The Job Search
For most people considering a move to New Zealand, securing a job offer is an absolutely vital part of that process. Having skilled employment has become the glue that binds the rest of an application together, and while that wasn’t always the case, I don’t see the current need for a job offer, changing any time soon. It does make sense, because claiming you are skilled is one thing, but proving it, through having a job offer in the country you plan to move to is quite another.
Most countries globally are moving to a system that rewards skilled applicants, based on the work they do, not the work that their CV suggests they might do, and New Zealand is no exception, having moved to this employment required model over the last decade. It also means that we are securing the skills we need, not as judged by a Government official, but by the intended recipient of those skills - New Zealand employers.
It does however create a challenge for the prospective migrant - how to find that job offer, without having the right to work here in hand. The unfortunate “chicken and egg” situation that arises from needing a job to get the Work Visa, but (some) employers demanding a Work Visa before offering the job. Ultimately it means you have to be smarter, more creative and have a much thicker skin.
This week we look at some of the factors that contribute to a successful search, tips you can use to improve your chances and a few things you should absolutely avoid, if you are going to tackle this task properly. While we are not recruiters, we are are definitely at the pointy end of the job search process and have shared the highs and lows with many a client over the years.
Your Skills
I often say to my prospective clients that the job search revolves around three things - your skills and what you bring to the equation, the market, where you will endeavour to sell those skills and then finally the effort you put in to the search and how you approach it. The first and second factors are measurable, given you know your skills and can get an estimation as to the market for them. The third one, the effort you put in, is a very different matter.
However to address the first point, the skills you have, the key thing here is to consider that this is measure in two parts. The first is whether or not those skills, which can be made up of work experience, qualifications or both, meet the criteria for skilled in terms of securing residence. You might consider yourself skilled in a particular field, but of course our visa system operates its own definition of that word - usually measured by where your occupation falls within the Australian New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) which will eventually be replaced by our own National Occupations List (NOL). We also consider how much you might earn here as a determinant of skill as well.
What You Bring To The Table
The skills you bring to the process will be crucial in estimating how employable you are, although it is often useful to consider these skills objectively.
Assuming your profile does stack up to those criteria, the next thing you want to identify is how those skills will translate here. Some skills are easily transportable, whereas others can be quite location specific (think tax accountants).
It is important to be realistic about how relevant your skills will be in the New Zealand market, particularly if you work in very location specific or niche roles. That doesn’t mean you can’t apply but it might require you to upskill or to adapt along the way.
We also like to think quite highly of the skills we have achieved - and why wouldn’t we, and of course that can often lead to CV’s that are a little embellished or perhaps paint a slightly more enthusiastic picture. There is of course no harm in “selling yourself” but make sure that you haven’t sold that to yourself - be realistic about how your skills and experience will translate in a new country, do you have the required length of experience to be competitive, especially given you will be up against other locals (who dont need visas) and potentially other migrants with far greater levels of experience.
I recently consulted with a very enthusiastic young man from South Africa, who had all the right intentions, but only a year of experience. Technically yes, with a job offer he could qualify, but practically speaking, it would be a challenge. I suggested he look for work here, but also work on gaining more experience whilst doing so, because ultimately having the experience makes you more attractive.
A good way to manage this process and to assess how transportable your skills are is though undertaking an initial assessment of your eligibility for a visa and a good adviser will cover these details, because after all, securing the right kind of job offer, and having a realistic chance of doing so is all part of the visa process.
The Market
The second factor you need to consider is whether or not there is a viable market for the skills you can bring. If you have established that with your experience and qualifications, there is a visa pathway for you, you need to determine the appetite for those skills, the best places to look and what sort of competition you might be up against.
There are a lot of ways you can do this, but the most obvious is to look online at the various job websites (www.seek.co.nz and www.trademe.co.nz are two significant ones) and simply count up how many relevant roles appear. Just bear in mind however that these are jobs that have been listed and there is a river of opportunities available just under the surface, with employers who would be keen to hire a new recruit but aren’t yet actively in the market place - we call this the hidden job market.
Unearthing Opportunities
Labour markets move and demand for roles change, so its important to keep a close eye on what the market is doing.
