Arrived at your new country…Now what?

 

1,2,3…and breathe, you have made it to your destination! But now you are overwhelmed and are not sure what to do next, well here are some tips for getting through the first few weeks of being in a new country.

If the only thing you have done is book a hostel to stay in when you arrive then have no to fear I have the top 5 things you can do to hit the ground running.

1. find access to the internet: you need to have this to get the information you need or if you are stuck and don’t have internet ask the place you are staying at to point you in the direction of the cities information centre (IC).

2. set up transport: do you live in a country that relies heavily on public transport or private transport? well using the information either from the internet or IC, research the best ways to get around the city; take into consideration that having a flexible pass for public transport will benefit you more when you start going for job interview. Consider looking a monthly passes to see if you can get a discounted rate. If you need to be your own vehicle look a local dealerships, or try and find online community website where people are selling cars, mopeds etc. (I.E. for New Zealand it would be something like TradeMe).

3. create a bank account and buy a sim card or mobile phone: you need to have a bank account in the country you intend to stay in, this will help make with business transactions, save the extra dollar from the exchange rate and lets you been more flexible with purchases. Then a mobile phone with the countries approved sim card, then you are away laughing!

4. find permanent accommodation: again use the internet to look for websites advertising room vacancies or go through the local paper; otherwise some large convenience stores might have community boards where people pin up written advertisements.

5. search for employment: if you have noticed a trend… the internet is a wonderful place to search for everything you need, again look on job website and submit your application. Better yet go directly to companies that you are interested in and hand you CV over or ask to speak with HR department. Maybe even speak with people you know living in the city and they might know someone who could help you with finding employment.

 

I was hoping to be a bit more detailed for you, but in doing so I would only be able to give you one country’s recommendations. If you stay in hostels the first week  other travelers will be able to pin point you in the right direction.

 

Those items you cannot live without (desk edition)

When we are at work there are certain staple items we reach for that make our work much easier, so for today I have complied my top 5 items commonly reached for at work.

Pens – I am addicted to ink pens, I enjoy the colours and consistency they give, plus I always get comments on how nice my pens are! Great conversation starter if you are new to the job…

Sticky Notes– whoever created these was a genius! The colours and sizing appeal to the organisation freak inside of me. Whether you use them to take down phone messages or as reminder you put on documents these are super handy!

Folders– I like the clear plastic sleeve ones that you can get in different colours, they are great organisation tools and them being slightly see through helps you remember quickly what is inside each folder.

Stapler– if you don’t staple important documents together you are bound to lose them…period.

Hole Puncher– how are you suppose to file things away without hole punching?!

I know some of you will agree with me on these points, but if you have any other items you think are just as important hit me up on twitter or leave a comment below. I always love to hear back from you 🙂

Much Love and Magic

Z

How to negotiate like a boss!

There comes a time when you will have to ask for something from your boss, whether it be for better pay or something else that is important; its critical to know how to negotiate and get what you want 🙂

I thought I would share some tips with you around negotiating for what you want, so you can be a boss and get that happy result! I mean at the end of the day your employer does want you otherwise he wouldn’t have hired you in the first place (I know there are exceptions to the rule)…

So firstly you need to sit down and think…what do you want? are you wanting a pay rise? a promotion? or just plan recognition that you hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. Cardinal rule, if you don’t head into a negotiation without at least a fundamental idea about what you want, you can end up walking away with nothing or sadly even in a worse position.

Another point to take into consideration is your worth, we are prone to under valuing ourselves. Write down points as to why you are an assest to the company; do you make a contribution that others cannot? Or do your skills make you stand out from the rest?! Then translate this into $$, look at the market and see positions similar to your one and see if they are offering the same or if there is a trend of pay by other companies.

Now after you have applied these points, you need to consider where you are having this meeting. What some may not realise is that positive negotiations happen in positive environments. For example if you negotiate with your boss in their office the feeling of defeat can be the white elephant in the room. Then vice versa if you get your boss to come to you, they can feel trapped and pressured. What I suggest is to have a meeting outside the office, maybe in a cafe? Somewhere netural, this takes away any hostile feel from both sides.

