400 CVs sent . . . finally a job
Migrant job seekers urged to brush up on Kiwi lingo and ‘come to the game’
Amigrant from Malaysia applied for 400 jobs and had 21 interviews before he finally got a job. He is now warning other new arrivals to upskill on Kiwi lingo and is urging employers to welcome cultural diversity.
Alex Tan, 47, has spoken out after the release of research from employment and training organisation, Twin, found nearly 40 per cent of interviewers in the UK would not progress a candidate based on their lack of ability to communicate confidently and voice quality.
A New Zealand recruitment consultant and a frontline advocate for migrants believe the situation is similar here.
Tan, who moved to Auckland in February, found work only after eight months. Tan, who lives with his partner and child, is a strategy consultant who helps businesses identify opportunities for growth. He said he was told at many interviews that he was either overqualified or lacked Kiwi experience.
“I was quite surprised because I’ve worked in different types of businesses organisations have international experience.” Tan said some Kiwi slang and phrases still sounded foreign to him, but he did not think this was the only reason he wasn’t being offered jobs. and and
“There’s still a very village mentality among employers here, and getting jobs is about who you know rather than what you know.
“I guess some employers are not too comfortable offering jobs to people too different to themselves.”
AUT University professor of diversity Edwina Pio believed it was legitimate for employers to expect would-be employees to be able to speak Kiwi English and understand the mannerisms and nuances of the language as it is spoken here.
She said it was up to migrants and refugees to “come to the game” if they wanted to better their chances.
“I think it’s a legitimate request, particularly when there are so many small organisations in New Zealand, their margins are thin and they do expect to make some small profits.
“So we cannot expect a high degree of altruism from these employers towards refugees and migrants unless they also pull up their socks, and really speak English the way it’s done here in New Zealand.”
Pio, a migrant herself, said new settlers should familiarise themselves with Kiwi slang and phrases.
“For example the meaning of sweet as or cheers — the equivalent of thank you, or good day or mate or girlfriend — it doesn’t mean, in these instances, perhaps the meaning that would be there in their source countries.”
Migrants should take advantage of free English language courses, Pio said.
Senior recruitment consultant Amber Wilson said, “The ability to be able to communicate your personality, strengths and ambitions” played a major part in an interview.
And Dr Margriet Theron, president of the Rotorua Multicultural Council, said she regularly encountered migrants struggling to find work.
She said programmes run by Speech New Zealand helped.
Theron said an accredited qualification for completing the courses would show employers the person could communicate effectively.
Speech New Zealand said, “While the idea of cultural diversity is trending among organisations, employers are still hesitant to take on individuals whose first language isn’t English.”