Kia ora, business leaders! Have you been overlooking a valuable talent pool right under your nose? New Zealanders returning from their overseas experience (OE) are constantly trickling back into our job market, bringing with them a unique blend of skills that could give your business a serious edge.

Don’t know where to start or who to register with? Don’t worry– we have put together a few helpful tips to help get you started.

Gone from strength to strength in your international career and unsure (or worried!) about what the equivalent looks like in Auckland or other main cities you may be returning to in NZ?

Though it can be concerning bringing someone on board that you have never met in person, virtual recruitment is a solution in this case and onboarding is not a completely new idea for many, it may now be the way forward with flexible working becoming a stronger possibility for businesses following the COVID-19 lockdown period.

In the past couple of years, since returning to NZ, I’ve had the privilege to meet with a wide range of repatriates and hear their stories. And, as I’ve collected more stories, my inner-academic has started to group these into a kind of ‘typology of returners’ – each of which reflect a common experience, and similar relationship to NZ.

The short answer is yes. The long answer is more complex and takes into consideration a number of different perspectives. Firstly, a reference is just one tool to assist in the decision-making of a recruitment process of 30 steps – if the process is being done well.