Then starts the actual negotiation, remember you need to listen to how your employer answers your demands. Some good techniques for intiating negotiation is to say “thank you for taking the time to see me” or “I understand you are quite busy, however I want to discuss with you my current job situation”; the best one I find that works well for me is “I feel that I needed to express my concerns about where I stand and hopefully we both can find a solution that is agreeable to both”. It might sound a bit robotic to you but remember to put your own spin on it, approach your boss the way you know best!

Well my friends I hope you find these tools helpful and that when you negotiate you get what you want! Please tell me how it goes if you do have to negotiate, I would love to hear your feedback.

Much Love and Magic

Z

So I am not a student anymore…now what?

In recent times it could have been claimed that once you had graduated from university you pretty much would get a job, no sweat…these days it is a different story.

It was a unique feeling, that I know all students feel when they finally at the proverbial end of the tunnel. What a lot of people don’t tell you is what to do after you have graduated…Like how to start apply for employment?

Firstly you need to understand if you have not planned the next steps before you graduate this could be a hard uphill battle, meaning that you will be starting right from the bottom…but hey in the words of Drake “we started from the bottom, now where here”. A trend that has appeared is that some students have no direction after they have graduated, it was always go to ‘University get a degree’ then you will get a job. But wait one second how do you find the job? what? are we just going to walk into a company and be like hey give me a job… sadly for most of us this is not the case.

It may sound painfully simple and it is if you put some time and effort into it yes it is, a curriculum vitae aka a CV is your first step in the direction of looking for a job. From my link above there are plenty of templates, also companies that will help you write a good CV. I do however recommend that you do not put your martial status and age, this can get your CV wiped off before it get even sent to the right people. Give yourself a little mystery and of course the advantage!

Now that your CV is done what next? start looking for jobs to apply for! This can get a little daunting for many people, as it is safe to apply for any job you can get do try and filter down. For example if you have a communications degree, majoring in retail; you are not going to apply for a finance administrator’s position. Do you see where I am coming from? Try and stick to jobs that are based within your field of expertise, otherwise why did you study that profession in the first place?!

So where do you look? Try the local newspaper, Google employment agencies or employment websites. Go door to door of local companies dropping off your CV, maybe even offer a work trial for a day to get potential employers interested. There are many avenues you can try, only if you are willing is what will make the difference. However if you feel a bit overwhelmed my friend Sara has great tips on looking at the job market.

From then on keep constantly apply for positions, also don’t forget to talk amongst your friends and family they could be an unlikely candidate to get you into a job the you may actually want!

So there you have it the first part of my wayward guide (the first step into the business world), I want to simply make points that will help you be ahead in your quest for employment. There are so many who have no idea what to and that means the best people could be possibly be missing out on the perfect job for them.

Don’t let that be you!

Peace and Happiness

Z

10 Things to do while you are stuck working through summer!

If you are like me this year, I am working through the Christmas period. For me it was due to getting a new job, but I know for others that there could be multiple reasons i.e. you need the money, or you were too late getting you application for leave in…

I have designed a list for the weekend! I find that doing little eventful things in the weekend makes working through seems less unbearable.

• Take a walk in a place you have never explored, it doesn’t need to be some remote place. Why not try a suburb that has some cute shops you have been dying to look at.
• Grab a camera and go take pictures of the most obscure things that catch you eye, then make a collage and frame it on your wall.
• Write a letter, it could be to yourself or to a friend and write it on the most amazing stationary and seal it with a kiss!
• Go to that restaurant you have been dying to go to, be are just a little bit scared for multiple reasons i.e. you don’t understand the menu.
• Play roulette and randomly pick a beverage, go down to the park, beach, lake or whatever beautiful scenery you have at your disposal and lay in the sun and think of all the good things in life.
• Create something, like handmade soaps or cards? they would come in handy when you are short on gift ideas.
• Volunteer at an animal centre, who doesn’t want to spend time with animals? seriously!
• Wear outrageous things around the house and have a dance off with yourself.
• Write a song, poem, story or anything that makes you want to rhythm
• Lastly go to an event on your own and make a goal of how many people that you must have talked to by the end of the night (this is a big one so be realistic in your goal setting)

Give it a go, maybe you just might find that your Summer is turning into such fun!

Much love

Z