According to seek.com.au, there were about 500 job vacancies across the region, many of them in Wagga. While 20 per cent of those were in the health sector, many required few qualifications or experience.

Despite a “buyer’s market” for job seekers, recruitment agencies are reporting a lack of effort, particularly among young people.

Rhyley Hunter from Wagga Recruitment said he saw candidates making the same mistakes again and again.

“They don’t put the right effort into getting a job,” Mr Hunter said.

“They’ll send the same CV out for 20 different jobs, applying for general labourer and general manager positions, then complain they don’t hear back.”

Wagga Business Chamber manager Anabel Williams said some employers were telling her prospective recruits thought entry-level jobs were “beneath them”.

“You’ve got to start at the bottom to work your way up,” Mrs Williams said.

“If you don’t have the skills, go to TAFE and get them, because there are always jobs for people who want work.

“However, employers need to take some ownership too and give young people an opportunity to train up, there are some great government programs that can pay you to do that.”

Mark Taylor from Griffith’s Workfront People Solutions said having the right attitude was just as important as having the right skills.

“Job seekers might see an old fella who’s well off, but not the years of hard work to get there,” Mr Taylor said. “You’d be surprised how many don’t understand you need to look good and smell nice.”

According to Mr Hunter, job seekers only needed to do a few things to stand out from the crowd.

“Put yourself out there, call up and ask intelligent questions,” he said.

“Try to build a relationship, then send a tailored CV and be personable – it goes a long way when other people try to hide behind a screen.

“Spend that extra five or ten minutes, then follow up and ask if they need anything else, that positivity goes a long way.”