Some advice about IT recruitment agencies in NZ - UK IT worker looking for some tips & experiences

[markoneswift]

Hi everyone, I'm heading to NZ soon to look for work in IT. Currently I'm working for local government here in the UK as a Technical Support Officer doing 1st, 2nd and 3rd line IT support work. Has anyone on this forum had experience of getting a job in IT using any of the big IT recruitment agencies ? I'm hoping to find a job advertised directly, but there do seem to be a lot of agency jobs advertised. I've tried agencies here in the UK before but never had much joy with them - I've always faired better by applying directly to employers.

Any advice, tips or hints would be great.

Thanks,

Justin.

[shawankit]

Agency and direct application both work in IT sector. . Contract jobs are more likely to be through agency.
NZ being a smaller IT market compared to other countries mean people work with internal contact and at times jobs are not advertised and are grabbed via contacts so its good to know people in Agency and as well as people working in different organisations.
Good luck on your job search.

[cappuccino]

Try this website https://jobs.govt.nz/. It's where nearly all government jobs are listed. Good luck.

[AdrianT]

Hi Justin,

Well I managed to get a job through an agency over here (Hays IT) whilst I was in the UK. OK - so my field was pretty specialized and there were not that many people in NZ that had my skills - so it certainly is possible. Now for the bad news - NZ (just like the rest of the world) is being hit by the headwinds of the global economic slowdown. So government recruitment is taking a hit. Plus there appears to be quite a bit of outsourcing of government IT to the private sector. So finding government IT jobs is going to be pretty tough at the moment. Just my 2p worth.

The main players in the outsourcing arena in Wellington (which is government central here) appear to be Datacom / Revera / Fujitsu - so perhaps a speculative CV dropped to them may be worth a shot.

Not sure that this helps much, but it's just my personal perspective on what I have found in the last 12 months since I arrived from UK


Adrian

[aprajogo]

Just to add on what Adrian said. If the skill needed is niche, they would consider applicants from outside NZ. But if they need people with skills like Web Design, SysDev, Business Analyst, they will focus only on the one that is in the country.
So far, cold calling doesn't work for me. They told me to check SEEK or TradeMe. maybe because the timing is not right.

Try to put your profile on http://www.newkiwis.co.nz/ too. People from Chamber of Commerce told me - during Job Search Workshop in ARMS - that employer check this website to find employee they want...

Agus

[Stephen Jones]

Thanks. Useful for me too.
Steve

[Karen Phillips]

I have a contact who is a senior IT Consultant with a recruitment firm in Auckland. I could send you her details privately or you could send me a message and I will pass on your cv. I have employed quite a few IT people in NZ when I was the head of IT at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and so still have good connections- especially if you would consider living in Tauranga - in my totally biassed opinion, the best place to live in NZ! Cheers. Karen

[webmister]

Recruitment agencies may not be of much help in your area of IT and sites like newkiwis.co.nz are as good as dead. I would recommend going to the companies directly and apply for jobs that are advertised by the companies. As someone said above local references are a must for any job. Being a newcomer you will have to start from very low e.g. if locals are being paid $25 per hour then you should make an offer of $20, that way they may follow up with you and take you seriously. Also if you think you can do level 3 work then you should aim only for level 1 or beginner level work.

The problem with recruiters is that they only promote those candidates to their clients who fit a certain criteria and local experience and references are the most important criteria for them. This is not to discourage you from trying them and sites like newkiwis, but try not to spend too much time on them as in the end you may find all your efforts on them going to waste.

[waylin]

Just back from a 4 month reccy in NZ,
Originally NZ born & bred but have spent 14 years in the Uk working in the It sector, so while there spent some time checking out the IT sector in Wellington where I used to work
Sadly the experience was sub optimal, agencies were not professional, they demand to see you in person and fill out numerous forms ..then you spend all your time chasing them. I received a lot of feedback on how IT in NZ was booming,....but for all the talk the reality seemed different.
NZ is a small village..very very small compared to Uk and Wellington is not London, ..and like a lot of small villages they seemed very wary of strangers..
despite being a kiwi..I was not received as one..all they could see was UK work exp and those I dealt with seemed to have difficulty dealing with that as they were not familiar with the companies or the types of work ....NZ has a different way of working, and you need to adapt . This has in turn made me wary as I do want to return and work..but when I do will do so with eyes a bit more open

[Stephen Jones]

Just back from a 4 month reccy in NZ,
Originally NZ born & bred but have spent 14 years in the Uk working in the It sector, so while there spent some time checking out the IT sector in Wellington where I used to work
Sadly the experience was sub optimal, agencies were not professional, they demand to see you in person and fill out numerous forms ..then you spend all your time chasing them. I received a lot of feedback on how IT in NZ was booming,....but for all the talk the reality seemed different.
NZ is a small village..very very small compared to Uk and Wellington is not London, ..and like a lot of small villages they seemed very wary of strangers..
despite being a kiwi..I was not received as one..all they could see was UK work exp and those I dealt with seemed to have difficulty dealing with that as they were not familiar with the companies or the types of work ....NZ has a different way of working, and you need to adapt . This has in turn made me wary as I do want to return and work..but when I do will do so with eyes a bit more open

Not good news. I'm on a recce in October. Much food for thought.