## Diary of a migrant: in the eyes of employment agencies and recruiters

Hi Hivers,

Many times people find it difficult to get a good job option that fits their profile and that brings economic benefits and personal satisfaction, especially when you live in a foreign country. After legalizing my papers in Argentina, it took me about 3 months, approximately, to deepen my search. In this post I will tell you about my experience as a migrant.

There are companies that are in charge of locating workers in the labor market according to the characteristics related to a company. These are employment agencies that are simply intermediaries that bring together employers with potential qualified people for a specific job. Their objective is to identify, evaluate and select the person who best fits the profiles required by the companies.

When looking for a job, it is not only necessary to have an academic degree, but also a set of additional tools and skills, which may even be the starting point to be selected for a certain position. It is necessary to achieve the differentiating point among the other candidates to attract the attention of recruiters.

You have to be careful in choosing the right agencies to apply as a candidate, because some so-called "job agencies" take money from you with the promise to get you a job fast. I lost a thousand pesos, which by that time (2018) was quite a lot of money, in such an agency and I never got a job through them. My recommendation is that you get advice with the migrant community in the country where you reside; there you can even find professionals who are dedicated to it that can guide you in the best options. Then, check if that agency has a website or social networks, you will surely find comments from other people about it.

The second thing to do is to present the curriculum vitae, because it is the cover letter in which you can show the documents that someone has at a personal and professional level. For this you have to create several resumes both professional and informal and a portfolio in my case as a journalist, because many times these agencies offer vacancies for salespeople, customer service, call center or secretaries, and when you are abroad you have to be open minded and work in other areas that do not necessarily have to do with the career or profession you studied. You adapt these curricula vitae according to the profile requested by the applicant companies.

What are the most sought-after professions? For example, in Argentina: engineering, specifically computer science or technology, mass consumption (marketing and sales) and commerce. As a social communicator, it was difficult for me to find an opportunity in the first year, so I started in the informal area: I was a promoter, saleswoman and craftswoman.

_{*From vendor to artisan at the Paseo de la Costa Vicente Lopez Fair}

It is important to understand that you have to be patient, because a call for an interview can come quickly or in months, in my case it was 8 months. Meanwhile, to always be in the sights of agencies and recruiters you have to: have ongoing training; be proactive and keep your resume updated. So it is not a bad idea to take courses and workshops in different areas to be prepared for any opportunity. For example, knowing several languages can be a plus that attracts the attention of employment agencies and recruiters.

Remember that in addition to employment agencies, it is important that you also apply in online job boards such as Bumeran; attend job fairs, that will allow you to establish some contacts; build a profile on Linkedin and organize a network of contacts, recruiters evaluate potential candidates through this network; and finally, use social networks, specifically the Facebook groups of the communities in the country where you are, because they always post job offers that may be in line with your profile. But, this is a topic to be developed in another post.

Finally, the desired profile is: enthusiasm, being confident, able to work, responsible, willing to work in any area and being organized. Finding a job abroad is a difficult task, but not impossible. It requires patience, perseverance, organization and focus. What makes us different from others?

At some point I lost my confidence because I was applying and spending a lot of time to arrange an interview, but there is always someone who pushes you up and helps you to focus again, to trust in your talents, knowledge and skills. Never before have we had so many opportunities at our fingertips, as every day more and more technology and the internet are changing our lives, what you have to be is perseverant and focus on your goals. In the time I waited, I learned that there were new ways to communicate and in more creative formats, I am still learning about the new journalism.