By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Facing a new country, a new culture – even a go-getter like Aarti Royan didn’t find it easy to crack her first job in Australia.
Ms Royan had a successful, high-paying business in India.
When she arrived in Melbourne, she imagined she’d just live in an apartment in Bourke Street for a while, step into her chosen profession and get a house.
Eighteen months later, after hundreds of applications, she landed her first job – in a call-centre.
But that breakthrough was the key to winning a position at IBM three months later, she says.
“I had been getting into a borderline depression.
“I was spending eight or nine hours a day on (employment website) Seek .”
Ms Royan and Ron Malhorta are both Indian migrants that have done the hard yards.
They call themselves The Difference Makers and present professional development sessions for migrant job-seekers.
The Successful Migrant, their upcoming session in Narre Warren, talks about how to present to new employers.
How to build relationships, use social media, be a leader and use emotional intelligence.
The last point is often underestimated by newly arrived professionals, who are “textbook-driven” but lack social etiquette, Ms Royan says.
“They arrive with huge expectations that their paper qualifications entitle them to a job.
“But in reality you’re a personality.”
Many overseas-born professionals find themselves in the same boat. They have to take jobs in factories, taxis and call-centres well below their qualifications.
Ms Royan urges them to venture beyond their families and cultural groups. And not to crowd their resumes with every single thing they’ve done.
There are also ways to overcome employers’ “unconscious bias” against migrant job-seekers, she said.
The Successful Migrant is at Casey Cardinia Business Hub training room, Level 1, 64 Victor Crescent, Narre Warren on Saturday 18 November, 2017, 2.30pm-6pm. Bookings: trybooking.com/book/event?eid=329422
