Shamani Coorey from Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

In 2001, Shamani Coorey and her family migrated to New Zealand to give their children a better education. With a Master’s degree and experience as a library manager, she thought it would be easy to find comparable work.

“Since I was a librarian in Sri Lanka, I started applying for library jobs here. But I found that in New Zealand, you have to start at the bottom of the ladder, and then move up, which most people don’t understand.”

So Shamani started volunteering at a college library while applying for librarian jobs. “I was doing all the manual work – fetching books and pulling trolleys. But the librarian there acted as a referee for me, and I still appreciate that because I didn’t have any New Zealand referees – they were all from Sri Lanka.”

Shamani soon found paid work shelving books for a few hours a week at the Massey University library. When a job as a library assistant came up at another library, Shamani’s sister-in-law helped tailor her CV.

“In Sri Lanka, the CVs are more formal. You have to give more detail about your qualifications and experience than here. Except for my name, I had to change my CV completely!”

As Shamani worked her way up through different positions, her colleagues and Career Services staff helped her prepare for interviews, and in 2007 she became a senior librarian. She advises other migrants to be patient, and willing to work their way up.

“Most people are in the skilled migrants category and they think they have the skills to get a job. Then you come here and you find that it is not that easy. You might be qualified but because you don’t know the system here it is very difficult.”

Shamani has managed to work her way up to a position that she is happy in, but she still has plans for the future. “I would like to be able to work as a medical librarian again. I worked as one when in Sri Lanka. Otherwise I am happy where I am.”

How Shamani got her job in New Zealand

• Volunteered doing entry-level library duties to get work experience in New Zealand, and a referee.
• Tailored her CV to what New Zealand employers look for.
• Started in an entry-level, library assistant job and worked her way up.
• Became involved in her community by socialising with other Sri Lankans to get support.
• Now works as a senior librarian.