As always, sorry to be coming and going so much. This has been the hardest 8 months (without my family) of my life. I am so close to giving up and going back home.
I don't want to. I love it here. BUT
Whether for senior roles or junior roles; whether for contract roles or permanent roles; whether for jobs that are a bit of a stretch or jobs that exactly match what I have done for years....
I cannot get a job because I don't have local work experience.
I made 2 recce / networking trips before moving here. I met over 100 people. They said repeatedly I was exactly what was needed in NZ and would have no trouble getting a job. They gave me names of other people to meet who said the same thing. I came here with what seemed 5 good to strong prospects.
None came through. One stayed in contact until the time I arrived, then would never respond after repeated, tactful, and well-spaced attempts.
Others decided they had nothing at the time.
But networking continued. Recruiters were generally a waste of time, and mostly non-responsive. A few were quite helpful though.
I came very close on 4 positions
- Came in 2nd on a risk management contract job to someone with local experience
- Came in 2nd on a sales position to someone inside the company
- One strung me along for 2 months with the promise of an offer within a week, then finally decided no. Boss wanted me, but his subordinates vetoed me as I had no local experience
- One indicated an offer within days, then backed off, said it might be outsourced, delayed, then just before the outsourced proposals were due, hired a local
I am hearing constantly for the last 2-3 months that the issue is that I do not have local experience. No one had said that before, but now I hear it constantly.
Just got rejected for an interview today for a job exactly matching my experience. In fact, I suspect the job description was written with my CV as a guideline. HR explicitly said that I didn't get the interview due to lack of local experience.
Had I not heard scores of times that I would have no trouble, my experience was perfect, gotten referrals, etc., I would think the problem was me. But nothing changed on my side.
Sorry to whinge. I am at a loss.
The only hope I can see is through Omega (http://www.omega.org.nz/). In addition to the mentoring mentioned on another thread, they also have corporate sponsors they work with who can provide 3-6 month contracts or 6 week volunteer positions to get over that hurdle.
I am hoping against hope that I can at least be considered good enough to work for free. I am so broken, that would feel like a victory.
Amazing.
On the other hand, if it works and can get me past the (absolutely ridiculous) hurdle of no local experience (despite 17 years of experience), it will be well worth it.
I am hoping too, to get some mentoring help. My networking really has been good. But I don't have anyone I can speak with candidly in my industry. I always have my game face on, and so can't ask some of the questions I need such as criticism of my CV, what to do when people don't respond to emails or calls, how long to wait before checking in, etc.
Trust me, I don't go into interviews with a negative attitude. In fact, of the 5 real interviews I have had, 4 almost led to an offer. It usually is a matter of getting past HR. 2 of the 4 almost offers were from networking. 1 of the 4 was through HR, but one where I had a good relationship with the CEO.
Point is, I really don't think it is me. It is that I have never worked here before.
Any advice? At what point do I give up?