Does my profession require Occupational Registration?If your profession is in a regulated industry that requires occupational registration, then any visa related to work in that profession will be dependant on you obtaining the necessary registration. Professions such as Medical (Doctors and nurses), Engineers, Teachers and Accountants are just some that require registration by the relevant professional occupational registration governing bodies. Check out this comprehensive list of professions requiring occupational registration. It is critical
Are there jobs in my field?Apart from searching company specific websites to see what jobs companies are advertising, there are two prolific job sites that dominate the New Zealand job search scene, namely Seek (which also shows jobs advertised by Australian businesses) and Trade Me Jobs (only jobs in New Zealand). Both sites have easy filter options to enable searches by criteria such as job types, location, salary range etc. Trade Me is also a fantastic website to search for cars, rental or purchase properties and all kinds of other goods. It is widely used and a very safe way to buy and sell electronically.
Accredited Employers.Immigration NZ has a list of Accredited Employers who can offer talent work to residence visas to potential employees. This process would no doubt prove much simpler for most potential migrants.
Can I visit NZ to look for work?If you are visiting New Zealand and love it here then the naturally you would want to look for work and see what your options are while you are here as it makes sense financially not to have to take off work later and fly back here again. This seems to be what potential migrants have done for ages and, while it suited the New Zealand labour market, all was well. As the economic climate has changed and jobs have become more scarce for New Zealanders, there has been internet "chatter" on forums that INZ can take a contrary view of someone who declares their intention of entry into NZ as being a bona fide visitor if, in fact, their real intention for entry was to look for work. This then can be a negative against the character of the traveller, which obviously does not bode well for immigration purposes. So, perhaps take this advice from an immigration law blog on how to approach this possible dilemma.
We would share our specific approach with our clients on a case by case basis to fit the strategy in place for each situation. |
Do my academic qualifications count?Your academic qualifications will only count in New Zealand if they are recognised by INZ and NZQA (the New Zealand Qualifications Authority) as comparable to a New Zealand academic qualification. NZQA has specific assessments for immigration purposes. NZQA also perform full assessments. In some cases INZ exempt certain qualifications and automatically recognise them for immigration purposes and they will not need NZQA assessment for immigration purposes.
Recruitment Agencies.There are plenty of professional recruitment agencies in New Zealand, many linked to global brands and some of which may operate in your current country of residence. However, unless you have a special relationship with a recruitment brand, most of these recruitment agencies simply do not have the appetite to take you on and market your skills to their clients. If you have some special talent, skill or academic background which is uniquely marketable to NZ employers then of course there may be exceptions. There are also a few recruitment agencies that specialise in sourcing overseas skills and talent that is in short supply in New Zealand.
Job Interviews & CVs (Resumes).The job interview process can be a slow one for people used to any degree of speed in other countries. Often up to three interviews can take place and there is no acceptable norm on the time frames or the format of the interviews. Some may involve being assessed by peers and not managers. The speed of the process may also depend on whether a NZ company is controlled from Australia and if decisions are required from the controlling office. Unless you have exceptional talent in short supply and high demand, most New Zealand companies won't interview you unless you have the "right to live and work in New Zealand.
Make sure that your CV is presented in a format that NZ employers are comfortable with and that it is professional and free of spelling and grammatical errors - remember that this is your first impression. We can recommend a professional CV checker for about NZD$150. She has worked as a recruitment specialist and knows how CVs are processed. Does my work experience count?For your work experience to be taken into account for immigration purposes, it needs to be relevant to the job you are applying for and you need to provide evidence of your employment in the form of references or employer confirmations. Self employment presents hurdles in this regard. Your work experience in certain countries will assist as they are considered to be labour markets that are on par (comparable) to New Zealand and any experience in a multi national company will assist you in proving work experience in comparable labour markets.
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