What are the advantages of launching your job search during the holidays?
There are clear advantages when you do things that others aren’t doing. For example, you are automatically set apart from everyone else when you don’t follow the crowd. Your mind is also more relaxed during the holidays, which allows for a better flow of inspiration. When combined with a robust system and a proven approach, creativity enhances results and brings new opportunities. For many, the holidays represents some much needed downtime that can be used towards a better year.
Tate in Nelson, New Zealand
Let’s explore what is possible for you specifically. Just send your CV to me at tate@employmentforimmigration.nz
For those wanting to enter NZ soon, here are some strategies to consider
First concept – Watch the Border, when it opens, the wider job market will be open.
About timing – We know that the INZ has said that they will be opening borders in “early 2022”. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an exact date and more clarity on the plan? Yes, but we have what we have.
Border policy – We know that NZ border policy announcement includes everyone. Whether you are from a “safe” or “unsafe” country for example, or whether you are “vaccinated” or “unvaccinated”. These data points will determine your length of time at MIQ (Managed Isolation and Quarantine). Nobody is barred from entry, but some will stay at MIQ for a couple of weeks.
Second concept – Secure your job offer by securing job interviews. It can be done from home before you fly to NZ.
The job offer is the center of the immigration solar system for job seekers. For those of you who are new here, the strategy for getting into NZ (or Australia) has always been the same. Once the job offer is obtained, the rest of the process becomes clear:
job offer can be received,
house can be rented,
schools can be contacted,
car can be purchased instead of rented,
quality of life costs can be estimated and
career path can be charted out – depending on your relationship with your employer.
In addition, funding and immigration support is available from some employers. People in extreme high demand sectors that have demonstrated exceptional skills and achievement in your home country (you know who you are), there is often a high motivation to support you into NZ in other ways besides just a job offer. These can be quite significant at times. For example, I have seen employers offer to partially pay or sometimes fully cover MIQ for the entire family. Also, the work visa side of things can sometimes be covered by the employer. In fact, this is a growing trend. This is not something you should expect from every employer, but it does happen for top talent and it happens more frequently with larger companies (Most often these days in trades and engineering, hospitals and private clinics. This trend is likely to grow in my view.)
What about getting hired online? There is always a chance to get a job offer from abroad over a video call. I don’t like to promote this to people but it is a possibility. Almost everyone I know who was hired online was in a late stage of planning, ready to enter NZ to look for work in the weeks or months ahead. In other words, the employer “wasn’t begging them to come to work” as they like to say. Demonstrated commitment is important for employers to see.
Third concept – Job seekers coming into NZ will experience demand for skills unlike anything in NZ history.
The NZ economy is struggling to meet business demand today. Our labour shortages have prevented growth. There is plenty of business in almost all sectors of our economy but not enough labour capacity, something we have always found in overseas labour. As a result, we have absurd situations such as 6 month waiting lists to have kitchens installed due to lack of skilled carpenters, or 3 month waiting lists for vehicle maintenance due to lack of mechanics. What happens with such long waiting lists is that people stop signing up to the waiting lists of established providers and they either do it themselves, or prolong the decision or go with a new contractor, or they bid up the pay rate and buy a place in line ahead of others, etc… Every trade and nearly every industry is struggling with the exact same problem: plenty of opportunity but no skilled labour. We have 4% unemployment, which means there is nobody to choose from other than your competitors’ staff. Headhunting from competitors has given a $2/hour jump in salary in the last year for the country on average. That is probably a record. In short, the economy is OK, but it is capped at existing capacity, limited by existing labour pools which are completely tapped out.
First wave job-surfers will have a clear advantage over those who come afterwards. If you are 100% committed to New Zealand, and if you have the time ad funds available to prepare for your future, then all this painful waiting while we have closed borders might represent a huge opportunity for you in early 2022.
If interested to find out how you can be successful in your job search, launched from your home country well in advance of borders opening, send your CV and goals to me at tate@employmentforimmigration.nz (I respond in about a day).
