Skills set, job ready

Forum advises struggling skilled migrants on approaching the workforce positively and professionally

When a young person in India takes a leap of faith and jumps on a plane to Australia, it is usually to sketch out a prosperous career. How ironical that the hardest thing to encounter when you arrive as a migrant is your first ‘real’ job - the job for which you hold accredited training and qualifications, albeit from your native country. This period of struggle, sometime quite prolonged, endeavouring to get a ‘foot in the door’ into the profession of your choice can be disheartening. Even depressing, in the longer run. Your self-esteem and confidence are dented; your tenacity and integrity of character is tested. Self doubts creep in.

Prospective employers often acknowledge aspiring migrants for their qualifications and credentials, but gently refuse them the opportunity as they are ‘untried and untested’ in the local workforce. The dilemma is more pronounced for individuals who have worked in their native countries (and have often held senior positions). All the hard work and sweat from those working years suddenly do not add up to any significant success in a new country. A recalibration exercise of academic and professional credentials and hierarchy may reveal a discouraging need to seek a ‘lower’ opportunity just to break into the workforce of the new country.

Help is at hand

If you are on this seemingly unending professional spiral and are feeling the brunt of an unfavourable orientation, the good news is that help and support is available. A while ago, I was asked by my employer (BlueScope) if I would be willing to be a corporate volunteer on the company’s behalf, to assist a group of skilled migrants in their quest to obtain jobs to match their skills and training. Of course, I was keen and put my hand up.

It was a two-day program run by Adult Migration English Service (AMES), called ‘Working corporate volunteer on this program, I realised that this has been an ongoing endeavour by AMES in partnership with Telstra and a collection of almost half a dozen other corporations, such as BlueScope, IBM, Australia Post, Chandler McLeod, Australian Unity, ATO and Transfield. BlueScope has been associated with this community initiative for a couple of years now.

Program participation

The participants for this two-day program were a diverse group of skilled migrants looking to break into the Australian workforce into their relevant profession/industry. Hailing from almost 20 different countries, this group of starry eyed male and female professionals was comprised of engineers, architects, software professionals and accountants. Their stint as migrants in Australia ranges from three months upwards to twothree years. All had professional accreditations (including doctorate degrees) and a range of work experience within their native countries.

Advice and involvement

The idea of this workshop conducted by AMES was to put these professionals through a twoday interactive program where they would receive objective and tangible professional advice from business leaders from the consensus by the organisers and corporate volunteers that majority of the participants were job ready in the Australian market, and the advice would help them enhance their chances of success in their next job interview.

Advice that was targeted to suit their professional skills and backgrounds to assist them in getting ‘job ready’ in the Australian labour market.

The activities ranged from panel discussions with business leaders, to mock interviews and feedback sessions on resumes, interview presentation, body language, and interview techniques. The candidates were instructed to prepare real resumes and pluck out a real job advert within their field of expertise. The mock interviews were then held in relation to these job adverts.

It was refreshing to see the buzz around as all the participants seemed to imbibe as much as they could from this opportunity to enhance their chances of scoring their first ‘real’ job in Australia. It was a fantastic opportunity to network as well for the participants, and get to know people from various industries and organisations.

Corporate volunteers and the staff from AMES were equally enthusiastic, and willingly provided excellent advice and mentorship to the participants. It was also very heartening to see that all the big corporates had so readily made available senior employees from their respective organisations to support these newest members within the Australian community.

As I interacted with the participants, it brought back memories of a similar struggle when I started out as a new skilled migrant in Australia. I was unaware of such forums at that point of time; but now having being part of such a successful endeavour, I am glad that these platforms of support exist. I encourage everyone in a similar situation to seek assistance from organisations such as AMES. You may not get all the answers, but it will go a long way in hopefully shortening your professional struggle.

The bigger message that came out of the workshop was that the Australian business community wants all new migrants to feel welcome into the community. There will be times when new professionals arriving into this country may initially face the rough side of luck while looking for jobs. Despair and disappointment do set in, but protect your dream and march on. Until you find that first job with your name on it. And after that, the world will be your oyster. For more information please visit www.ames.net.au

Prospective employers often acknowledge aspiring migrants for their qualifications and credentials, but gently refuse them the opportunity as they are ‘untried and untested’ in the local workforce

It was also very heartening to see that all the big corporates had so readily made available senior employees from their respective organisations to support these newest members within the Australian community