Mansi Mate met her engineering mentor while she was working in a kebab shop in Brisbane. She is now a graduate engineer in roads and highways at SMEC. We spoke to Mansi about her experience as an overseas qualified engineer and to her acting manager Richard Maxwell FIEAust CPEng NER about the benefits to employers.

Mansi

Can you tell us a bit about your experience looking for work in Australia?

I arrived in Australia in May 2022 and began pursuing a master's in civil engineering at The University of Queensland. After graduating, I found it challenging to secure a job due to a lack of experience in Australia. Before landing a position at SMEC as a graduate engineer in roads and highways, I spent 6–7 months trying to find an engineering role. I faced repeated rejections and I generally wasn’t given feedback on why I was unsuccessful.

How did you end up securing your role at SMEC?

I was working at a kebab shop to earn money to cover my living expenses. One evening I overheard a customer discussing technical terms with another customer. While handing over his kebab, I asked him if he was a civil engineer. I saw that he was wearing a SMEC t-shirt (one of the companies I was interested in). I gave a short introduction of myself and asked him if there were any vacancies at SMEC. He provided me with his email address so I could send him my resume. From this, I was granted an interview with SMEC.

In preparation for interview, he also offered valuable advice and suggested that interviews should be a two-way street recommending that as an interviewee, I should ask the interviewer about the organisation, its culture and the type of work. I now sit next to that civil engineer in the SMEC office and he is also my mentor.

How has the experience been so far and what advice do you have for others who might be finding it challenging?

My experience has been both challenging and enlightening with significant personal growth. My advice is to be open to opportunities because they can come in various forms; sometimes all it takes is one extra step to recognise and seize them. Additionally, actively engaging in networking events and building your resume to suit the Australian industry. Further, check job opportunities on recruitment platforms like LinkedIn, Seek and university portals if available. If you don’t receive a response within a week of applying, follow up with a phone call to inquire about the status of your application.

Richard

What have been the benefits (to you as an individual and the business as a whole) employing overseas-qualified engineers?

There are multiple benefits to the business including:

• access to a larger talent pool, which is crucial in buoyant market conditions
• elevated diversity and inclusion for the team, particularly through the addition of new cultures to the team environment
• the introduction of international experience that will add to the existing local experience within the team.

The benefits to me as an individual include:

• the ability to give back by providing the opportunity for employment as an engineer in a new country, particularly if individuals have struggled to find work for a period of time
• mentoring opportunities
• personal growth by exposure to the cultural differences and stories of new employees
• increased job satisfaction to see new employees and colleagues flourishing.

What advice would you give to other companies who are looking to grow their talent pool? How they can embrace overseas-qualified talent?

The key point of advice is to take a calculated risk on hiring the employee/s. While an individual may not meet every part of the position description, the diversity we benefit from (different opinions and experiences) enrich team’s professional and social dynamics.

Employers need to be across the accreditation of degrees from the relevant countries to understand if the prospective employees will be able to qualify for Engineers Australia Chartership and state registration. Additionally, a basic grasp of the various visa requirements is very beneficial to clarify the effect on employment conditions.

Are you an employer looking for engineering talent in Queensland? Come to our event next Tuesday 24 September and gain an understanding of how hiring staff on international visas works and explore the benefits of hiring diverse teams.