Choose from a wide range of NEWCV resume templates and customize your NEWCV design with a single click.
Use ATS-optimised Resume and resume templates that pass applicant tracking systems. Our Resume builder helps recruiters read, scan, and shortlist your Resume faster.
Use professional field-tested resume templates that follow the exact Resume rules employers look for.
Create Resume
Use professional field-tested resume templates that follow the exact Resume rules employers look for.
Create ResumeIf you’re coming to Australia on a Working Holiday visa, the fastest way to secure work is to target industries with constant labour demand, high turnover, and low hiring friction. In Australia, working holiday jobs are heavily concentrated in hospitality, farm work, construction labouring, mining support, tourism, warehouses, and regional seasonal work. Employers hiring backpackers and Working Holiday visa holders usually prioritise reliability, availability, physical fitness, and immediate start dates over formal qualifications.
The reality is this: many travellers struggle because they apply like local corporate candidates. Australian employers hiring Working Holiday staff care more about whether you can legally work, show up consistently, work hard, and fit into the team quickly. A polished Australian-style resume matters, but speed, timing, and local job strategy matter more.
This guide explains which working holiday jobs pay best, where employers are actively hiring, what recruiters actually look for, common mistakes that stop backpackers getting hired, and how to position yourself properly in the Australian market.
Working holiday jobs are short-term, casual, seasonal, or temporary jobs commonly filled by international travellers on subclasses like the Working Holiday Visa (417) or Work and Holiday Visa (462).
Most employers hiring Working Holiday staff expect:
Immediate or near-immediate availability
Casual work arrangements
Flexible scheduling
Physical work tolerance
Weekend availability
Regional mobility
Short-term employment commitments
The Australian market treats Working Holiday hiring differently from permanent professional recruitment. Employers are usually hiring to solve urgent staffing shortages quickly.
The best working holiday jobs depend on your priorities:
Highest pay
Fastest hiring
Second-year visa eligibility
Regional travel opportunities
Easier physical workload
Accommodation access
Long-term sponsorship potential
Hospitality remains the easiest entry point for most Working Holiday visa holders.
Common roles:
That changes how you should apply.
In many cases:
Your availability matters more than experience
Your location matters more than qualifications
Your attitude matters more than perfect English
Your visa validity matters more than career history
This is especially true in hospitality, agriculture, tourism, and labour-intensive industries.
Bartender
Waitstaff
Café all-rounder
Kitchen hand
Barista
Hotel housekeeping
Food runner
Pub staff
Major hiring locations:
Sydney
Melbourne
Brisbane
Gold Coast
Cairns
Byron Bay
Perth
Why hospitality hires fast:
Extremely high staff turnover
Constant casual demand
Weekend staffing shortages
Seasonal tourism spikes
Recruiter insight: venues often hire based on personality and availability within the first few minutes of meeting you. A face-to-face application still works surprisingly well in Australian hospitality, especially in tourist areas.
Farm work is one of the biggest Working Holiday employment sectors because it often qualifies for second-year and third-year visa requirements.
Common jobs:
Fruit picking
Packing shed work
Vineyard labour
Crop harvesting
Livestock station work
Nursery work
Irrigation support
Popular regions:
Bundaberg
Mildura
Griffith
Mareeba
Shepparton
Riverina region
Tasmania seasonal farms
Reality most websites do not explain:
Pay varies dramatically between farms
Some piece-rate jobs pay poorly
Physical intensity is often underestimated
Accommodation quality varies heavily
Weather affects earnings
Good farms can provide excellent income. Bad operators can leave travellers underpaid and stranded.
Before accepting farm work:
Ask how pay is structured
Confirm accommodation costs
Check average weekly hours
Verify transport arrangements
Research reviews from previous workers
Construction labouring is one of the highest-paying options for Working Holiday visa holders without advanced qualifications.
Common roles:
General labourer
Site cleaner
Traffic control assistant
Demolition labourer
Trade assistant
Scaffold support
Civil construction worker
Typical requirements:
White Card
PPE gear
Physical fitness
Early morning availability
Why these jobs pay more:
Labour shortages
Physical demands
Safety compliance
Long shifts
Infrastructure growth across Australia
Recruiter insight: candidates who already hold a White Card before applying get shortlisted much faster.
Mining-related work attracts backpackers because of the high pay rates, but many misunderstand how accessible these jobs actually are.
Realistically accessible Working Holiday mining support roles:
Utility worker
Kitchen support
Camp cleaning
Housekeeping
Laundry attendant
Catering assistant
Direct mining operator roles are far harder to obtain without:
Australian tickets
Experience
Industry contacts
Long-term work rights
However, mining camp support work can still pay significantly above standard hospitality wages.
Warehouse work is one of the most stable Working Holiday job categories.
Common roles:
Pick packer
Forklift assistant
Container unloading
Dispatch support
Inventory assistant
Warehouse labourer
Why recruiters like Working Holiday candidates:
Flexible shifts
Strong seasonal demand
High turnover
Overtime availability
Peak hiring periods:
October to December
Major retail sale periods
Post-COVID logistics surges
Pay rates vary by state, industry, penalties, accommodation deductions, and overtime.
Generally higher-paying Working Holiday jobs include:
Construction labouring
FIFO utility work
Traffic control
Remote hospitality
Mining camp support
Regional shutdown work
Skilled trade assistant roles
Jobs with lower average earnings:
Basic fruit picking
Entry-level café work
Hostel exchange work
Under-the-table cash jobs
A major mistake travellers make is chasing “easy” jobs rather than strategic jobs.
