Finding a job in a new city

First of all, some good news. Applying for jobs in a new city isn’t like learning an entirely new language. Many of the normal rules of job applications still apply, so we’d recommend you start out by re-familiarising yourself with the standard steps in applying for a job in New Zealand.

With that out of the way, now we can look at some of the specifics:

Even if you think that moving to a new city to find a job is a great plan, your family might have other ideas. One of the most common reasons why relocating for work fails is when the rest of the family hasn’t bought into the move, and end up being dissatisfied.

In Point Three, we talk about how to research employment opportunities in a new city, and (for couples) this should apply to both of you. It’s no good moving to an employment hub for one of your sectors, only to find there’s nothing at all that the other person wants to do. It needs to be a compromise.

Equally, if you have kids, you need to ensure that you’re happy with the calibre of the schooling opportunities present for them, and that it’s somewhere you’ll be happy for them to grow up in

Another crucial element of your planning should involve looking at how moving to a new city would work with your budget. You need to consider things like:

• The costs of moving.
• The costs of property rental/purchase in your current location vs. where you’re considering moving.
• Any differences in the costs of living expenses between the two locations.

If you’re moving solely for the purpose of employment, it’s worth doing your homework on where you should go. So, what’s the best city in New Zealand for jobs and opportunities?

Well, it’s not as simple as that.  It should come as no surprise that certain regions are better for certain sectors – we can guarantee that you’ll find more software developer roles in Wellington than you will in Te Anau, for example, but perhaps there will be fewer openings for walking tour guides. So when you’re researching which city to move to in order to give you the best chance of landing a role in your sector, you need to take this into account.

Top tip: if you’re not sure how to start this research process, one way is by searching the job you’re looking for on Trade Me Jobs, and then looking at the number of listings that come up for each region (or district). 

For example, if you search “plumber” with the ‘Location’ field set to “All Locations”, you’ll be taken to a results page for all our current plumbing jobs in New Zealand. You can then use the dropdown ‘Location’ menu to compare how many listings there are for each area.

So much of recruiting is online these days, so you need to let employers know that you’re looking for opportunities in a new region(s). 

One of the simplest ways to do this is by updating the information in your Trade Me Jobs Profile. As well as updating your “Preferred Location” in the “Your Next Role” section of the profile, make sure your uploaded CV also indicates that you’re open to opportunities outside of where you’ve recently been based. 

To make it more obvious that you’re looking to relocate, you could even add a line into the “Summary” section of your profile that makes it clear to employers that you’d consider their offer, even if it involves relocation.

Both your CV and cover letter should include your physical postal address. If you’ve already moved to a new city without a job, all you need to do is update the address on both of these documents so that it shows you’re local and ready to come in for a job interview.

While we now live in a world of Zoom calls and Google Hangouts, some businesses will want to play things old school and invite candidates in for in-person job interviews. 

The obvious downside of this is the cost (and hassle) involved, especially if you’re looking at covering some serious distance in order to make it to the job interview. 

However, if the job looks like a good fit for you, it’s worth it. Of course, if you’re not sure this is the right role, you don’t have to go and can politely make your excuses.

New Zealand isn’t the biggest of countries, so there’s a good chance you already know someone, or your mum’s colleague’s dog knows someone, in the town or city you’re moving to.

Even if they’re not working in the same field as you’re hoping to find a job in, it’s worth reaching out to them and trying to meet up for a chat. You never know, their flatmate, friend or partner could be in charge of recruitment in a company you’d love to work for. 

Equally, if you know someone who used to work in the area, the more insights and information you can gather about your options and who you should be talking to, the better.