Nasser Ahmed from Assam, India
When Nasser Ahmed moved to New Zealand from Assam in north-east India, he never thought he would find his dream job within a year.
“Most migrants are advised that it takes two to three years to realise their career expectations,” he says. “I was one of the very lucky few.”
Nasser had trained as a vet in India, then farmed for four years before gaining a Masters degree in 1990. He became an assistant professor at Assam Agricultural University in 1991. Ten years on, he and his wife began to think of emigrating, and did some research on jobs in New Zealand.
“The Career Services website was fantastic. It told us about job trends and salaries, and provided regional market information, which really helped us plan ahead.
“We made an exploratory trip to New Zealand in 2002, and decided that the lifestyle and job opportunities were what we were looking for.”
Nasser’s wife had a job offer to teach English in Christchurch, which meant the couple got residency quickly. “But I was unable to find suitable work, or even get interviews. I had limited academic work opportunities,” says Nasser.
“When I couldn’t find the perfect job, we decided to return to India.”
The couple returned to Christchurch in 2004, Nasser with a changed attitude. “I knew that if I wanted to be able to apply my veterinary knowledge in a job, I needed a different approach to job-seeking. I also needed a New Zealand job reference, which meant doing odd jobs for a while.”
Next, Nasser talked to a Career Services career consultant, who helped him get ready for interviews and redo his CV.
“The new CV highlighted my skills far more than my old one, and it was after that that I had my first interview for a job that was in line with my qualifications.” Nasser didn’t get the job, but was complimented on his CV, which gave him a boost in confidence.
A couple of months later Nasser applied for a job as a technical adviser at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and was offered the job the day after the interview. “It was just before Christmas and it was my dream job. It was the best Christmas present ever!”
If you’re a recent migrant, Nasser’s advice is to work on your language skills and accent, and to have a proper plan for finding work. “Take odd jobs to pay the bills and get a reference, but at the same time, do not give up looking for better opportunities.”
