DC10

Does anybody have any experience in applying? How did you find it? How did the locals view your UK experience?

The application process seems quite different from anything I've experienced elsewhere. They request a one page cover letter, which allows very little space to address what the Australians would call the "selection criteria". One job application required completion of an odd survey with a number of different scenario-based questions; in many cases none of three possible answers was obviously right or wrong. The wording, punctuation and grammar in the survey was, frankly, an embarrassment to the NZ govt. Lot's of misplaced possessive's and Capital letters Used Seemingly at random. There seems to be a strong emphasis on "teams".

Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated.

Browner_

Governments love this sort of thing cos they have to be PC and bureaucratic and do things by the book - the expense and waste of it all isnt a major consideration.

Worst thing I have found is that they widely advertise jobs which normally end up going to someone who already works in the department.

Im sure its a painful experience. Had a few interviews with govt departments in Wellington and its normally the old panel interview.

Bo-Jangles

Recruitment of staff here is a whole different ball game, shoddy, slap-dash and unprofessional at the best of times. I would take it as a warning, if you're already reading the signs from the recruitment documentation that they're a lousy bunch, then find yourself a forty foot barge pole because no matter what they promise they aren't ever going to match up to any expectations you might have from a good employer.


UK experience counts for very little at the end of the day, Kiwi experience is what they prefer. Depending of course on who the boss is, most would undoubtedly prefer to employ a Kiwi. What goes around comes around, if for example the boss is a South African you tend to find the 'team' around them is largely South African. Equal opportunities hasn't quite reached these shore.

DC10

Thanks both for the helpful info, however depressing!

Just to clarify, I am a Kiwi... departed those shores as soon as I graduated 10+ years ago and have spent my working life in Aus (3 years) and then the UK (8 years). But I am starting to feel very much like a British expat

Bo-Jangles

It's crazy! I have heard the same said from many returning Kiwis, it seems once you fly the nest that Kiwi employers will likely see you as outcasts or perhaps a threat with all your worldly experience. It seems that having an international career gains you no leverage on return to NZ and despite noises to the contrary, the overseas experience isn't very highly valued.

DC10

Spot on, Bo.

I remember a Kiwi politician (maybe Jim Anderton) a few years back pleading with all the NZ expats to come home. But for what? A 40% pay cut, and to be patronised by some fool about "awesome customer service" and "amazing teamwork"?

It's early days for me, and maybe we are being harsh. I expect plenty of British employers would put job applications from the other side of the world in the "too hard" basket, especially where there are no tangible qualifications such as medicine or engineering involved.

ExKiwilass

I thought overseas experience was looked kindly on too. That is sad if not true. Goddamnit!!!

ExKiwilass

well nothing's changed then!

MOSO

My OH applied and got a job in comms in a large govt department from the UK via the govt job website. He filled in all the application forms and was interviewed via skype - so it can be done (he is also kiwi but grew up in the UK).

Remember there are HUGE cuts going on in the public sector at the moment, there is also a lot of internal shuffling so it's probably a lot harder than it was last year. He recently recruited some admin staff, but received 50 - 80 applications per job - it's a tough unsettled sector at the moment.

Bo-Jangles

I find it's brittle managers actually, to be in a senior management position here kind of assumes a few things (stereotypically speaking of course) but it's evident in a lot of companies I deal with.

The senior management tier are mostly older Kiwis, by dint of the fact that they stayed here and worked their way up the ladder and have been in the job for a lot of years.

They're most often not 'managers' by any stretch of the imagination; they don't like to change, don't much like new and 'fancy' ideas and almost always stick with what they know and this includes the employees. It's generally people they know, somebody someone else knows, someone they worked with in the past or who has been recommended. They trade largely on verbal references, will call up a mate in the trade to see if they know this guy etc. They're brittle and ultimately fearful that the house of cards will tumble if they land up with a wise guy who knows more than they do.

In other countries it's hugely possible you can fast track your career, by way of good training, management / executive leadership programs etc and be quickly promoted into senior positions at a relatively young age, which I hardly ever see happen here. Businesses here are simply not willing to invest dollars in people and have no interest in training or up-skilling them. They're fearful of them moving on; it all being a waste of money and frankly they can't see beyond the next Friday drinks or payday as to where the staff are headed. If you've been overseas and 'fast-tracked' into a senior role at a young age, you'll definitely be seen as a threat.

Being a newly arrived expat or indeed a returning Kiwi does go hugely against you; as undoubtedly you will be seen as a 'short-term' prospect; with no history that they can readily verify and it's highly likely that you'll not settle or you'll be wanting to move on as soon as a better offer comes along.

Almost certainly if the last expat they employed was a bad experience for them and only stayed in the job for six months, then likely you'll be tarred with the same brush and boy the memories are long. Nah, we're not going there and not doing that again, the last bloody Pom we had ......

Expat Kiwi

Many public sector jobs are quietly disappearing, about $1 billion is being hacked from the budget over the next three years.

http://tvnz.co.nz/politics-news/hund...eforms-4200236
DOC recently lost 300 staff, the armed services are loosing 1,000 uniformed personnel who being replaced by 500 civilians.

You know things are getting bad when they start laying off tax office staff

If you're coming from Britain this should feel very familiar

MOSO

Again, not always true. My OH has been promoted twice in the last 18 months working in the public sector.

But we can all agree, working in the public sector is not great or secure at the moment.

faye_h

I think it largely depends on the sector and skills shortages in that particular field. Myself and OH have found the opposite with our UK experience highly sought after in NZ. My other half has been promoted twice in 18months and I've been headhunted a couple of times since arriving here.

Unfortunately I can't comment on public sector jobs but it does look bleak for those wishing to find work here.

Bellasmum

I take it you have had a look here DC.

https://jobs.govt.nz/

I am a govt employee (Justice) and involved in a lot of appointments. We get a huge number of applicants from overseas for all of our vacancies. We certainly value UK experience however, when short listing 100 plus applications if you have 5 or 6 suitable applicants who are already in NZ then suitable applicants not here miss out. I am not sure if the scenario's you refer to are self assessments or not, we certainly have them for most roles.

Good luck

DC10

Hello Bellasmum

Thanks, that is helpful and makes a lot of sense. I am familiar with the jobs website. It certainly makes it easier having so many suitable vacancies on one site.

Can you give me any clues about how much effort is usually put into covering letters? From what I can ascertain the Kiwis don't expect candidates to methodically address each "selection criterion" by writing a paragraph or two on each point. In Aussie that was expected, and meant it took the best part of a day to do each application properly.