The Migration Situation

If we've ever met, I’ve probably bored you with an abridged life story. Both my brother and dad are sparkies, not die-hard fans of telco/ISP, they’re electricians. When I moved to ChCh back in 2013 all the lads I was with were tradies too, they were helping with the rebuild. I’ve always been quite jealous of people that have a trade, probably because I’m not a handy fella. I’m envious that they have a skill that no matter where they go in the world, they can practice. Sure, there may be different codes and conventions to adhere to but essentially, you’re doing the same thing. After a decade of grinding, I am proud to say that recruitment is my trade. It’s also something that can be picked up in pretty much any country in the world. Where there’s an industry, there’s a recruiter. Once you learn the sweet science of recruitment you can try your hand at different specialisms or markets anywhere in the world. Then why oh why do we put so much stock in moving from one agency branch to another in a different country?

I’ll sit down with a consultant who’s often reached out to me, we’ll talk about the ideal next step, motivations/aspirations etc. Then I’ll select a few options based on what they’ve told me, carefully package them to the appropriate leaders, arrange times to meet and then they’ll pull out. Thankfully for me, they’ve done it because they “don’t want to waste anyone’s time” which is super thoughtful but also a crock of sh*t as a substantial amount of energy has already been exuded. Albeit annoying you can understand where they are coming from, I mean, they don’t want to waste any more of ‘their’ time. What I can’t get my head around is the choice to stick where you are because a potential move to Sydney or London is on the cards. New Zealand as a country is famously a team of 5 million, the city of London is around 9 million and growing. Who do you think is going to have more recruitment agencies per capita? And therefore, more options for a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed recruiter?

So if your large global isn’t the only gig in town what are the other benefits? Well, surely it’s a lot better for everyone involved to stay within the organisation, no? *Family Feud buzzer sound* Wrong! Do you think it gives your direct manager comfort that the Paris Branch is getting a gun to help with their budget? Or do you think that the detrimental effect on his or her bottom line is the same as if you would’ve gone to any other agency in the world? Turn to your manager now and say you’d like to join the IT team or Construction or A+F and see the light drain from their eyes. That’s across the office, not across the Atlantic! The money will be better though, right? Wrong again. The cart is often before the horse, the consultant has the desire to travel to a destination. Because of this, they’re on the back foot. Plus, with the NZD being what it is you’ll get lowballed. I had a pal moving to Melbourne recently, the large agency they were with wanted them to take less money. Like they were doing them a favour by taking all the hassle out of their job search.

Staying with one agency throughout your career is a good thing right? That’s a little more case-by-case. I’m not advocating for consultants jumping ship every year, although it would definitely provide more distance between the wolves and my door. I guess I’m just more of a Ronaldo guy, doing it in various top leagues is more impressive to me. It shows adaptability and resilience to change. Can I also point out CR7 was banging them in for Juve at 35, not chilling out playing dominoes down Little Havana. I understand the allure of country hopping and the perceived security of staying with what you know but it’s a fallacy, there’s a big wide world out there. If you have a history of consistent billings and a good reference the recruitment world is your oyster. Like a fella selling the idea of a Monorail, you hear of glamourous cities like North Havenbrook, Ogdenville, and Brockway but you dig a little and it’s just as much of a swizz as the one Lyle Lanley was shopping. If you’re a recruiter that is staying with an organisation just because they have an office in a country you’d like to go to, I’ve got to question your ability. I mean, I think it shows a lack of belief. If you don’t have confidence in your own job search, what about your candidates?