On July 3rd, the NZ government announced a “new border exemption for 300 teachers”. It sounds like good news but what does it mean? Our immigration authorities seem to be speaking in riddles lately. To help foreign teachers understand this opportunity and what can be done to enhance job success, I made this article for you.
What does this new policy mean?
Question 1 – Is 300 teachers a lot?
Not at all. There are about 2,500 primary and secondary schools in New Zealand, with a total of about 800,000 students and 60,000 teachers. Three hundred teachers is equal to half of one percent of the total teachers in NZ. That isn’t enough to fill a big demand gap and it may not even keep pace with teacher demand growth by the time this policy is implemented.
Question 2 – When will the hiring begin?
We don’t know , but we are told that schools may apply in September for the right to offer these exempted roles: “This (exemption) will give principals and services additional support, especially for 2022 recruitment, and complement existing teacher supply initiatives.’ Applications under this exemption will open in September.” -from the article.
Question 3 – How can foreign teachers apply to these roles?
“Eligible early learning services, schools and kura can apply for one of 300 class border exceptions so they can recruit and bring overseas qualified teachers to New Zealand while borders remain closed. The Ministry of Education will work with the education sector to ensure that ECE services and schools with the greatest recruitment needs get priority. According to the Ministry, processes of recruitment remains with the early learning service or school.”
It looks to me that our ministry will grant quotas to schools and then schools will be free to hire. Beyond that, I have more questions than answers.
Will the schools need to hire according to some unspecified government process?
Or will schools manage their hiring quota as they see fit? (I assume this will be the case)
How will foreign teachers know the difference between a standard teaching advertisement and one that complies with the 300 foreign teacher exemption? (The article doesn’t say, and I can’t find any answers yet)
Question 4 – Which schools can apply and when?
“Those who are in an early learning service or school with a teacher wanting to return (and had an employment agreement on 19 March 2020 that is still active), they can register their interest by emailing the Ministry at border.exceptions@education.govt.nz with their school name and the best contact person.”
For more details on this question, see the excellent video below from Arran Hunt, Partner and Immigration Lawyer at Stace Hammond, New Zealand
Question 5 – What do we know so far about the schedule of this mysterious 300 teacher program?
March 2021 – NZ schools register interest in the program
September 2021 – NZ schools apply
End 2021 – Selected NZ schools are confirmed into the program
And finally – Qualifying teachers can apply to roles from these schools, hopefully according to a well-considered process that is understandable to the applicant
There are many questions left unanswered. And yet there are also many ways to enhance your position as a candidate for teaching in New Zealand in 2022, either in this limited program or when the new border policy opens our market back up again.
For more details at this very preliminary stage, the below video is the best one that I have found online.
Arran Hunt, Partner and Immigration Lawyer at Stace Hammond, New Zealand
How does this policy help foreign teachers enter the NZ job market?
The quick answer is “not much”. Only a lucky few will get in with this program. Initially, this may sound disheartening but let’s look at your options. If your goal is NZ, why not use this opportunity to prepare now and “go for it”? What is the worst that could happen? You either get this rare exemption or you don’t. Either way, you are preparing for your future with actions that support your goals and you will probably have a positive state of mind while doing so. Every step towards your destiny is going to be experienced as progress, allowing more doors to open, more job discussions, more interviews arranged. From a practical sense, preparing in advance will bring material and emotional benefits that enhance your chances for success when the time comes.
Question 6 – What is some practical advice for foreign teachers who want to prepare for a teaching job in New Zealand?
“A practising certificate shows you have satisfactory recent teaching experience, have undertaken professional development and are fit to be a teacher.”
5. Experienced employment assistance – If you want experienced job-finding support, just send your CV to me at tate@employmentforimmigration.nz for helpful feedback in about a day. Include briefly your status of immigration and any goals you might have so far. My initial consultation has no cost.
Under the new Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) application process to be launched on November 1, 2021, employers will will lead foreign job seekers into the work visa process. This change will result in a more functional immigration experience for job seekers and employers. Many opportunities will arise for all players including the agencies.
Likely Benefits to Job Seekers
My predictions are below and I remain flexible to adjusting my views as new information becomes known.
