Job Hunting and CV

[pooh]

Hello Everyone,

It's been almost 2 months after the ITA lodgement and another 4 months remaining to pick my file by INZ. So until it is picked up, I have a few question for you guys.

I thought to keep myself busy and make a CV for future job applications. Even it is true that it is very rare to get a job offer unless you have a proper visa to work in NZ legally, we have to answer the INZ interview question whether we have applied for any jobs. I think I should answer positively and provide evidence of job applications too.

I searched in seek.co.nz and found that most of the advertisements are from recruitment agencies. Is it recommended to register with them now and say that currently I'm in offshore and waiting for residence visa? Then should I inform them once I get the RV? I'm not much familiar with those agencies and please let me know how they are working.

Other thing is my CV. I read a lot of articles with regarding NZ CV as well as forum posts which made a few years ago. According to them some has suggested to explain the work in detailed in the CV and it is OK to continue up to 4 pages and others has said to restrict the CV to 2 pages only.
Can we discussed and share opinions on these subjects?


Thanks a lot.

[Mohit27]

Good thought Pooh!.. I would be happy to see an answer from some experienced person on this.. CV is an important part of job hunt.
And if there's a preffered way of making one for NZ jobs then lets do it.

[wellywearer]

Hi there,

From my experience I'm not sure if agencies would sign you up yet. They might be interested in your skills, but say let us know when you're in town. They can be really useful and helpful, but they're not going to spend too much time on someone not in the country and if you've not a visa or landing date yet either...
My advice would be, sure contact them (with your CV), let them know you're interested in x job they're advertising but that you're not in the country yet and can you see them/speak to them once you do get dates/visa?

On CV length I thought, oh 4 pages sounds long...so I checked my own and you guessed it, it's 4 pages long! To be fair I do have 20 years experience in the job market. Concentrate on the information you want to put in the CV. If it's 2 pages great and if it's 4 fine, but remember relevance is more important than length. It might also be that different fields have different preferences, once you do start a dialogue with a recruitment agency they may be able to advise you further.

Good luck

[macosare]

Hello pooh.. I am likewise doing job hunting right now here in NZ and have talked to some recruitment agencies already. As I am on a visitor visa, I ask if it would be advisable to apply jobs on their website where I find myself suitable. I was told that it would be great if I have work visa ready because they cannot process me anyway as legality to work in NZ is required first and foremost unless an employer is willing to sponsor a work visa for you. My field is on administration and recruitment which I believe has high competition here as most kiwis are available for this post. I would advise that you may also give it a try applying online even you are overseas specially if your field is in demand or highly needed here in NZ.

As for the CV, I agree with wellywearer that relevance is way important than the length. It is advisable that you follow the NZ format in writing CV. You may see sample of this at Careers New Zealand website.

I hope this info could be of help.

[pooh]

Ah how can I didn't receive email notifications for last two posts on this thread. I just came here and noticed them.

Anyway Thanks wellywearer and macosare for your valuable replies.

I already created 2 CVs. One with 2 pages and other one spans just a half to the third page. In the 2 page CV i didn't elaborate the responsibilities in the previous work in detailed. In the other one I categorized responsibilities, strength and achievements. So I think second CV is clearly explained who I'm even it spans to the third page. Therefore, my plan is to customize the 3 page CV according to the relevancy of the job vacancy and submit along with a covering letter.

As you both explains, there is almost no point of applying to recruitment agencies with out a valid work visa. Therefore, my plan is to go through accredited employers list and apply directly to them mentioning my current situation. So then I can be prepared for the immigration interview based on their replies.

Thanks guys.

[alex1971]

Yes, It's all so...

[US_to_NZ]

My CV is two pages long and I got quite a few replies from NZ employers. However, they all stop communicating once I mention that I'll need to apply for a work visa...

[pooh]

Didn't you mention your USA address and contact numbers in the CV or cover letter?

[US_to_NZ]

No, my CV says "Relocating to Auckland" and I provided my Skype NZ number.

[MaryGreen]

Frankly speaking I don't get what's the difference how many pages are there in your CV? Some people have lot's of experience, so it won't go even in 10 pages and some don't. My first CV, that I made with the help of http://craftresumes.com/ had just 1,5 and still I got the job. It just has to give the fullest information about you. And what is really important don't be shy while making a CV, mention as much things that you can do as possible.