Employment in New Zealand

I met a job-seeker who has been in NZ for the last few months and in our meeting he was constantly complaining about the employment market, recruiters, job boards and his agent from his home country. He was frustrated about his job application rejections besides the fact that he felt he had the required relevant experience. He asked me, “Is that right on how I am being treated in NZ job market?” in a tone that he was the victim of wrongdoing. I tried to explain him that key question wasn’t whether it’s right or not, although one would tend to agree with him in principle. The key question is what are you doing about it? “Are you playing victim or are you adapting?” I asked him, “if you’re being robbed, you don’t just sit around thinking…Oh, why is this happening to me? Why me? This is not right. Instead, you react. You shout for help or you fight to defend or you call a cop or you run away…right?” Constructive action / adaptation is opposite to sulking as a victi...

Every Indian, when they hear the word “Jugaad” will have a smile on their face. Click on this link to see how jugaad is done but on a serious note click on this   link   to see how jugaad mentality can do wonders. Born and brought up in an environment where resources are limited with a cut-throat competition and socio-economic challenges at every step in our personal / professional life; we’ve unknowingly mastered the art of Jugaad!! We’ve grown knowing Jugaad is the trick of life. Let’s accept it guys… and let’s shout out loud; Indians are kings of Jugaad!!! As a consultant, I focus on migrants from various countries who are searching for jobs in New Zealand. However, if you asked a question, why jugaad? Why am I talking only India? The answer is simple…. Because, I am an Indian. That said, the idea called jugaad in India is known as “zizhu chuangxin” in China, “gambiarra” in Brazil and “jua kali” in Kenya. The English translation might be DIY o...

Let’s assume and present two example countries in a mathematical equation: let’s say, if Country 1 = X then Country 2 = 10X In other words Country 2 is 10 times bigger than Country 1 in terms of its size, economy, resources, population, army, arsenal, security intelligence etc. Question: Which country do you think will win if they were to have war? It’s a no-brainer; Country 2…. Right? Suppose we were to study all the wars in the last 200 years in this world where very large countries (the 10X types) have had wars with very small countries (the X types), how often do you think the bigger side won? Most of us, would like to answer the number close to 100%. After all how can you overlook the ‘10 times’ difference? It’s actually a lot. But the answer might surprise you!! International Relations Professor and author of the book “How the Weak Win Wars: A Theory of Asymmetric Conflict” Ivan Arreguin-Toft did the calculation few years ago and concluded, it’s...

Wow…Is that your best excuse for struggling to get into employment??  If yes, sob…sob…sigh…sigh actually suits you. Come to think of it…if recruiters are not talking to you, may be you don’t know how to work with them or it may simply be that you’re not suited for the jobs you’re applying for and you are a little paranoid having that extreme and irrational fear or distrust on them. Whatever the reason you can’t make this an excuse for your struggle. Nah…I am not going to talk about who’s right and who’s wrong. Enough has been said about what makes you a great candidate and what the characteristics of a good recruiter are. All I am interested in is asking you is this ONE question. You going through a recruiter; is that the only channel available for you to get into your desired role? Candidates who don’t get placed by recruiters, don’t get jobs…right? Wrong…. You would’ve seen candidates who were continuously getting rejected by recruiters finding jobs. I...

Discipline is the key to success - this saying hold true for all people of all age groups. But for international students who are new in the country, away from their friends and families, it holds a great value. Sorry I might sound like your parent but in our series of 'Top 5 tips for international students in NZ', here is Tip # 5 #5 Lead a disciplined life International students often find themselves in difficult waters while making that transition to the more independent learning schedules required at the tertiary institutes / universities here in NZ as compared to their previous study. Students are expected to take the responsibility of their own learning, to be more self-directed, to make decisions about what they will focus on and how much time will they spend on learning both inside and outside of a classroom. Coming from a study environment where they are used to more support and direction and even 'parent like' relationship with their teachers to a self...

"You can't get a job...if you don't have a reference!!" You must have heard this statement time and time again from people around you forcing you to question the way the NZ employment market works... Right? I am new in NZ and I don't know anyone here. Until and unless I don't get a chance to work for someone how and where do I get a work reference from? How do you expect me to know someone in the company I am applying for? I can get a job only if my friend can refer me to the employer where he or she is working... Right? WRONG!! Agreed that having other professional speak on your behalf as a reference is an important and critical part of a job search but using your being new in the country and lack of references as an excuse for not getting a job is totally unacceptable. WHY?? Because references can be created!! Amongst various social media platforms available; you've heard of the big three, 'LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook'... Rig...

Let's look at the same old classic lecturer-in-the-class-asking-question case!! When a question is asked, even if you know the answer, you prefer to be a quite spectator. Is it because of your habit or are you an introvert? Or is it simply a case of lack of interest? Just to let you know; this fear, shyness, anxiety or procrastination can hold you back in almost all the areas of your life including your career. As they say, 'to make an omelet, you have to break the shell' similarly, 'to become more than an individual with hidden potential, the shell, the protective prison has to be broken'. Your shell  is stopping you from showcasing the real you to the outside world. As a result comes the Tip # 3 # 3 Break out of your shell Only after the egg's protective shell is broken the potential of what lies inside is met. Whether its fate is to serve someone by supplying nutrients or to live its own life; it must shed the shell!! How?? Make friends...