[xanctus]

Hello everyone, I have a quick question regarding job hunting from outside NZ. Do you think that since the applicants is not in the NZ soil, make more companies reluctant to go to the next step(interview for example)?. I'm begining to worry. What if I go there so when I apply for job at least they/companies know that I'm in the same place. However, if I go there and then I can't get a job?? hmmm that would be painfull.... :uhoh :wah

FYI, my field is IT industry and Graphic Designs industry.
Anybody knows/experience my dilema?
This is what make me stress out about going to NZ. We all know that it's better to have a job offer before u leave to NZ. However, since we're not in NZ soil...it's almost impossible to get a job (even phone interview). What do you all think?

[adamsat]

Hi xantus,

I'm going through a simular experience. I've only been applying for jobs for around 6 weeks so far, but it seems as though if you aren't already in NZ with PR or a work permit then there isn't much hope.
I'm in the telecomms / IT field, and have seen plenty of jobs advertised that fit my capabilities and experience, but have the same worries as you about going there and then not being able to get a job.

Regards

Andy

[sarahw]

Hi Xanctus,

What I would suggest is doing a quick search on the web to find some good job agencies in the city which you would like to emigrate to in NZ and send your CV to them letting them know when you will be coming to NZ. If you get a response - the next step is to get on the phone to them and show your commitment and interest - get them working for you. You'll need to set a date to go over so that you can have interviews and I understand it is a worry but it can be done - we were there last week & came away with a job by doing the same.

If you can get some dialogues going with some agencies you'll be ahead of the game and may be able to land some interviews when you are over.

Here's a government website I've just found for you that gives IT recruitment agencies:

http://www.kiwicareers.govt.nz/lists/vacancy/vaclist.htm

Hopefully there'll be an agency in there who can help you. If not then there's some really good agencies out there if you have a quick search on ask or lycos.

Good luck! :hopeso

[clg]

I can certainly relate. I think employers are going to look to people overseas as a last resort, it is just harder for them.

I had an email exchange with a recruiter who agreed, you need to have at least the legal right to work in NZ or be there to get consideration. My plan is to wait until I have the legal right to work then I will start applying again. If that does not work out we still plan on moving out and we will find something then. It is a bit risky but I think as long as the economy is still doing OK the risk is manageble.

[xanctus]

Sarah,
Thank's so much for providing us the link of that job agencies. I would definately try out some of them. By the way, I actually did send a resume to one of the agent a month ago, and they sent me email once. Asking about when are planning to come, and how did I find them and so forth. Maybe I should call them; show some interests and show some commitment just like u said.

Anyway, to clg and adam...we should not give up trying eh? there is always hope just like what Aragorn said in the Lord of The Rings :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[Moorf]

As you will see from my latest post on "Moorf & Woz the early days" Woz was told, by a recruitment agent that he met up with yesterday, to apply DIRECT to companies as most aren't using agencies as they don't want to pay the fees!!!!

For the IT industry you definitely need to be here in NZ... other professions may do telephone interviews (teaching / medical) but this is not the norm for IT industries.

[xanctus]

Moorf,
Thx for the reply...yeah I guess it's better to be there in person for IT fields. However, what I fear is that even though we were there it won't be easy to find a job either. No?

[Ivar_79]

Hey guys,

Just one question, how does New Zealand job agencies work?I mean how would they take their commissions?Would it be out of our salaries?Or would the corresponding company pay these agencies their commision.

Do we end up paying some 40% of our salary for a period of time like some of the agencies that I have found here in my country? :eek

Appreciate all info!

Cheers

[renrob]

hi ivar,
some agencies specially if your outside nz will ask for a $2K nz in advance and will try to look for a suitable job for you as what you have mentioned in your cv. if they found an employer who is willing to give you a job permit then you have to pay the agency an extra $3k nz, for short a total cost of $5k nz. if they can't find you an employer then they will return haft of the advance payment you paid them.

if you're planning to go to nz my tips is better be prepared with tons of certification in IT field like MCSE, cisco and other stuff. agencies prioritize applicants with the certification. i don't have an idea if the agency will charge you for their services.

[Moorf]

Hmmm I don't know what agencies you guys are using but any reputable, recruitment agency will get their fees from the company they are recruiting for.. NOT you!

I'd be highly suspicious if being asked for a fee ......

[Woz]

Yep, any agency that asks you for money is a rip off and should be avoided at all costs. The normal way they operate is charge your employer a finder fee which is normally a % of your first year salary.

