Migrating Abroad and How I Got My First Job in Sydney

 

Last February 21, 2018. I moved to Sydney and started to build my life from scratch.

 

It was really a great adjustment for me. I had no friends, no relatives and no family except for my husband and my mother in law.

 

Migrating abroad is really hard. I felt being an OFW leaving their home just to provide for their families. It’s that same feeling of sadness but also that feeling of being challenged on how you could be able to prove to yourself that you can withstand anything and everything.

 

Since I was just married, I need to do some paper works for our Partner Visa 820/801. I allotted my time in completing requirements which required a lot of documenting our relationship and providing pieces of evidence with a statement. It’s really a tedious task that involves a lot of research and collating.

 

I am on a tourist visa at this moment and I could not find a work yet given that. My work rights would not have been available up until May 23, 2018, so I had to put a disclaimer on my resume about that.

 

But I told myself that after I finished my partner visa, I would find a work right away by April and start revising my resume, my Linkedin profile etcetera.

 

I also wanted to build credibility to myself as well as commitment so I wrote these words in my journal and in our whiteboard at our home:

 

By April 2018 – Finish Visa, Start applying for work
By May 2018 – Finish my DFP course
By June 2018 – Land a Corporate Job

 

After finalizing my visa by the end of March, I started sending resumes one after another by April.

 

I received many emails of rejections one after another. I told myself, what if I’ll just apply for a casual job instead just to get paid (hourly jobs like waitress, cashier etcetera)? So I did what most people would usually do just to have that experience no matter what kind of job it might be. I created a second resume for an hourly job and a professional resume for corporate jobs.

 

I submitted my resume to companies looking for casual workers as well as companies that were looking for a full-time employee. April came to an end but still, no calls yet. I was getting nervous because as I was looking at my goals, I felt that it was “BIG” and that it is impossible to achieve it.

 

During this waiting time, I am just also studying a course that is required in Australia to be RG 146 certified. This is the minimum training required so that you could be able to provide financial advice to clients.

 

I was reading a lot and just immersing myself in recreating my mental beliefs and mindset, I told myself that I will never allow my circumstances to slow me down or limit me to what I can be able to achieve.

 

My husband told me that I should give myself until August to finding work since I am just on a bridging visa and my visa would just take into effect almost end of May. I understand where his reasoning is based upon since most of the people who migrated here even with an instant permanent resident visa grant would have been accepted for a job around 3 months. He was keeping my expectations low so as not to disappoint me if everything else would turn sour. It actually made me feel more ready for rejections but on the other hand, it challenged me more. I want to be the exception.

 

I wanted to show my husband and to the world the power of really believing in your dreams.

 

I started shutting down myself from social media. I read a lot. I focused every day finishing my DFP course (a course needed for you to be able to work in a bank in Australia). I remember the great words of Earl Nightingale and the powerful quotes I posted on another blog that served as my guiding principles. I listened to powerful Youtube videos and read books.

 

Alongside to this, I broke some bad habits and cultivated good ones. One of which is reading the Bible every day and reading my goals every day while listening every morning to motivational mp3 I saved in my iPod shuffle. I rewrote my goals and made it as specific as possible.

 

I had social media less than just 10minutes a day including Facebook. I have a monitoring android application for this which I can share soon in one of my weekly vlogs.

 

2nd of May:

And then one day, as I was reading one module from my DFP course in the library (my new home), somebody called me. It was an impromptu phone interview with one of the companies I applied to. This was 2nd of May.

The interviewer of Company A told me if I’m available for a face to face job interview and I said yes definitely! The job interview was on the 4th of May. I wasn’t able to concentrate on my module because of this actually. Haha

I started searching for the company and immersed myself in learning about them, watched interview sessions on Youtube and more.

 

4th of May:

The 4th of May came and I was happy because I felt that I nailed it. I was relaxed. I answered well and I felt natural and poised.

 

8th of May:

After this interview, I’ve got two other phone interviews. One from Company B and C. Unfortunately, for these two phone interviews it just ended there.

 

9th of May

On the 9th of May, however, I received a phone call from Company A, asking me for a final interview with a written exam. Of course, I said yes! The interview was scheduled 15th of May.

 

10th of May

10th of May came and somebody called again, it was from Company D. I had a phone interview with them and I’ve felt that I said what needs to be said and explained.

 

11th of May

Another company called and it was a bank, let’s call it Company E. It was a phone interview again.

I never heard again from these companies for the last two days. So what I did was I followed up the status of my phone interview for both Company D and E and fortunately, my pro-activeness and interest for the job paid off. They both scheduled a second interview for me and this was a face to face interview (21st of May for Company E and 23rd of May for Company D).

 

15th of May

I had my second and last interview for Company A and the written exam was really hard. It was a combination of Math, Logic, Comprehension and Personality and Typing Test. The Math test is not just about computations but more about the analysis of charts and graphs. After the exam, it surprised me though that my highest score was from Math. They told me that my scores were above average and that I fared well. They also asked for my work referrals and other documents. Because of these, I’ve really felt that this was the right company for me.