Cost – Likely to be less up-front cost and lower overall costs because I see employers more involved in each individual case and more likely to pay for the visa side of things.
Time – Processing work visas will be done faster and with less errors on average, which means less frustration and more certainty for job seekers from job offer to the first day of work. Job-seekers will also experience an improved process in the area of planning and collaboration because they will enjoy a relationship with one point of contact per each job offer rather than having to juggle the requirements with INZ separately from the offer to work.
Frustration – Gladly, job seekers will avoid the problems related to differing interests that pass “like two ships in the night” – not seeing each other. In the past, delays and miscommunication have been a significant barrier to getting work visas submitted and approved because employers and immigration agents have not always communicated perfectly or quickly with each other. From the employer’s point of view, it is true that many immigration agents are professionally competent to meet the service needs of employers, however, there is an equal amount of agents unwilling or unable to act competently outside their bureaucratic comfort zone. This disconnect has ruined many immigration efforts due to mistakes, delays, retracted offers and failed job seeking efforts that ultimately resulted from this lack of collaboration. This level of incompetence will decrease under one employer-led process. As a result, job seekers will experience less frustration, cost and risk.
Clearer targets – Now, more than ever, job seekers will have planning clarity. As I said in my introduction to foreign job seekers: “The first priority is the job offer, everything else follows quite naturally”. https://atomic-temporary-163814143.wpcomstaging.com/about-tate/ After November 1, 2021, this statement can be taken to the next level because employers are giving more than job offers. They also provide leadership towards the work visa as part of the same process.
Whatdoes this mean?
For foreign job seekers: The AEWV signals a welcome change that offers less stress, faster processing times and less up-front costs. In the past, job seekers were caught between legally-driven documentation requirements from the INZ and economically-driven job offers from employers. There have been communication gaps that arose between two entities that have slightly different business objectives. In addition, foreign job seekers are in an unfamiliar culture, often using English as a second language. It is not easy to take responsibility for all those diverse issues while also finding work and managing personal affairs at the same time. Because some serious flaws in the immigration system are being addressed by INZ, the job seeking experience for foreigners is likely to improve for most in my view.
For NZ employers: The AEWV signals a major change in the way businesses work with foreigners. They must be proactive enough to get the accreditation and establish robust systems for processing to a standard of compliance that is not yet fully known. This will increase compliance costs. The new costs will be streamlined towards efficiency over time until costs are far less than the benefits of hiring foreign talent. Employer that achieve this will become players in the new system and they will have some help from INZ and also from the agencies.
For immigration agents: The AEWV will change some fundamental aspects of their business model. I see demand for work visas shrinking from job seekers and at the same time I see the growth of a new market where local NZ employers require accreditation support. I don’t believe the large employers will need help and I stand to be corrected if I am wrong. Nevertheless, it seems clear that most employer demand for accreditation support will come from New Zealand’s SME market, which represents 95% of NZ employers. The agencies that establish themselves as a reliable partner in this new growth segment will more than offset any losses from shrinking work visa revenues. In addition, there are downstream opportunities that will emerge after accreditation that hint at job placement. This almost guarantees that local employment recruiters will enter this new market as well. It will be an interesting period of change and opportunity for employers and the various supporting agencies. May the best vision win.
Predictions for Job Seekers:
For job seekers abroad, the best way to get hired will have little or no significant change. If anything, the process and experience will improve in most ways after a period of adjustment in the first 4-6 months. Success in relocation for most professionals is still about getting a job offer. Along with the job offer, job seekers also get support from the employer-led work visa process as well. That is a welcome change from the way things were done previously.
My advice to foreign job seekers remains the same as it has always been. To maximise success, prepare your profile and present yourself to employers in a way that generates meetings and job offers. You can start that process now from the relative comfort of your home where costs are lower and preparation time is easier to find. When the border announcement finally arrives, job seekers will want to have a list of interested hiring managers to meet and most will want to be among the first wave of job seekers to enter New Zealand (or Australia). This is a time when demand for talent has never been higher in history. It is shaping up to be a perfect storm of hiring. For those that qualify, preparation and timing is everything.
