A Drake job journey from one of our star candidates.

Drake Editorial

Our consultants love matching our candidate’s skill set to our wide range of jobs available with Drake.

Read Ryan’s amazing job journey with Drake below.

Hello, my name is Ryan Oo (pronounced "Ooh"). I am originally from Malaysia and lived in Hong Kong for 19 years. This is my story from one migrant to another which I hope is encouraging wherever you are. 

On 29th February 2020, I visited Melbourne for a wedding. After having arrived a few days, Melbourne went under total lockdown and flights were not available back to Hong Kong! Four months later, our lives were still at a standstill without a flight in sight (you can include "uncertainty if I could return to my job there and the future circumstances of my HK abode").

The universe seemed to have made the decision via COVID! Surprisingly, we found it easy to have our apartment keys sent to a Hong Kong removalist and we were able to select the items the removalists would ship to Australia via a video call. In under a month, all our Hong Kong furniture and belongings were delivered to Melbourne, and Melbourne became our new home.

In a pandemic, it can be a challenging experience for visitors and migrants - e.g. visa issues, finding housing, funding bills, the list goes on... The fact that I have an Australian partner made the de facto visa application easy and a relative was able to provide the space for us - as I mentioned, the universe seemed to have spoken! 

Then came the job hunt which was a bit disconcerting. Over a period of a year between 2020 and 2021, job prospects were bleak. Over 28 years of international corporate experience spanning most countries in East Asia did not count without any local experience. It was dead silence to all my job applications.

A breakthrough came when Drake International approached me at the end of October 2021. They had a role as a Lifestyle Assistant at an aged care center. The role entailed providing care to residents who are currently under lock-down due to COVID with minimal to zero external contact. My corporate experience would not answer, but thankfully no prior experience was required. Still, it was a 1.5 journey each way by public transport, with longer travel times on weekends. 'Beggars can't be choosers' and I was open to anything that would inject local experience into my resumé. I did not hesitate to accept Esther's offer to work with Drake.

Since then, many doors have opened. Through the agency, I received the opportunity to work with a large retail giant for a weekend but the real second breakthrough came about through the agency to work with a major company producing construction materials in Melbourne. Within a short period of time, combining hard work, diligence, and dedication to the role, I was offered a direct contract with this company.

Immersing myself in the workplace beginning from the first contract gave me a greater understanding of the local and working cultures. With more exposure as time went on, I found myself adjusting more easily to Australian culture. I believe it is a take-home point for newcomers that a willing, open-hearted attitude accepting of opportunities gives one a better chance of succeeding in Australia. This is my story so far and I wish you the best on your own journey!

Thanks for sharing your story with us Ryan!

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