[Midgey]

OK we are now a bit further on making our decision - but heard something that has thrown me a bit today, and wondered if anyone here could answer my question.

We heard that we should 'be prepared to have plenty of knockbacks/refusals regarding finding work as there is very much an inbred resistance regarding giving work to people who have not got any "kiwi" experience - a positive cheerful attitude is a must despite what may be weeks of frustration'.

Is this the norm so to speak and has anyone on here come across this ??

Thanks in advance
:)

[StevieD]

In some respects that is correct, it is a bit of a catch 22 situation as employers are a bit wary of giving people jobs if you not in NZ, (unless they desperately short in those professions) as it takes a while to get used to the differences here.

But they do value the fact that you have made the move and it isn't too difficult to get a job once you find the right one.

Like any job market, it takes time and you can't be successful in every interview.

[Kerry and David]

I guess some of it depends what job you are looking for. I don't know about other peoples experience and we are yet to arrive in NZ, but we have had great success on the job front. We were out on a reccie last week and my husband got offered 3 jobs, one he accepted with a start date in August.
He started looking before we arrived and put his C.V out so some of the groundwork was done in advance.

Kerry

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

My personal experience is quite the opposite (I'm in IT). No problems at all, but there are probably as many non-kiwi's as locals in my industry.

OH had a little of this - she's an administrator. She interviewed for jobs at a higher skill/responsibility than she ultimely took and was rejected due to lack of 'recent' experience. This wasn't neessarily non-kiwi experience, but she had been running an ebay shop from home for a few years, so had been out of the corporate working environment.

I think it really depends on what industry you are in, but once you're here I don't really think you'll find that to be as much of a problem as seems to have been suggested.

They bang on here about skills shortages all the time, so if you're skilled/experienced/qualified enough there should be no issues.

[Nick88]

Frankly there are so many immigrants here that many workplaces have at least one. If ever you do get the impression the interviewer is biased against immigrants, it will be a pretty rare occasion. The boss in both of jobs I have had here were immigrants, so not an issue.