If you require helpful advice, I offer helpful job insights at no cost to qualifying candidates. To find out more, just send your CV to me at tate@employmentforimmigration.nz and I will respond within about a day.
Where do you want to go? New Zealand, Australia, US, Canada or maybe Europe? My system works in all English-speaking job markets because hiring managers get exactly what they need for decision-making.
Flavien
Flavien is a FMCG Financial Director, Chartered Accountant, with 2 master’s degrees and 27 years of experience. Flavien specialises in turnaround projects within the FMCG sector, working with world-renowned companies like – L’Oréal in Paris, Pernod Ricard in London, Elizabeth Arden in Geneva and others.
It was an honour to work with Flavien and I appreciate his kind words.
If you want to use my services for one or more countries, I just need your CV and some information about your goals: tate@employmentforimmigration.nz
NZ immigration is full of uncertainty, largely falling into three areas: border policy, changes in compliance for foreign workers and changes in the procedure of immigration. Let’s review each item and identify which one presents the largest problem to immigrants and to employers that would like to hire immigrants.
1) POTENTIAL CHANGES TO COMPLIANCE:
We have at least 4 changes potentially entering into policy here: a) median wage correction upwards, b) age of dependent children dropping down to 18, c) points system might be adjusted, or at least this is what some believe and finally d) qualifications requirements may get stronger, with a particular focus landing on semi-skilled workers.
The above items will not negatively impact most foreign job seekers today. We have seen Immigration New Zealand increase compliance on incoming foreign job seekers for several decades already. So far, I understand proposed or considered policy changes, I don’t believe this category is going to shock anyone. It would probably be more surprising if there was no change in this category.
2) COMING CHANGES TO PROCEDURE: (Regarding the changes coming November 1st)
What are the coming changes and how are they likely to impact the major stakeholders?
a) AFFECTED EMPLOYERS – will have to create new processes and systems to comply with INZ Accreditation. And they will need to keep compliance robust in order to maintain the privilege of hiring foreign talent. The larger employers will quickly streamline this new procedure and continue on as before. The smaller employers will have greater per-hire costs and some of them will struggle to find the capacity for accreditation. Some of the smaller companies that want to hire foreigners may not have the staff or time needed to sort compliance requirements. Therefore, I see the small-to-medium companies as an immediate growth area for agency support in both full service accreditation support or ad-hoc consulting and document support.
b) AFFECTED IMMIGRATION AGENTS- will have to re-think their business model as it concerns their client market because the employer-led immigration process will put two important tasks under one roof: job offers and work visas. Agents are likely to see their job seeker market shrink overall and meanwhile, the SME market is likely to become an opportunity soon and possibly larger companies would want to contract for seasonal volume work in certain sectors. Early adapters that figure out this new and evolving market will secure newly-created market share with thanks from INZ.
c) AFFECTED JOB SEEKERS – will experience a more functional work-to-residency process in the long run. However, there will be challenges that come with change. Job seekers are also likely to save a ton of money in the beginning stages where they find employers processing visa documents instead of agents. The goal of job seekers is likely to be simplified as well if they can target employers that are accredited. I assume even non-accredited employers will become accredited for the right opportunity. The entire job market is likely to be open for job seeking. In that regard, I see very little changing in terms of strategy for job seekers because it is still about getting work and the entire job market is there for you to explore.
The above items will lighten the load of most job seekers in the long run, both financially and also with a more efficient process in the long run. This will attract more of the talent that New Zealand wants. Employers will adjust in the usual way they always adjust, by either taking on the challenge in-house or contracting it out to a reliable partner.
3) CHANGES IN BORDER POLICY: (only temporary we hope)
What has been the impact of NZ border policy over from Q2, 2000 until now?
* New costs introduced with quarantine * Complex exemption rules, often not leading to residency * Divided families * Uncertain when or how border policies will be resolved
It’s All About The Border
To me, this is the category of pain for the great majority of New Zealanders and foreign job seekers considering New Zealand as a home. Until the border policy issue is resolved and brought back into normal functional society again, immigration processes will remain unpredictable with cost, time and compliance procedures.