The one thing you don’t want to do however is assume that because your occupation is on a list (the Green List is the main one) that this means there is a demand. Government lists tend to become outdated relatively quickly and so even though they might have a faster or simpler pathway to residence, it doesn’t necessarily mean the jobs are raining from the sky.
Do your homework, research online and talk to people here that you know. You could even connect to companies in your line of work using social media (LinkedIn is good for this) and speak to people in NZ in that industry to get a handle on what the market might look like - this has the two-fold advantage of helping you to build good connections here as well (more on this below).
It is also useful to keep an eye on general trends (unemployment rates etc.) but also bear in mind that these numbers show a picture of an entire labour market. Whilst the news might look dire generally, specific sectors are still crying out for people. Our current unemployment rate is 5.2% which has many economists crying in to their notepads, but compared to many other countries, that would be a number to aspire to.
Different sectors and industries will have very different levels of demand available and this also applies to different regions. New Zealand has some amazing opportunities available in the regions or basically anywhere outside of Auckland - so remember to expand your search.
Creating a good, clear picture of the market for your skills and where the market might be stronger (e.g. which cities or towns) will ultimately help you to refine your search and concentrate your efforts.
Your Approach
The final factor in the job search equation is the effort you put in - not necessarily the volume of that effort but how clever you are about deploying it. I have seen far too many people travel here to seek out that mythical job, only to end up sitting inside, firing off online applications by the wheelbarrow full. I often clarify with potential clients that its quality versus quantity in this process. Applying for 5 jobs a day, and putting in the right research, effort and approach is far more productive than sending 100 applications that all look the same.
Input Equals Output
The amount effort an applicant puts in to the process is crucial and you have to be creative in your approach, given the disadvantage of not having a visa in hand.
I have worked with some incredibly skilled and highly qualified people, for whom the market is ripe with opportunities - only to see them struggle, because they lacked the drive to make it work. They did eventually get there of course, but only after appreciating that having a good CV and cover letter alone, isn’t going to win the race.
Conversely I have worked with other applicants who have had marginal skillsets or work in occupations that are very niche and not quite as marketable here, who have managed to get the job offer relatively quickly. Their success attributable to the effort they put in, but more importantly to how they direct that effort - pulling every lever and using every tool available.
As you dont have the right to work already in hand, you are already at a disadvantage, so you have to be smarter, faster and more diligent in your approach. One of my team here commented today (as I was suggesting this post) that most migrants should see the job search in the say way they might see having a full time job. Put in the effort, be strategic, take your time and work all the angles - then give yourself a rest and start again the next day.
There is no easy answer to this conundrum and that is also something I explain to clients. There are no one-click solutions or package deals that will land you that all important job offer - you simply have to put in the effort and be smart in doing so. It also takes time, so don’t expect to jump online and secure the first job you see…you will get a lot of rejections and being prepared for that will make the process a little easier. The odds however are in your favour, because even if you get 99 knock-backs and one employer says yes…you are still the winner.
For some applicants, being here is also potentially a game-changer, although to be fair, I have worked with a lot of clients recently who have managed to secure the job offer from offshore, so I suspect that for certain roles and for certain individuals, securing a job offer before arriving is achievable, although I would still always encourage an applicant to consider spending some time here as part of the search process.
The key here is to be clever, to use the right tools and if you have done your homework in terms of how your skills will translate and that there is a market for you, then securing a job offer will hopefully just be a matter of time.
We Can Help
People often approach us for assistance with the job search exclusively and as I will tell them, I am not a recruiter but considering I work with clients day in, day out, looking for work we are familiar with how this process works. For our clients we do offer support in terms of that search, which doesn’t mean we make job placements, but it does mean that we can review CV’s, provide advice on where and how to look and engage with potential employers to discuss the visa process form their perspective as well.
What we can do and always do is look at how employable our prospective clients are, at the very start of the process and usually before they make the decision to move ahead. I think its really important for a prospective migrant to not only understand their visa options but also to understand what their chances of securing work might look like - particularly if that work is going to be the key to them securing those visas.
I also actively encourage applicants to do their own homework, and to be realistic about their chances, appreciating that it will take time, a lot of clever tactics, and some sweat and tears to make the search successful.
If you are considering the move and want to understand more about how the job search process can work, how your skills might reflect in the current labour market and of course whether those skills will lead you to a new life in New Zealand - get in touch with the team today.
Until next week.
