Lina’s early experiences drive her to help others overcome barriers
Lina Siu has a passion for helping people overcome obstacles and discrimination - because she has faced them herself.
“At college there was a pivotal moment for me. Our teacher didn’t want to pick me to represent our class in a prepared speech competition. She eventually gave in - and I got placed second in the school. When we got back to the class, she didn’t even ask me how I got on. She didn’t think for a minute I would have done well.
“At that point I made up my mind I was going to be a teacher, or do some other job where I could encourage young people.”
- Lina Siu's job helps her open doors for others
“After school I worked for WINZ [Work and Income New Zealand]. When I was 18 I was made a case manager.
“I had a lady who said I was an uneducated black and I should row my canoe back home. We weren’t really taught how to handle that sort of thing but my parents taught me to respect people.
“Then I went to university – to make a change at the policy level. But all I heard were the statistics on Pacific Island and Māori underachieving – I hated that. And it looked like a hard climb – getting all those people out of that.
Lina wanted to do something practical, and ended up supervising children at a residential home. She loved it, but eventually had to move on as she was getting married and needed a job that didn't involve living at the home.
She tried admin, but a job with a loan shark was a low point. “I was so unhappy – we were repossessing furniture – it was against my values. Then – I call it ‘divine appointment’ – I met a friend who told me about this job as a recruitment consultant. I applied, and within a week I had the job.”
Lina loves having the chance to help people into roles they may never have thought of. She also gets to help employers overcome their prejudices.
“People from Asia tend to have difficulty finding jobs, as employers can be put off by their names. If they can’t say that name they tend to not even look at the CV. Or they might be put off by their accent on the phone. We now run open days where job hunters can meet employers face to face. If they score highly on tests and education levels, I can then help the employer see the potential in that person.
"You have to get people to see past the stereotypical ‘right’ candidate.”
