There are more than 600,000 New Zealand citizens in Australia, around 500,000 of which were born in New Zealand.

Having experience and exposure in the industry you are looking to break into is very helpful and can often kick start your career.

Starting a new role also means taking a leap of faith and really embracing change and new experiences. Registering with a recruitment agency can help keep your options open.

Contract roles are extremely common in Australia and it doesn’t always mean that you will be out of a job after the first week. Perseverance and persistence is the key to success when transitioning to work in Australia.

The benefits of being a Kiwi or New Zealand citizen is that is makes it much easier for citizens to get into jobs based on the face that companies don’t have to worry about sponsorship because most citizens fall under the ‘special category visa’ in Australia.

It is important to remember that moving to a new place is difficult and can often be very challenging. This daunting experience can also be very rewarding in the long run so it is important to maintain a sense of perseverance and dedication.

The history and record of New Zealand citizens in Australia’s labour market is good, but a keen attention to skills acquisition and desirable attribute retentions are important in order to meet the current skill selection standards in place and the demands of the labour market itself.

Australian governments have worked to continue better target the migration program to acquire skills that will benefit Australia and its labour market. The emphasis is now placed on employer sponsorship – on the grounds that employers are the best judges of the skills needed.

The best advice for Kiwis hoping to work in Australia is to provide skills that Australia’s job market is lacking in and needs. Education and Upskilling with a positive attitude is the key to achieving success in the Australian job market.

• Vanessa Song, Social Media Coordinator