[Going2NZ]

Hi all -

Here I am in Wellington, missing the silliest things about the US, and job hunting. So my question: is anyone working as a graphic designer in NZ (or art director, creative director, etc.) that could give me some idea of what the differences are between design in the US vs. NZ?

I just get the feeling that there is something I'm missing...

Susan

[Moorf]

I'm pretty sure that a forum member (who no longer posts) is a graphics designer AND she is in Welly - I'll PM her for you and ask if she can give you some advice.

:nice1

[Going2NZ]

Thanks Moorf. I would appreciate it.

Susan

[Smiler]

Susan

Have pm'd you

D

[Jodie]

Hi Susan,

I'm in Welly and I'm a web designer, so not quite the same thing as you'll probably be looking for, but maybe I can give a little advice from my experience!

When I was looking for work, some of the better agencies with that kind of work were Searchworks, QIDR (although the woman there - Michelle I think - wan't too friendly or helpful, but they did have design/creative director jobs so you've gotta put up with her!), Neal Andrews and maybe Candle... Give them a go - see what they say. Otherwise, just scour the Dominion Post on Wednesdays and Saturdays, seek.co.nz (in the IT and advert/media/entertainment section too!), netcheck.co.nz (not the best but worth keeping an eye on - same with jobuniverse.co.nz) , and just do what I did - work your way through the Yellow pages and sell yourself. Fire off CV's to as many companies as you can and talk to people - lots of people 'know of' jobs going - you never know what that person stood next to you at the bar might know! :o)

So how long have you been here? Where are you living? Have you got your PR? Where are you from? (Sorry - you've probably explained all this somewhere here already but as Moorf said, I don't come here that often any more so apologies for that!)

Good luck with it - just yell if you need anything else.

Cheers for now,

Jodie

[Going2NZ]

Hi Jodie-

I've been here a just under a week and finally feel like I'm in the right timezone. Right now I'm staying at one of the local backpackers and spending my days applying for jobs online, exploring the city and getting things set up for the rest of the family to make the move. We got PR <yeah!> a few months ago but I wasn't able to find a job long-distance. Kept getting the "call us when you're in town" line. I probably haven't been as persistent as I need to be but I'm gearing up to it. I guess I've been a bit overwhelmed by everything. I've had great experiences so far - the friendliness is true and I've had total strangers go out of their way to be nice. I'm from the US - Texas but not originally.

I know what you mean by QIDR - good to know it wasn't personal. And I'm familiar with Neal Andrews but I hadn't heard of the other two so thanks for the tip, I'll check them out. Have you had any experience with Hudson? I've found the most postings on Seek and in the Dominion Post. Realistically, I know that tihs sort of thing takes time but after waiting so long to get over here I guess I'm being impatient. That, and so many other decisions are based on getting a job - like finding a place to live.

My goal today was to make a list of graphic companies in town and starting sending out CVs. Since I'm not from NZ, I thought I'd call one or two and see if they'd be willing to show me how design works NZ-style. Like I put in my original post, I feel like there is something I'm missing - secret handshake maybe? ;-)

Seriously though, the culture is so different in many subtle ways, I don't know if I'm coming off too pushy (which is pretty funny if you knew me) or too wishy-washy or just too clueless.

Thanks for your advice.

Susan