Job-seek tips for immigrants

By ANGELA McCARTHY

New Kiwis often struggle to find jobs in New Zealand, despite an enormous desire to be employed. Yes, racism is part of the problem, but developing New Zealand-friendly job seeking techniques can make a difference.

Get New Zealand work experience

Lack of local experience is a huge obstacle - yet how do you get local experience if employers won't employ you?

Try voluntary work experience, says career consultant Astrid Van Holten of Career Services, a national government-funded career agency that offers one-on-one counselling and workshops to immigrants. "This provides New Zealand-based experience and the chance to get a New Zealand reference or referee," she says.

However Gilbert Peterson, spokesperson for the Employers and Manufacturing Association (Northern), says employers can be reluctant to take volunteers, particularly in factories, because of health and safety issues.

An eight-week work experience programme run by Work and Income and the Chamber of Commerce has put 32 immigrants in jobs this year. Another 37 are now doing work experience, says Work and Income Auckland regional commissioner Peter Anderson.

Put your CV into a Kiwi format

Make sure your CV is up-to-date and New Zealand-specific. Short one-pagers are not popular in New Zealand. Nor are long chronological CVs.

"Employers want to know about strengths and skills, not what you did when you were 15. So highlight roles, experiences, strengths and skills that meet the job description," says Yogini Joshi, Work and Income case manager and employer adviser for the Three Kings Auckland Migrant Resource Centre.

"Avoid anything that suggests you're an immigrant, such as your passport number. It is not relevant."

Think carefully about competencies, says Auckland University of Technology career centre counsellor Melanie Holland, who helps run career planning workshops for immigrant women.

"You may not have great oral communication, but excellent written skills. If you don't know your own strengths, ask someone you trust who knows you well."

CV templates can be found on websites, at Work and Income offices, migrant resource centres, tertiary institutions and the like.

Get your home-country qualifications assessed

Get your home country qualifications and documentation assessed and recognised here as soon as possible through the New Zealand Qualifications Authority which has a qualifications evaluation service.

New Zealanders expect workers to be versatile

New Zealand businesses take a generalist approach, so customer service skills are often required. This is alien to many immigrants used to specialisation in large companies. "You need to highlight your transferable skills as well as your industry skills to show you recognise the need to multi-task," say Joshi.

Target the place you want to work

A take-anything, work-anywhere attitude isn't helpful. Employers hire people who specifically target their company and the position.

"Don't be a job beggar. Identify the environment you want to work in rather than sending heaps of CVs everywhere," says Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett.

Get out and meet people

Networking is all-important. "Only 30 per cent of jobs are advertised," says Joshi, who recommends immigrants make contact with people through professional associations, schools, parent-teacher evenings, community bodies: anything that exposes new Kiwis to the New Zealand way. Enrolling in courses to increase skills, such as computer and communication skills, also opens up networking opportunities, says Holland.

Prepare for the job interview

This is your chance to sell yourself. Work out how to talk about why your skills and experience fit the job description.

Follow the interviewer's lead about introductions and names. Don't put a salutation before a first name - no "Mr Jason".

Look older people in the eye. New Zealanders expect you to look at them when talking, says Joshi, so practise looking at people directly, but without staring. Other things to watch are that you don't engage in two-handed handshakes; that your tone of voice isn't too loud or quiet; that you don't interrupt, and that you don't bring up topics such as salary in an initial interview.

Anglicising names

Advisers and employers have mixed views about whether you need to anglicise your name. Joshi suggests you abbreviate if pronunciation is likely to cause embarrassment.

"It is a cultural tendency to shorten names here. I'm sometimes called Yogi." However, Barnett feels name changes are degrading. Other employers say it makes them feel more comfortable to see a name they can pronounce.

Practice your English at every opportunity

English fluency opens many doors. Listen to television and radio. Talk to Kiwis. Tape your voice, then listen to the tape and work on your accent, says Joshi. Many employers worry about miscommunication: "If instructions aren't understood or signs not comprehended, then the employer is putting the new worker, the business and himself on the line," says Work and Income's Peterson.

How can I combat racism?

Sadly, racist attitudes will sometimes still be a huge obstacle no matter how good your CV, interview and job-search techniques. You can try and find good employers when job hunting by approaching one of the 300-odd members of the Equal Employment Opportunities Trust Employers Group.

Useful resources for new Kiwis

Auckland Regional Migrant Service phone (09) 625-2440

Migrant Resource Centre phone (09) 419-4437

New Kiwis website (Chamber of Commerce and New Zealand Immigration Service)

Auckland New Ventures (Auckland City Council, NZIS and the Ministry of Social Development): Hi-q.org.nz

New Zealand Qualifications Authority evaluation service