Economic Impact
Like many other nations of the world, New Zealand was built on the productivity of employers and workers. We wouldn’t be where we are today if we didn’t have a well-managed business environment and a well-managed border. In 2020, NZ lost over 20% of its goods and service export revenue when the Travel and Tourism industry fell apart. That left the other 80% responsible for the all of goods and services revenue that remained, and that put additional pressure on infrastructure to keep those goods moving at a high rate. Things worked out well for NZ so far, because we have the infrastructure and it works. But we need foreign talent to keep up with maintenance and technology upgrades. The future of NZ export revenue depends on the current state of NZ infrastructure.
Positive Outlook
Although this is a trying time for everyone, let’s not lose sight of the fact that NZ is still the best place on the planet for lifestyle, raising children and enjoying abundant nature. And let’s also not forget, NZ has already started with easing border restrictions with travel options provided to citizens of nearby islands, Australia and exempted workers. This may be expected to widen cautiously over the next months to come. I see plenty of positive trends so far and only one big problem that needs to be resolved.
As a job-seeker, you can imagine the challenges that confront hiring managers as they struggle to separate fact from fiction. Good recommendation letters will empower them to make decisions more efficiently and successfully.
Why recommendation letters?
Have you ever asked a friend for advice about a purchase? Maybe you wanted to buy a product or a service and you didn’t know where to start. Then maybe you received advice from someone you trust. Isn’t that helpful? People often rely on the opinions of others to help make big decisions. That is essentially the power of good recommendation letters.
Picture this: You are the final decision maker assigned to hire the best worker from 100 applicants. Your assistant has helped you narrow the list down to just two CVs. Both are a good fit, but only one has attached a Letter of Recommendation. The recommendation confirms the message of the CV from the voice of an employer. As a hiring manager, you can now start to prioritize which profile you like best because one has given you more assistance in your vetting process. This is the power of a good recommendation.
What should your ideal recommendation letter look like?
1) Letterhead – Ideally, the letter is on company letterhead. This adds a sense of formality. At the very top, you will want to have the words “Open Letter of Recommendation” if you can. This text will confirm your intent to open this document to the public if you desire.
2) Direct is best – It should be from a direct supervisor of yours that has direct knowledge of your work through a reasonable period of time, generally the longer the better. If you are the business owner, you may use some of your best and longest served clients instead.
3) Relevant Content – The content of the recommendation letter should address areas where you perform well, for example, maybe your top skills, the quality of your work, your reliability to get things done to specification / code, your attitude about taking directions from managers and getting on well with the team. Some content should be devoted to the value that you have brought to the company. If the person signing the reference letter is also willing to be contacted for further information, this is a nice gesture to see in a reference letter because it tells the reader that these statements can be backed up with examples and details if needed.
4) Formatting – The format is less important and sometimes outside of your control because each manager will have a different style. Some will be very formal and wordy. Others may offer 3 sentences and 4 bullet points. This usually reflects industry norms. The main issue is content of course.
Who from your professional past needs your recommendation letter?
If it is quality recommendations you seek, why not begin by giving others the best recommendation letters that you can offer. For example, almost every professional has helped train or manage people at some point in their career. Are there any of them that deserve an official recommendation letter from you? Maybe they are afraid to ask just as you might be hesitating to ask your boss? Why not give these people a well-deserved recommendation letter clearly explaining their core skills and their value to the company in a way that is suitable for their future hiring managers?
“It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.”
-Mother Teresa
If you want to be remembered for the rest of your life and give something back at the same time, just give a former team member a letter of recommendation. Often, the most deserving are the least likely to ask and the most appreciative when it happens.
What should you write in your recommendation letter?
There are no rules. A genuine effort to explain the value brought to your projects and your company by this person will never be forgotten. Just remember that you are writing to a potential boss so it should have a level of formality to it.
This effort will help you become clear about what you want others to say about you. Maybe you will have another good way to request the same from your boss. Imagine saying this: “Hi Boss, you know how much my Letters of Recommendation were received by my former trainees / employees? It is amazing. Could I ask you to do the same for me?”
