Kia ora!
Well it's about three months since my last post and what a busy three months it's been!
Three months ago I was in the UK and still getting myself around my new position having gone through a transformation in July and not really knowing when our dream might come true. I had a new set of colleagues and additional aspects to my role, including local studies and delivering taster sessions. We also had a new library to plan for. It was all go.
Then suddenly, we had success! We had a buyer for our flat and we could finally start to plan our dream! So much to do and so little time to do it in... We had to respectively hand in notice at work, decide exactly where we were heading and look for jobs.
We decided to head for Wellington, and fortunately for me before Christmas a number of posts were advertised within the Wellington area. Time to make sure my CV really was up to scratch!
This is where job applications in New Zealand differ completely to those in the UK. From personal experience in the UK, I've generally had to complete an application form with limited amounts of space to really promote yourself. CVs are often an added extra and aren't really encouraged. If you do enclose a CV, woe betide you if it's longer than two sides.
In New Zealand all posts I applied for were by CV and covering letter. CVs include so much information. Mine was three sides without details of referees. There is a completely different emphasis. From templates I reviewed, you are encouraged to say who your customers are, focus on major projects and personal achievements in a position. Applying for posts in this way I have found quite an eye-opener. Tailoring a CV and covering letter really encourages you to see how your skills and experiences fit the position you are applying for. I found the whole task so much more rewarding. A company application form is only for that company and by the time the general information sections are completed, it takes me time to get enthused by the remainder of the form. I actually enjoyed the whole CV and letter experience. There is no fixed format and you're really encouraged to personalise the application and make your whole character and experiences come through in the way an application form cannot do.
Something must have worked... I'm now writing this from our new home in Wellington, NZ. We've got an amazing apartment overlooking the bay and best of all I have a job! I was interviewed the evening before we left the UK. That was an experience in itself. I've never been interviewed by phone before. I can remember sitting in the kitchen with my mobile on speaker trying to imagine the three people attached to the voices at the other end of the phone! Not to mention the fact that it was 9am in NZ and 8pm in the UK!
I'm in the process of finishing formalities now. I've had the formal offer through the post and am now waiting for my IRD (the NZ equivalent of a national insurance number or social security number) to come through the post before I can finish off the final parts of hte acceptance.
With any luck in the next couple of weeks I should be in post as a Collection Management Librarian for the National Library of New Zealand...
My next post no doubt will be about work for my new employer. I'm really looking forward to the job and can't wait to get started. In the meantime, it's giving me the chance to really get to know the capital city of New Zealand. Not to mention the fun we've had over the last weekend with the Hertz Rugby Sevens and then a family day on Monday with Waitangi Day. With the absence of family we spent the day getting to know people with a barbie on the beach!
