Ask the expert: Feedback vital in your new job

Dr Marie Wilson is associate professor of management at the University of Auckland, research director of the ICEHOUSE business accelerator and a veteran of 20 years in corporate management and small business.

Any tips on the first 100 days in a new job?

In the first few months you are seeking to find out everything you can to perform your job, and at the same time the organisation is trying to figure out if you are going to fit in and perform well.

Both of these can be furthered if you and your manager take sufficient time up front to specify what is expected as well as how things are normally done in the organisation.

Asking for feedback as you go, maybe in an informal setting, will also help you to gauge your progress.

Make sure to ask for feedback in a way that gets a full and frank response.

The question "is everything okay?", for example, seldom gets much in return. These questions are better: "What could have been done differently?" or "Can you think of a better approach?" These will gain solid advice.

At the same time, feed your network. You are only the new kid on the block for a short while.

During that period you can introduce yourself to almost everyone and get them to talk to you about their responsibilities, history and connections to build a picture of the formal and informal structure of the workplace.

Ask to attend meetings and briefings and to be included in customer and internal interactions, enlarging your network while you absorb the way things are done.

What chances or opportunities exist in the human resources, administrative and managerial fields for migrants from South Africa? I hold an honours degree in industrial sociology, a human resources management diploma and have completed my first masters year in industrial relations and HR.

I have applied to move to New Zealand in the very near future and am concerned that these qualifications might still not secure a fairly well-paid job.

Will I need to upgrade these qualifications once again when in New Zealand?

While you are very well-qualified from an educational perspective, you haven't noted any experience. A solid track record, preferably in a well-recognised company, would certainly help your case.

Employers may also want local experience and expertise, particularly in HR management, where very different employment law requirements have a dramatic impact on local practice.

As a rule of thumb, most significant career changes - change of country, industry or field - involve stepping down one or two levels and then re-establishing expertise and networks in the new environment before progressing.

When career researchers talk about seven to 10 careers in a lifetime, they are talking about a series of up-and-down movements through such changes, not an eternal upward progression.

With a realistic view of entry level, chances are relatively good, although there are a number of media and Government reports that document the difficulties immigrants face in breaking into our labour market.

Salaries vary widely. New Zealand ranks relatively poorly on salaries for managers and professionals.

You can contact the New Zealand Institute of Management (www.nzim.co.nz), professional organisations such as the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand (www.hrinz.org.nz) or other groups for specific information on professional requirements and job conditions.

Web searches will often pick up salary details and survey results for New Zealand managers and professionals and there are several sites for cost-of-living information.

The combination should give you a better idea of your likely lifestyle during the first year or two of your residency. Allow plenty of time for job searching: a rule of thumb is one to two months per $10,000 of annual salary.

Send your questions to: julie_middleton@nzherald.co.nz