Job Hunting - Kiwi Style

I sent a few applications last week upon arriving then stopped when I decided to attend a migrant seminar first.

During the seminar last Friday, I picked up the following pointers which I believe helped me figure things out for my kiwi job hunt.

1. Polish your CV, it should be a Kiwi-style CV that fits the advertised requirements.

2. Sell yourself in the cover letter.

3. Build a Kiwi network. Employers prefer an applicant that was referred by one of their employees.

4. Have a strategy in applying. You'll need to keep track of the role that you applied for and through what means did you apply: direct, online, via recruiter or internal employee. 

So I polished my CV and sent it to three people: my flatmate, my friend from grad school and my 2nd degree aunt.

Today, I gave one IT recruitment company a shot just to see how I fared. I applied to four postings early today and just a few minutes after 9am, I got a call from one of them. She'll be forwarding my application to their client and will see how it goes. Each posting has a different handler(consultant), the other two already responded with a nice no via email.

With this, I know now that I have a shot and will be a bit more patient to let my small network tap theirs.

I'm meeting people this weekend and hopefully, I'll chance upon those who can increase my network.

So anybody out there know anyone who lives here in Auckland? PM me ok?

Takapuna Trip and its Warm Surprise

Hurstmere Road, Takapuna

It rained again this morning and it's been darn chilly all day! I'm to take the 130 bus all the way to Takapuna for my IRD appointment. It was a long and scenic ride, 1hr 30mins for about $6.40. The bus route took the Northern Pass Lower Zone. I've seen some nice houses with a great view of the lake unlike here at the west where you only see houses all around.




So I arrived at Takapuna Central 1 hour early. The place looks lovely, like a nice and carefree beach town. It was too early in the afternoon to actually see any activities but the shops and cafes reminded me of the Malate vibe.

Beach Parking for Takapuna

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the nice view of the beach have been blocked off by these establishments according to the old man who assisted me at the bank. That's how they wanted it built back in the old days he said. It's to keep people away from the beach.

It was a windy day, and that meant wearing three layers of clothing was just about right (a shirt, some knitwear and a coat). My task for the day was completed early and as I tried to take a look at the beach, i got a nice surprise.

An old friend from grad school called me and said that she wanted to see me in the city since her appointment got rescheduled. Finally, a familiar voice and though exploring Takapuna beach was just as tempting, I know that I can do this again some other time in during the warmer months. I took the next bus headed to the city where I met with Myn. And i suppose the rest will be history. This is more than chance.

The sail that won

My View on the Harbor

Fish & chips on the left, some yummy bread and spread on the right

After some catching up, I now feel more at home since finally, I found an old friend. And this is just because I updated my LinkedIn profile.

Sunday Church and The Flea Market

The 10:30am mass here at Holy Cross is managed by the youth. There's even a section in the church where all the little tykes are gathered where their homily is delivered by someone else, in the form of story telling. That's where my flatmates were seated and I didn't really see what went on there. I was in the main church with everyone else, hearing mass as any catholic person does. Nothing different except maybe the songs orr the melodies.

Arnie and her daughter seem to have caught the flu already since I've been hearing coughing and sneezing here at home. We headed home afterwards to pick up the food. We were going to the flea market, then have lunch at the park.

There's a flea market every Sunday, until 2pm at Avondale Race Track. This is where we got our veggies and fruits. Most shoppers were Asian-- Chinese, Korean, Indian and Pinoy. According to Arnie, prices go lower as the market closes, up to a 50% difference compared with the usual Asian or Fresh fruits store. The place looked almost like the regular street stalls in Quiapo or Baclaran. Nothing special really and definitely not comparable to the posh weekend markets in Salcedo and Legaspi. It has been chilly since after mass, so my flatmates decided to skip lunch at the park and just go home instead.

Tofu with oyster sauce, tausi and green peas were quite filling with some pork sisig (no innards) and rice. Though it was late lunch, it was definitely worth the wait. Then 30minutes later, it started to rain.

Kaikoura and Waitakere Central Library

I'm always happy to see the sun up in cold places like this. I tagged along my flatmates as we headed to a nearby garage sale. The owner has 3 boys and he's got a bunch of toys as part of his items on sale. Arnie scoured some really nice Luminarc bowls, 4 pieces for a dollar. Afterwards, we headed off to a nearby park where we had a wonderful view of the rest of Waitakere. The park is Kaikoura Reserve, which is just a small patch of land really with a playground.

I was still feeling a bit sore from all that walking from last Friday so when we got back, I had to take a nap. They woke me up for lunch which was a good thing as I intended to scour West City to check on the library and then head off to Westfield City mall.

It's just a 5 minute bus ride from whichever bus route for $1.90 so I've decided to take a walk instead.

Walking sure helped give me some bearing. I passed by Holy Cross church along the way and Harts Domain. Then finally, these West City establishments. Seeing Waitakere Mega gave me a boost as I know that I'm getting close to my goal. I saw another lady scurrying along way ahead of me as she seemed to be headed in the same direction as I was. I think I'll be as fit as her after a few more days of walking. What's nice about this place is that there are pathways/ sidewalks for pedestrians and you won't feel poisoned by the traffic since the air still feels crisp and clean.

Finally it's the Great North Road again, and to my left, just a few paces more is Unitec, and next to it is the library. I availed of a library card by registering as a new member. I was required to show any identification and a document that states my address. So I've shown the old lady my passport, and the mail that I got from the bank when they sent me my FPOS as it shows my address there. This membership is free for all Auckland residents and entitles one to use any library within the region.

The library is two floors and you've got 28 days before you get fined for a borrowed book. Not bad compared to the 3 day limit that I remember back in school. You can even  get your books and cds online. And the reason why newcomers like me go to the library is that if I ever have a need to use the computer, the internet, do some printing or photocopying, then the library is the best and cheapest place to go to.

Walk, Train, Bus

I had a 9am appointment at ARMS located at Three Kings Plaza today. It's a free IT Job Hunting Seminar targeted specifically for migrants. I studied the bus and train schedules for this trip through Maxx, Google Maps and Google Earth.

My first train trip was short, just 2 stops. The bus ride from New Lynn to Three Kings was interesting since it was my first bus ride. That's when I realized that all the suburbs looked pretty much the same.

Walking up Queen's Road

From Three Kings Plaza, after my seminar, my new found friends accompanied me to Britomart where I bought a Hop card. A Hop card is like a prepaid card used to swipe for bus fares. You can only buy this at Britomart, their transport center, or where all the buses and trains stop. It is located at the end of Queen's Road which is supposedly known to be a notorious part of the city (just like Ermita). Funny it still looked better off than Berlin's commercial areas.

We passed by the famous Victoria Road. Why is famous? I don't know really, they just say it is. Then I finally had a peek of Sky Tower but since my friends were hungry, our focus was into finding a food court. I did saw this interesting building which is like a famous theater in Auckland. So old!

Walking in this downtown area of CBD is like walking within Paseo de Roxas, the side of the old Greenbelt area. You've got some old buildings and not so much high rises yet. There are lots of construction work happening around.

I know there's a lot more to see in the CBD area but I couldn't risk letting the night sky catch me. I don't know how home looks like at night and I don't know the bus schedules! I will definitely do some sightseeing on Monday since I'll be headed off to Takapuna anyway for my IRD application. I took the train to Waetakere which is going west of the city. Then walked minutes to the hilly roads of Sunnyvale amidst dusk. It was very quiet except for the roaring cars passing by. It's nice to have seen people coming home from work in the train and I see them in their homes too! By the time I got home, I was tired from all that walking. I'm gonna be sleeping soundly tonight.