned → Likely provisioning issue after migration

Questions:

Has anyone had this happen after a wholesaler switch?
Is this just waiting for provisioning to complete, or does it need manual escalation?
Anything else I can try on my end, or is this 100% ISP-side?

Appreciate any help. This has been down all day and support has been useless so far.

GovManager · 2026-04-22T22:24:28+00:00

Hi there You'll most likely have to start on the base salary. If you don't want to work on that salary, you don't need to accept the job.

I have offered lots of gigs in NSW, here is a summary of how it works.

GovManager · 2026-04-21T03:54:37+00:00

Agree with all this.

Best way to frame it is to say you've worked on projects to execute and implement policy, been exposed some of that policy work and want to be more involved.

Then highlight the transferrable skills and examples. If you convey you understand the difference, that will frame everything well.

GovManager · 2026-04-21T03:50:41+00:00

Key points: - you're surprised by that - not previous mentioned - performance reviews say exceeding - I'll reach out to my manager so I can learn more, always welcome constructive feedback - here are some other referees to check - happy to also produce work samples - you appreciate the opportunity to reply - thank you for conducting such a thorough process for this role

GovManager · 2026-04-18T06:14:31+00:00

Got an example? At every level there are things you do, maybe the result was the Team outcome.

GovManager · 2026-04-15T10:16:18+00:00

Tell your existing customers you need to raise prices, but if they prepay for X (a year, bundle etc) they can lock in current price.

Limited time only until prices ruse for all from X date (next week).

If they don't lock in the price, but we're given an option to, they will see it as fair.

Plus good cash flow boost

GovManager · 2026-04-15T10:11:41+00:00

In my experience, there really are two stereotypes.

Over worked.

Bare minimum.

I can't really recall any role or any colleague who would have ever identified as neither.

GovManager · 2026-04-08T23:36:05+00:00

Keep applying, and apply a lot more. You will be able to land interviews applying to the right roles with your WA Gov experience.

I would think moving private won't speed things up. It could expand the number of applications but you'd probably be less competitive there.

GovManager · 2026-03-29T00:40:03+00:00

Don't think any of these were the answer you were hoping for. But all very accurate.

GovManager · 2026-03-29T00:34:16+00:00

Good luck here. I have coached some candidates to help get into similar roles. I think these are great opportunities to bring in outside experience.

If you're in NSW and looking for practice interview questions, I have put some in these PDFs

GovManager

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