Gizmo27

Slight rant here.

I have been in NZ for almost 7 weeks now and have been looking for work left, right and center. I have applied for loads of jobs ranging from those in my field down to shelf stacking and the like at Pak' n Save, and am in contact with employment agencies and the like.

I have only been invited to one inverview (First week) and that didn't go anywhere. I have been on the Auckland Chamber of Commerce New Kiwi's course for new migrants and have a New Zealand Style CV and write my cover letters and apply as they said I should, but still no joy.

Now I must stress that I do realize that I will not exactly get a job overnight here!

The sticking point that I always come across is my lack of NZ work experience. The people always write back to say 'You have great work experience and we love it, but no NZ work experience so sorry, no job.'

How the heck am I meant to get NZ work experience without first getting a job in NZ??? It defies logic really.

Slight rant over.

shelloid

I can completely sympathise with you.

I was lucky enough to get a job before coming over (healthcare professional), but my OH had a hard time getting work.

He was applying for anything within his field (finance related) and for the junior posts he got told he had too much experience, and for the more senior posts he got told he didn't have relevant NZ experience! Super frustrating!

He did get a good job eventually but it took him nearly 3 months. Keep persevering, you'll get there.

Jan n Neil

It took me 6 months to get something decent keep pluging away

Neil

whitesand

It's all very well to tell folks to keep plugging away but they don't have an unllimited amount of money and with the horrid exchange rate have already lost money before they even began. This rubbish about lack of NZ experience is simply a way of maintaining a closed shop. I wonder how the Kiwis would feel if they experienced similar responses in the UK.

crap coffee

ridiculous, aren't they?

Small/isolated country, small minds.

racially divided, intolerant and brutal.

fed up that is.

Persephone

Yes but only Gizmo knows when enough is enough. I'm still looking after 6m. Luckily I've managed to get enough temp work for now but really want the security of a fulltime job.
Giz I don't know what you do but have you sent out CVs to all potential employers whether advertising or not? That has worked for me; in fact the recent interview I had came about through the place possessing my CV and was not an advertised position as far as I could see. Also the temp work I've been getting has all been through direct contact and not via agencies or adverts. Worked on the N Island for a year and got that job the same way!
Worth a try anyway

AH30

I have worked in the UK and it is very rare to here anything back from an employer when you are unsuccessful in a job application, usually they won't even have the time to write a letter or send an e-mail. Regarding NZ experience, this could just be the employer trying to be polite when telling you they found someone else, ie "please f*** off". I wouldn't read to much into the reason.

Wilester

Imagine a kiwi migrant being told you havent got enough UK experience They would laugh all the way to the where theres a blame theres a claim solicitor screaming racisim

AH30

I've been rejected for many jobs in my lifetime both in NZ and in the UK. One thing in common with NZ job rejections is I always got a PFO (Please F*** Off) letter in the post following the interview. In the UK I never heard anything. The PFO could be anything from the high quality of applicants to (in the case of immigrants) not having NZ experience.

JohnThePom

It's called empathy and encouragment whitesand. Personally, I'm hoping that Gizmo does get a job soon, I'm going to be in the same situation in a couple of months and I'd like Gizmo to be saying something like, "C'mon WP keep plugging away, it took me 10 weeks, but I got there in the end!! "

I'd rather not get posts from you saying, "I told you it was crap, you might as well cut your (substantial) losses and go home quickly before you're utterly doomed". EVEN IF IT'S TRUE!

The exchange rate fluctuations don't make you 'lose' money, unless you're moving money backwards and forwards over time between countries.

In some jobs having local experience is actually relevant.

My guess is that 'kiwis' would be just as pissed off as anyone else by bullshit excuses, after all they're not a different species.

So Gizmo - it took my Dad 6 months and one hundred and ten applications to get a job - but he got there in the end! So keep plugging away! Oh, and my partner got offered a job in her first telephone interview, so either all Kiwis aren't anti-brit or they just haven't realised that she's a foreigner yet!!

I'm curious about the NZ style CV. When I asked some time ago I was told that they were pretty much the same as UK ones. What's different?

Jan n Neil

Writing on Neil's behalf (while he is at work at 7am on a Sunday) in his short keep plugging away statement hides loads of really miserable long, dark days, wanting to go back to the UK (without me?) hating it in NZ, feeling unwanted, and it was only my job that was keeping us here as we burnt our bridges well and truly to come here. So we do understand.....

Jan x

Gizmo27

Layout - 3 pages max! and data contained really. The UK CV is very formal, the NZ one is more informal. You need to include intrests and hobbies on it, along with soft skills. (Something which I never include on a UK CV) as the NZ employer wants to see the "Whole" person, not just the working person.

I strongly recommend going on the Auckland (or whereever) Chamber of Commerce New Kiwi's course as they tell you how to write a NZ CV, NZ cover letter and what to expect in an NZ interview.

Very useful stuff I thought.

I don't have my notes handy, but PM me if you are intrested and I will send you the layout of a NZ CV when I find them.

sirplug

I have a friend who found it equally difficult to find a job. Every job applied resulted in a 'no, thanks' reply. She was then offered the following advice.

Write a CV and cover letter and send it to every company that is in 'your field' of work, listed in the Phone Book / Yellow Pages, whether they are advertising or not. Most jobs that are out there, aren't advertised, they're word of mouth. Within 2 weeks she was employed.

Good luck on your search, I hope you find something soon.

squarepants

It is difficult with an average of 150 applicants for every job - but word of mouth seems to be the way forward.

OH took a minimum wage job which hit us hard and the last year has been tough, but he's being actively sought out now by people in his field. I think you have to earn your stripes here all over again and at some point in the next 12 months there will be a dramatic change in our circumstances. He's spent 25 years climbing to the top, he'll have spent 18 months back at the bottom then bounce right back up again. Very strange.

For me, I volunteer locally and it was a reference given over the phone by a co-ordinator in this time zone which got me the job I'm in now.

It wasn't my reason for volunteering, it's something I've done for years where ever we've been, but it differentiated me from the other applicants. My boss has since told me, if I was willing to work that hard for nothing - I'd be a real work horse with a salary to motivate me.

A verbal reference from someone with a kiwi accent goes a long way over here, and volunteering is a great way to network.

Good luck

dannigirl

Just remember that kiwi's returning find it hard as well, I have been here (UK) for 8 years and the biggest difficulty for me when I return WILL be my lack of recent kiwi experience. I know it's not the same but still anxiety provoking.

If there were two applicants with the same qualifications one kiwi who has only worked in NZ and me. I would understand why they would go for the other applicant.

Do keep plugging away, it does pay off in the end. Look in the update section a guy called ble (I think) he was really at the end of his tether but got there in the end!