 

21st of May

My face to face interview from Company E happened. I felt really intimidated. Maybe because they are white and I am Asian. Although I’ve felt nervous, I did my best to answer them politely and with confidence. We were in a meeting room and they both sat down with their laptops in front of them. I’ve felt really nervous since their laptops made me felt that I was being tightly evaluated. But everything must go on and one funny story was as I was waiting at the reception, I even saw their CEO of all people. I thought it was a good sign but in the end, I have realised that our life does not depend on luck or signs. It’s real all hard work, consistency and perserverance.

 

23rd of May

After two days, I had my next face to face interview with Company D. Again, I’ve felt nervous but I find them friendlier. But as always, I did my best. I prepared. I rehearsed. I practised and I prayed. I did my signature power pose inside the elevator just to boost my emotion since I believe that when the body moves, the brain grooves.

To summarize, I had a total of three face to face interviews with Company A, D and E.

A week again had passed and there was still no response from Company A. I really thought that they liked me since they asked for my work referrals already as well as some documents. When I received my bridging visa with work rights, I emailed them to just to inform them about my legality to work but it seemed that it made them feel that I am very needy. What I learned here is this: Do not get too assuming and do not let your employer know that you’re very excited to get hired since it would make them feel that you’re frustrated for the position and that you are needy. By being so aggressive, it will cheapen your value.

Going back, I felt really sad since this is already May. But again, someone called.

After my last face to face interview with Company D, I was surprised because they wanted a final interview right away two days after. And of course, I said yes!

 

25th of May

My final interview for Company D has arrived. I was again nervous as I will be talking to the head of the department. But I showed up and did my best to respond and told them who I am as honest as I can be. The last thing I’ve asked them was: “What would be the next step after this? How will I know if I was accepted?”

What they told me was: “We are still interviewing a lot of people for this position for the following days and we will just inform you.”

Hearing these words made me feel less expectant. I know that the competition is tight and this company is also a good one as it is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

After the interview, I met with my husband and I told him that I felt that I didn’t give my best. As I was walking with him, I remember that Company E which is the bank where I’ve felt mostly intimidated, hasn’t get back to me yet so I just emailed them thinking that my eagerness would work but I haven’t received any response since then.

 

During this waiting period, my heart was tied up with Company A. I know they will hire me but God indeed is great. He will save the best for last.

 

As we are walking home, on the 25th of May, Company D called. It was the HR officer. She asked me how was my interview three hours ago and I told her that it was great and that I did my best. And then she said these words to me: Jennifer, I just want to let you know, you’re HIRED!

 

And for that moment……….

 

I was just shocked. I don’t know what to say. The only thing I remembered saying was: Thank you so much! That’s great!

 

Company A, however, did get back to me a few days after. They called me around 30th of May. They told me that the position they are offering was still not vacant and because of that, they cannot hire me. I don’t know what kind of excuse was that but this is another lesson for me:

 

“Trust God and His process. His plans are better than your plans.”
“As you are waiting, continue to occupy yourself and do good work, do hard work, continue to plant seeds. As you plant, you will soon reap the rewards in His perfect time.

 

And that’s what happened in my journey.

 

There is really power in believing in your dreams. I never thought that what I wrote in my journal will come true. I wrote this in April and I have edited it and made more specific by May after my first ever phone interview (although that company which I erased here didn’t push through). And here it is:

P.S. When I got the job, I erase the initial company that I thought would hire me and replaced it with my new employer. I slashed this since it’s a done deal already.=)

 

I read that every morning to remind me that I can do anything.

 

I do not know where you are now. You might be like me, forging a new career in a different country. You might be like me, adjusting to a new job and to a new environment. You might be like me, trying to fit in, in a world that is not what you’ve been used to. You might be like me, frustrated and trying to have a new identity and a new worth in a new environment. You might be like me trying to be the exception for the rule. You might be like me, intimidated to other people. You might be like me, doubting sometimes your owngoals abilities because of many rejections.

 

But here’s what I have to say:

 

No matter what insecurities you have.
No matter how many rejections you have received.
No matter how hard and uncomfortable it is to fit in and adjust.

 

Remember this:

Your identity is not what other thinks about you.
Your identity is that you are always BLESSED and ANOINTED and FAVORED because you are God’s child.

Your identity is what you are building yourselves and forging yourself on what you will become and it was never about your past or circumstances.
Your identity is what you BELIEVE who you are and not what others say who you are.

 

 

So STAND TALL.
Keep Believing.
Have Faith.

 

Because in the end, this will always remain true and the same:

 

When you GIVE your BEST, He will DEFINITELY take care of the REST.

 

 

Leave a comment below and share your thoughts or questions.

I would love to hear from YOU!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to sign-up for our free newsletter to receive new articles like this in your inbox each week.

>