Australian Diaries 08 - Sydney Diaries 02 - Marketing, Selling....

26 Nov 2015 – 75 days since I landed in Sydney and time is flying. The one great news is I am now employed in Sydney. It has been five days joined since I joined my new employer. I have been analysing people about the way they act; project themselves and the actual capabilities. On the first count, looks like you have to really sell and market yourselves remarkably well, irrespective of the actual content that exists with individuals.

Marketing, Selling and creating dramas has never been my cup of tea. I am already beginning to wonder how to cope with these requirements. Success seems to be dependent on these traits. For someone with a laidback personality yet works with agility, sincerity coming over other aspects of work, the environment here seems to provide a challenge. Mind you, I only said, the environment not the work.

An example in the recent five days has been evident of my thoughts and apprehensions. A colleague assigned me a task (indirect assignment by an indirect manager). At first, I was asked if I was good at excel. I only replied downplaying my skills to – ‘Decent’. A couple of email copies served as the information and the task was assigned. Two hours later, with the task completed and issued back to the assigner, I only had admirations and positive feedback directed to me. All good things come to an end. Yes, this point ended my good times. For the next four hours, all work Mr. X performed was to keep staring at the excel sheet I had provided, make cosmetic changes and present it to the manager as ‘their’ work. I heard it over again and again, but alas as a new member I could not do anything. Well one man’s pain was another’s gain.

I am wondering if my way of working would indeed be successful. For someone who does not possess the traits to be successful in this environment, the struggle begins. All I remember now is the famous saying, Survival of the fittest!

Time to search a new one?

Australian Diaries 07 - Sydney Diaries 01 - The curious case of "Local Experience"

02 Nov 2015 – 50^th day in Sydney today. An incredible journey so far, with disappointment superseding all other positives. This disappointment has been on a professional front. Yes and as everyone must have guessed it by now, it is all owing to my ‘not employed’ status.

The picture you see on the internet is lot more different to the reality in Australia. I did get an intrinsic feeling of the unlimited jobs that were available when I found them on job boards. I was so engulfed in the outer picture that my brain ceased to work on the details. It was only when I landed here and understood the way recruitment works; I realized the real depth of job availability. Well, I should say, the depth was very shallow. The reason being, one job, is advertised by many recruiters in different styles. Alas, I was blindfolded, apparently by the effective marketing capabilities of the innumerable recruiters.

I have always believed that my profile, skills and talent was commendable by any knowledgeable industry professional. Whilst this may have partly played part in the recruiters picking up the phone and enquiring additional details, the one common question I am asked is – “Do you have experience working in Australia”. It is a lethal question indeed, to crash and diminish the hopes of a candidate like me. No matter what you have done elsewhere, people are very concerned about your local experience, in an era of globalization. More importantly, even though they know I am a new / legal skilled immigrant in line with the very policies of the federal government to address the so called 'skill shortage' issue.

I have tried to answer this question in many realistic ways. I had drawn comparisions with Australia’s demographics and explained the far more multi-cultural environment I come from, say, middle east. I have tried explaining people that people skills takes lead in people management and is not a concern irrespective of the location. But, well, all said and done, these have fallen into deaf ears. I have had a recent experience wherein the recruiter was highlighting the fact that the construction methodology was different. I only had to ask him, if the roof was laid first here, before the foundations? Understandably, I had no answer on this point.

Just as I am writing this piece, I receive yet another call from a recruiter, asking me if I have a local experience. This time, I had to be brutal and straight. I responded by stating that, well – all the callers, like you, have only been asking me if I have local experience. But everyone seems to forget that unless someone gives me an opportunity, I will continue to have NO local experience. A deafening silence and a typical smile followed from the other end. All I get to hear later on was the routine closure dialogue – Thank you and we shall come back to you later. 50 days and I now know, nobody does!