Here are two effective ways to get good recommendation letters from your bosses:
#1 Go Direct – My favorite suggestion is to go directly to your boss and ask for a recommendation letter. Here is a general guideline to consider: “May I speak to you for a few minutes about something that is important to me? I guess I should first ask if you have been happy with my performance over the years?” Obviously, now you pause. Listen to the answer. If the answer is “Yes”, then you may ask for the recommendation letter. (Note: If your boss says “no”, this is your opportunity to make corrections before asking again.)
When your boss confirms a willingness to give you a recommendation letter, this is the time to suggest something similar to the following: “Thank you very much, I appreciate it. May I offer you a draft example to edit? It may save you some time as long as I am honest. There are a few things that are important for my job search that I would like to have in there.”
After receiving your recommendation letter, always thank the author and you might also offer a small gift if appropriate. Remember to keep in touch periodically also because this person may be taking a reference call from your future boss someday in the future.
Writing the draft recommendation letter for your boss to consider and sign might be the most effective thing you can do for this entire exercise.
#2 Leverage LinkedIn – The online space continues to grow and LinkedIn is the leading professional platform globally. Having a LinkedIn presence is becoming the norm for most industries so it helps to boost your visibility here. Getting and receiving recommendations is just one of the many areas where LinkedIn offers job seekers an opportunity to set their profile apart from others. As mentioned, hiring managers are mostly interested to see the opinions of your direct bosses. However, LinkedIn also offers a compact way to represent your skills from many people.
You may also request skills references from LinkedIn and if you get one from a boss, you may consider if it is appropriate to ask for a written reference on company letterhead from that point.
To add credibility to your LinkedIn profile, you may post scans of your signed recommendation letters and add it into the “featured” section of LinkedIn, which will then be prominently displayed near to the top of your profile landing page, along with other professional documents and videos that you consider worth making “featured” for others to see.
A word of caution about LinkedIn:
Unfortunately, LinkedIn cannot replace your direct contact to hiring managers. Nothing will ever beat your face to face or phone to phone interaction with a hiring manager. Also, LinkedIn can waste a lot of your time if you aren’t careful. To rank the importance of various job-related tasks, just ask yourself: “What is the most important thing that hiring managers require from me in my target market in order to decide to interview / hire me?”
Conclusion about recommendation letters
Recommendation letters are very useful addendums to your CV because they help communicate your core qualities from the perspective of someone who knows how you delivers value in the past. Hiring managers will use this as a vetting tool to help justify their decision to hire. The most effective letters of recommendation will showcase your core skills from your CV. The most effective job finding efforts will align your core skills to your job targets.
If you want objective feedback and assistance with any part of your job finding efforts, consider sending your CV to me with a few sentences about your immigration goals and readiness to find jobs. I typically respond in a day from here: Tate@EmploymentForImmigration.nz
And for 98% of you, it still is your first choice. However, because of frustrating delays, a growing number of you want a good “Plan B”. I understand.
I can help.
2020 has been a difficult year for migrants everywhere. Unfortunately, New Zealand has failed to differentiate from other western countries in this regard.
I think it is fair to say that New Zealand has neglected too many foreign migrants for too long. Our government has failed to present a functional policy for the borders, for children of migrants that have work visas, and for visa refunds in cases where rules have changed after fees have been paid. These are just some of the stories that I am hearing from Clients.
New Zealanders still enjoy most the same things now as we did before Covid, with notable exceptions such as the lack of tourists and lack of foreign skills in our job market.
A small but growing percentage of my Clients want to open their options to include places like Canada, UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Australia and even the Middle East.
To get started, you need to be clear about your target country / countries. I don’t give advice where to go. If you want to keep your “Plan A” with NZ, that can be part of the strategy. My current clients pay nothing extra for this additional help.
All skilled migrants may send your CV with a short explanation about your situation to Tate@EmploymentForImmigration.NZ
I typically respond within about a day with helpful feedback.
Employment for Immigration to New Zealand, Australia and Beyond 