This is NOT taken out of your wages; it’s an extra fee your employer has to pay.

This note relates to recruitment agencies. This might not be the case for other types of agency.

[feeble]

Although I haven't received that firm offer yet, I found an employer who's very interested in hiring me and I didn't go to NZ for interviews. After I visited nz last february there was no doubt on my head. I wanted to move to nz. So I started seacrhing the web for jobs and most of the time I received a polite no because I wasn't in nz or didn't have any new plans to visit nz within a relatively short time. A couple of months ago I received an email from a recruitment agency telling me that they found a company that was interested in my skills (comms engineering).
Now I must say that I have been lucky that someone from the company in nz was about to visit europe, so they were prepared to interview me.
Of course there was a telephone interview first and that went well.
A few weeks later I found myself sitting under the eiffel tower talking to that guy from the company. And now they want to hire me. Every two weeks or so I hear from the recruitment agency that things are progressing in the right direction and that all I have to do is to wait for a firm offer (I already have all my documents sorted except the offer).
And that's what I doing at the moment.
So don't give up and go for it, I'm sure that there are more companies prepared to do the same, specially since there are a lot of shortages at the moment :nice1

[xanctus]

Thank's for sharing the experience of yours...that would be a good experience I must say. However, many of the company representative from NZ more likely will come to Europe rather than come to USA. I have read many things about NZ presentation in UK this date and this time. However, I have not heard anything like that in US.

Nonetheless, good job Feeble :nice1 :clap
:hopeso that you will get the offer anytime soon.

[Babette & Andy]

Thanks for sharing your positive experience Feeble :nice1 Gives up to the rest of us that if we perservere a job with your name on it is out there.

Xanctus - hang in there. Are there any migration agents in the US that provide any advice? You may need to plan a trip for a number of weeks to NZ to make your dreams become reality. Continue to send many e-mails to companies and agencies before you go, telling them when you'll be in their cities and can you meet with them.
That's what we did and most were very willing to meet with Andy. How successful these mtgs will be we'll find out next week :hopeso

Take care
Babette :cheers

[xanctus]

Babette & Andy, thx for the encouragement. I appreciate that!
We are planing to come to NZ sometimes early next year. Hopefully, with that kind of action, will boost up our perfromance of getting an interview and ( :hopeso ) get a job offer as well.

[funkstar deluxe]

I think it depends what business your in.
I have been getting email alerts for over a year from Seek.co.nz, the NZ herald, the dominion post and no-one is interested until Im in NZ

Simply put, few employers give jobs to people they've never met. As well as skills on paper, its a personality thing, a fitting into the team thing. If you worked in London and applied for a job in Bristol the same would still apply

Get on a plane, put yourself in front of them, demonstrate your commitment. Yes its a wad of cash but consider it investment in the future.

Im returning to the UK from 1 working week in NZ, with a job offer from the first people I saw. Fluke? possibly. But I had 4 appointments a day, everyday - you've got to get all stalker on them!

I started by emailing my CV, examples of my work, then phoning them to talk about my chances/advice so I'd groomed them all, just a quick mail the week before and a phonecall to agree a time when I arrived.

Got some sh*t from immigration for only having a week,
I said "I come to your country to spend my money. Arent you happy that I came - even for a week?"
He said suspiciously "Well, its a pretty expensive week"
I said "Well, do you know how much I earn?"
that shut him up

Good luck, use everything you've got

[leslie]

when i was 20 went travelling tru states for 2 weeks with only small backpack and tennis racquet and customs decided i was a drug dealer (tall, thin blue-eyed wholesome looking... an obvious association). after a lengthy battle which involved displaying my knickers to every single businessman within miles and weighing films, sampling cosmetics etc, they attacked my return flight. so how do we know you will leave the usa?? i lost my temper, possibly swore and said 'because i have to go to university'. agent looked at me and asked when. i replied '12 hours after i land', she laughed and waved me through. ever since this i have notiuced that when you use humour with these people it works a treat. enough rambling...

my hub has sent out several cv's direct because we didn't feel any joy or even competence emanating from agents, and not a single reply a week later. sure to be some marital bias invovled but it is hard to believe they can afford to be so with someone having his qualifications - they aren't exactly growing on trees over there. a bit depressing. have to remember they dont work with same urgency as in uk - one of the cool things about nz. is that what you call the sting in the tail???

[funkstar deluxe]

Really? What worked for me was punching him in the throat and beating him with his own night stick!

Well, thats how I imagined it :) Hope everyone has seen High Fidelity when Ray comes into the shop