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Thread: Can't find a job. Any advice??

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    11

    Default Can't find a job. Any advice??

    Hey guys and gals. I need some serious help.

    I'm an American on a working holiday visa living in Dunedin. My girlfriend and I arrived here on May 11th and I have been applying to all sorts of jobs all day everyday since we arrived and I haven't gotten any bites. My girlfriend and I really want to live here indefinitely and the only reason why I have a working holiday is it was the best option for me to be here and find work that might lead to residence in the future.
    I have a masters degree in Nutrition and have experience as an English as a second language teacher as well. If I find a full-time job I will have enough points to succeed in my Expression of Interest application but I can't seem to find any interested employers. I'm not sure what is the problem, anybody have any advice?

    I tailored my resume to fit the style here in NZ and I have my IRD, accounts, phone, and apartment all set up. I plan on living here but of course I need full-time employment to keep living here. I've applied to part-time and full-time jobs that fit my skill set ( with a broad broad brush ) and I
    m trying to avoid the hospitality and horticulture fields since that's not what I am interested in doing. What is the problem? I am getting pretty frustrated.

    A few jobs I am a perfect fit for have rejected me and I'm not sure what lies ahead. Is it my visa? Should I just keep up applying and wait? Is it too early? I wanted to get a work visa before I arrived but I talked with a lawyer down here and he said it would be near impossible if I'm not here already. Any recruitment agencies that people could recommend?

    We decided to live in Dunedin since it's close to the University which has a lot of jobs I qualify for. Also, it's the type of lifestyle we want to live. We went to Auckland and it just wasn't for us.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm pulling my hair out over here.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    California to Tasman Bay
    Posts
    1,137

    Default

    Perhaps you need to take a job, any job, even if it's not ideal. Continue to look and apply for your preferred job but you need NZ experience. Also, volunteer, join social groups, network. That's how it works here; it's who you know. You need to build up a NZ reputation so you can get a look.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Winnipeg -> Tauranga
    Posts
    53

    Default

    i was a canadian, applying for jobs from canada, with a really great CV and BN/MPH, and 10 + years of great experience. Looking back at my application spreadsheet (yes, applied to so many jobs I needed a spreadsheet), I applied for over 40 relevant positions in 6 months, before even getting an interview. In the end I got two amazing offers in the same week, and a in the perfect position in the perfect location, so alls well that ends well. I would regularly request feedback from hiring manager, and most of it was that I did not have connections to communities in NZ, which is important in health care, or they had an internal applicant in mind. If you have only been applying for a few weeks, I would relax, but also follow up with any hiring managers for feedback on your application. familiarity with you is probably key, and use requesting feedback as an opportunity to make connections with potential future employers. best of luck!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Whangaparaoa
    Posts
    472

    Default

    1) Your visa (working holiday) works against you. Many employers won't both with working holiday applicants.

    2) Lack of NZ experience. Unless an employer is desperate, they will almost always fall back on local, NZ experience first... Especially in smaller communities.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Hawke's Bay -New Zealand
    Posts
    526

    Default

    The government has a rule that NZ workers should/ have to come first before overseas workers. This could have a bearing on the situation.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    11

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by kdok View Post
    i was a canadian, applying for jobs from canada, with a really great CV and BN/MPH, and 10 + years of great experience. Looking back at my application spreadsheet (yes, applied to so many jobs I needed a spreadsheet), I applied for over 40 relevant positions in 6 months, before even getting an interview. In the end I got two amazing offers in the same week, and a in the perfect position in the perfect location, so alls well that ends well. I would regularly request feedback from hiring manager, and most of it was that I did not have connections to communities in NZ, which is important in health care, or they had an internal applicant in mind. If you have only been applying for a few weeks, I would relax, but also follow up with any hiring managers for feedback on your application. familiarity with you is probably key, and use requesting feedback as an opportunity to make connections with potential future employers. best of luck!
    Thanks a lot for this advice. It's encouraging and truthful. I will see if I can get a hold of some hiring managers from the jobs I was really well suited for.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    11

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by G-Mo View Post
    1) Your visa (working holiday) works against you. Many employers won't both with working holiday applicants.

    2) Lack of NZ experience. Unless an employer is desperate, they will almost always fall back on local, NZ experience first... Especially in smaller communities.
    So this begs the chicken and egg question of what someone like me can have first, visa or work. Thanks for your realistic advice.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    37,824

    Default

    It's not easy, ever, but by persevering, particularly when visiting the country and being there face to face, many forum members have managed it.

    Background in an old post. http://www.enz.org/forum/showthread....952#post359952

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    238

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Fern49 View Post
    The government has a rule that NZ workers should/ have to come first before overseas workers. This could have a bearing on the situation.
    This does not apply to those who already have work visas

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Blenheim
    Posts
    1,620

    Default

    Can I just add- Dunedin is not a very big 'market', and lots of people know someone who knows someone.., I would second the advice to try to volunteer, that way you meet people, and someone might be able to point you in the right direction, too.

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