In conjunction with Global Money Week 2025, the Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) has launched a guide for young people entering the workforce, under its Money & Life brand designed.

Titled “A guide to starting your first job”, it equips young Australians with the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully enter the workplace. The guide has been launched to time with Global Money Week, which runs 17 to 23 March 2025.

According to Anne Palmer, general manager education at the FAAA, the resource provides practical tips and information for young Australians on various topics such as successfully securing employment including preparing a resume, the interview process, what to expect on your first day, getting paid, and how to read a payslip.  

“Getting your first job can be both exciting and a little nerve-wracking. This guide is designed to help young Australians start off on the right foot, by providing useful information to help them navigate the world of work and effectively manage their finances,” she says.

“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.”

The guide also stresses the need to prepare for job interviews by researching the business and preparing questions, and emphasises the importance of being punctual and showing a willingness to learn.

The guide also addresses common questions such as the difference between casual and part-time work, what a short-term job is, and how to resign from a job. It clarifies whether workers still get paid if they are sick or on holiday, and what to do if they witness poor  

workplace behaviour.

“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 says.

“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,” Ms Palmer says.

Global Money Week is an annual global awareness-raising campaign to ensure that young people, from an early age, are financially aware, and acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours necessary to make sound financial decisions and ultimately achieve financial well-being and financial resilience.  

Download a copy of the guide here https://moneyandlife.com.au/a-guide-to-starting-your-first-job/