Higher-paying employers usually want:
Reliability
Early starts
Long shifts
Regional relocation
Physical resilience
That is why many travellers who stay flexible earn far more than those limiting themselves to major cities only.
Most backpackers apply incorrectly.
Australian Working Holiday hiring is highly speed-driven.
Employers prioritise:
Immediate availability
Australian mobile number
Local address
Flexible hours
In-person applications
Quick response times
Relevant licences or tickets
Common mistakes:
Applying before arriving in Australia
Using overseas resume formats
Applying only online
Being too selective early
No local SIM card
No Australian bank account
No transport access
Poor availability
Recruiter insight: many hospitality managers decide whether they will interview someone within 15 seconds of reading a resume.
For Working Holiday candidates, employers scan for:
Visa status
Availability
Current location
Experience relevance
Immediate start capability
If that information is hard to find, your application loses momentum instantly.
Best for:
Hospitality
Events
Tourism
Construction
Challenges:
Extremely competitive
High living costs
Fast-moving hiring market
Sydney rewards candidates who apply aggressively and attend walk-ins.
Best for:
Café culture
Hospitality
Warehouse jobs
Events
Melbourne employers often expect stronger hospitality experience compared to tourist-heavy regions.
Best for:
Easier entry-level hiring
Hospitality
Construction growth
Better cost balance
Brisbane is often easier for first-time Working Holiday job seekers than Sydney or Melbourne.
Best for:
Mining support pathways
Construction
Warehouse work
Higher wages in some sectors
Perth can offer strong earning potential, especially for labour-focused workers.
Best for:
Visa extension eligibility
Farm work
Labour shortages
Faster hiring
Regional employers often hire much faster because labour shortages are more severe.
Working Holiday resumes should be shorter, cleaner, and more practical than traditional corporate resumes.
Australian employers hiring backpackers want quick clarity.
Your resume should immediately show:
Current Australian location
Visa type
Work rights
Availability
Relevant experience
Licences or tickets
1–2 page resume
Clear contact details
Local phone number
Simple formatting
Fast readability
Australian terminology
Practical experience focus
Long personal statements
Complex designs
Excessive graphics
Overseas jargon
Irrelevant career history
Generic objective statements
Instead of:
“Seeking opportunities to grow professionally while travelling Australia.”
Use:
“Working Holiday visa holder available immediately for casual hospitality work with weekend and evening availability.”
That sounds far more hireable to Australian employers.
Several low-cost certifications dramatically improve job opportunities.
Required for construction sites.
One of the highest ROI certifications for Working Holiday visa holders.
Required for serving alcohol.
Essential for:
Bars
Pubs
Restaurants
Events
Helpful in competitive café markets like Melbourne and Sydney.
Not always mandatory, but practical café experience matters more than certificates alone.
Strongly improves warehouse and logistics opportunities.
Can open access to higher-paying infrastructure and roadwork jobs.
Working Holiday workers are vulnerable to exploitation because many do not understand Australian employment standards.
Major warning signs:
Cash-only payment demands
No payslips
Unrealistic accommodation deductions
Illegal piece rates
Passport retention requests
“Trial shifts” with no pay
Threats involving visa status
Legitimate Australian employers:
Provide payslips
Follow award rates
Use tax file numbers
Explain pay structures clearly
If an employer avoids discussing pay conditions clearly, treat it as a warning sign.
Most online advice completely misses this.
Recruiters hiring Working Holiday candidates are usually evaluating risk and convenience more than long-term potential.
They ask themselves:
Will this person actually show up?
Can they start immediately?
Will they stay long enough?
Can they handle the workload?
Will they create operational problems?
That means your application strategy should reduce employer uncertainty.
Local references
Australian phone number
Immediate start date
Flexible roster availability
Short, direct communication
Relevant tickets/licences
Stable accommodation
Complicated travel schedules
Limited availability
No local setup
Generic applications
Unclear visa status
Unrealistic pay expectations
This is why backpackers who adapt quickly to Australian hiring expectations secure work much faster.
Useful Australian platforms include:
Seek
Indeed Australia
Jora
Backpacker Job Board
Gumtree Jobs
Facebook local job groups
However, many Working Holiday jobs are never formally advertised.
Especially in:
Hospitality
Regional tourism
Farm work
Casual labour
Walk-ins, referrals, hostel networks, and local recommendations still play a major role.
Usually, no.
Most Working Holiday employers prefer candidates already in Australia because:
Hiring needs are immediate
Staff turnover is high
Employers dislike uncertainty
Interview no-shows are common
You will usually get better results after:
Arriving locally
Setting up an Australian number
Having accommodation arranged
Being available immediately
Exceptions:
Ski season recruitment
Remote regional contracts
FIFO support recruitment
Tourism resort hiring waves
Sometimes, yes.
Industries more open to sponsorship pathways:
Regional hospitality
Construction trades
Agriculture
Aged care support
Chef roles
Mechanical trades
However, sponsorship is rarely offered early.
Employers usually sponsor only after:
Proven reliability
Strong work performance
Long-term labour shortages
Skill demand alignment
A major mistake travellers make is asking about sponsorship too early during hiring conversations.
Australian employers generally want to solve immediate staffing needs first.
The highest-earning and most employable Working Holiday candidates usually share these traits:
Flexible location preferences
Strong work ethic
Fast adaptation to Australian workplace culture
Willingness to start with tough jobs
Reliable attendance
Quick communication
Practical attitude
The travellers who struggle most are often:
Too selective too early
Focused only on major cities
Expecting office-style hiring processes
Applying passively online only
Avoiding physical work entirely
Australia rewards proactive job seekers heavily.
Upload Resume
Import from Linkedin