Choosing your Job Network member
When you contact Centrelink to make a claim for Newstart or Youth Allowance, your Centrelink Customer Service Officer will obtain information about your work skills, experience, education and personal details.
If Centrelink determines that you’re ready for work you will be given an appointment with a member of the Australian Government’s Job Network within the next two working days through a process called RapidConnect.
Choosing your preferred Job Network member is an important decision as you will be connected to this Job Network member until you find work. To help you with your choice, you should refer to the Australian Government’s Star Rating system for Job Network members, which measures the success of Job Network members in finding jobs for job seekers. The system is also designed to show how each Job Network member is performing compared to other Job Network members.
If after this you still don’t have a preferred Job Network member, Centrelink will refer you to one in your local area.
Once you have been connected to a Job Network member, your Centrelink Customer Service Officer will arrange your first Job Network appointment. If you are unable to attend your appointment make sure you call Centrelink or your Job Network member before the appointment time to re-schedule.
At your first Job Network appointment you will be given immediate assistance in finding a job, including having your vocational profile registered on the website jobsearch.gov.au. To help your Job Network member build your profile, which is a summary of your skills and abilities, you should take some identification to your appointment plus any employment-related information including your résumé (hardcopy or disk), references and any previous job applications.
Remember:
- If you are referred to your Job Network member under RapidConnect you are legally required to attend your appointment to meet your payment conditions for Newstart or Youth Allowance.
- If you attend your Job Network member appointment as arranged you will be paid from the date you first contacted Centrelink (pending any determined waiting periods). If you delay attending your Job Network member you may only be paid from the date you attend.