You know – despite all the ups and downs of the past few years – we still really love living here, but lately I have had cause to realise just what it has cost us to do so. Not just in terms of damage to our health and sanity dealing with Immigration New Zealand, but in a direct cost to Hubby’s career.
As part of being made redundant from IBM, Hubby of course has to review and update his CV. At IBM you have to do this regularly anyway –it’s one of those “mandatory time wasting exercises” they make the staff do regularly. It’s just a pity no one at IBM NZ actually bothered to read his. Hubby has had to make some fairly major changes to it this time: partly because much of his UK work history is basically irrelevant now as it was over 5 years ago, but mainly because he is looking to move from being an employee to be a contractor.
Our opinion is that if as an employee he has to deal with tossers who resent his salary, managers who lie every 5 minutes and want him to take the blame for their ineptitude, and he’s going to get scammed out of bonuses and benefits – what’s the point? You may as well contract, be in control, get paid more, and have more flexibility.
But that means a different kind of CV, hence the re-write.
So, take a look at a section of his CV for the past 3 years
Client facing work has focussed on the Government and Finance sector recently, where he has lead the delivery of a number of key engagements. He has undertaken the assessment and development of enterprise wide information risk frameworks for multiple clients, including with one media organisation to develop their five year risk management strategy. Capability implementation engagements have included a major bank, where he led the delivery of a project to completely update and revamp their email security management systems. This success lead to follow on engagements to implement the same solution with another bank, a financial services organisation and a utility company.
(Okay – I know that’s complete gobbledygook for us non-techy peeps). But compare and contrast with working for the same company in the UK.
Customer projects included a University outsourcing and infrastructure migration program, BS7799 security assessments for financial and telecommunications clients, various Government projects and multiple MSS bids. These ranged from small (NZD) $50k consultancy engagements, $45m+ dedicated security infrastructure projects through to $250m+ outsourcing engagements. Hubby contributed to the CBI Business guide “Protecting your business,” published December 2001 and various IBM technical white papers on security.
Numerous presentations were made to customer audiences at conferences, breakfast briefings and focus groups. Presentations to IBM groups ranged from the annual UK Technical conference, to an elective presentation at the 2001 IBM Services Institute which had to be run three times and drew over 250 people. The presentation was so popular it was re-run the following year as a plenary session for 500+. Other presentations included IBM UK Technical Consultancy Group symposium, and security Special Interest Group meetings of the British Computing Society.
For three years Hubby was a member of the IBM UK Technical Council, a group of 60 technical leaders brought together to work in multidisciplinary teams solving business wide, customer and IBM technical challenges.From July 2003 Hubby was also the lead instructor for IBM world wide CISSP education, and tutored a total of 200 students through to the CISSP exam. By the end of 2004, 97% of students had passed the exam first time.
Bit of a difference huh?
And that ignores the fact that IBM have actually had him doing donkey work for the past few months anyway. Yes – the guy who managed to do that in the UK has been – wait for it – filling in spreadsheets for the past few months.
I think there are two warnings here; one for potential immigrants: you run the risk of trashing your career in order to get that “lifestyle”. On the face of it, from where you are now that may not matter to you – but be prepared to take an honest look at how you would feel. I, for example, walked away from my career as a Pharmacist quite happily when we emigrated, and don’t regret it for an instant. But Hubby has missed out on numerous opportunites for training, conferences and speaking engagements because IBM wouldn’t invest in it or him, and he’s not happy to do that. If he freelances – we can pay for the conferences and the training (one course booked already for November in Sydney that IBM wouldn’t pay for last year when it was run in Wellington, and a trip to AusCert on the Gold Cost in May all sorted). It’s a great feeling not having to be beholden to needing to get 20 signatures for flight approval. He now just needs mine.
The other warning is for New Zealand companies: there are two reasons New Zealand is losing skills – you pay crap salaries and your managers resent the few people who get paid decent salaries. Pack it in and get over it! It’s small minded and you are pushing out all the people that New Zealand needs – not just the immigrants who get sick of it and go home where they don’t have to put up with it, but born and bred kiwis. More of them leave New Zealand than Immigrants, so it’s not just a bad attitude towards immigrant salaries (though too many of you also con immigrants into taking artificially low salaries because they are immigrants).
There’s actually an article in the herald today that backs this up – 53% 0f employees here move on within 2 years, at huge cost to your company, because you will not allow them to progress their careers.
Until NZ companies get rid of this slack “Tall Poppy” syndrome, you will not keep your best employees. Those are the ones that make money for you – rather than those who “manage” the ones who make money for you right out of the company.
Wow – if that attitude rubbed off on hubby no wonder he’s looking for a new job.
Lol – as ever there's got to be something wrong with our "attitude" for daring to talk about what is going on.
There couldn't possibly be something wrong with the "attitude" in NZ Companies could there? No – New Zealand is losing tens of thousands of people a year because they all have bad "attitudes". NZ would be fine if they would all just sit down, shut up,get back to work and accept crap wages and poor career prospects. Whatever were they all thinking?
Thank you so much for so succinctly illustrating the point
All around the world there are employers who won't invest or pay well. But I'm really sorry to hear things haven't gone as hoped for your husband's career. I am assuming some countries are better for corporate careers than others.
For a country so small with some great achivements, it is a pity that when it comes to working environments, companies ethics or what ever you want to call it, we generally suck! and are behind the eight ball. However, it must be said that not all companies in NZ are like this, there are still businesses out there that look after their staff well, the problem is that because the staff are looked after well they never leave, so for those who are looking for a great place to work with decent salaries etc you are stuffed.
As a Kiwi, I hate to say this but the quality of management in New Zealand is generally appaling! I see it time and time again, the same trait that plagues our workforce year after year……an inability of management to take ultimate responsibility for getting the best out of their people. Everywhere I go, sentiment is the same…workers feel unloved and overlooked. They are forced to cope with internal politics, power struggles and favouritism which is made out to be their problem. Unbelievable! Talent often goes unrecognised and those who do shine are cut off at their stem, just like tall poppies! We are doomed to fail as a nation unless we get our shit together and face these issues head on!
Can't fault what you say at all but thank God we (husband and I) got out and made it to Australia. Kiwi's don't like to hear the truth so expect some bashing about what you have said. you would think they are able to transfer their own expereinces (given that so many jump ship to the UK etc) even if they are not prepared to accept that migrants are often more qualified and have worthy skills. My UK experience was worth nothing…..especially in government. Different attitude totally in Australia. Unfortunately most people coming to NZ will not see or understand these warning signs……..they have to experience them and then understand…..and decide what to do when several thousand's of dollars poorer….if nothing else…sit tight for 5 years and then hop over to AU.