In conjunction with Global Money Week 2025, the Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) has launched A guide to starting your first job, with the aim of giving young Australians the necessary tools and knowledge to successfully enter the workplace.
The guide covers topics such as successfully securing employment, preparing a resume, the interview process, what to expect on your first day, getting paid and how to read a payslip.
FAAA general manager education Anne Palmer said the guide is designed to help young Australians start off on the right foot by arming them with useful information that will help them navigate the “world of work and effectively manage their finances”.
“The guide offers advice on how to find a job and manage your time, and it highlights the importance of creating a strong resume, even when a young person does not have formal work experience, by including personal qualities, volunteer work, responsibilities, interests, skills and other achievements,” Palmer said.
The guide also offers advice on what to expect once they have secured a job, addressing common questions such as the difference between casual and part-time work, what a short-term job is and whether they will still get paid if they are sick or on holidays.
It also covers more difficult situations, including what to do if they witness poor workplace behaviour and even how to resign from a job.
In addition to this, Palmer said the guide offers tips on how to manage their finances and develop a money-saving philosophy early in life.
“We offer practical advice, such as how to set up a tax file number (TFN) and, if eligible, a superannuation fund. The resource provides a checklist of things to know and have ready for the first day of work,” she said.
“Importantly, it gives young people advice on how to maximise their earnings, set up a savings account and how to save effectively to allow them to build up their wealth over time.
“We recommend young people entering the workforce open up a savings account that they don’t take money out of and put 20 per cent of whatever money they make straight into that account on pay day – it will build up over time and they won’t even realise it.”
