Networking in Adelaide

Adelaide is a perfect example of a city that operates on less than six degrees of separation. This can be quiet disconcerting to a newcomer from a larger city, and takes time to adjust to. Quite often, I don’t recognise people on the street that I know, simply because I’m not used to seeing people I know when I’m out. Nowadays, if I attend any event in the Adelaide area, I can expect to see one or two familiar faces.

When starting life in a new country, there are always cultural differences to get used to, and some take a bit more flexibility on our part. It’s very easy to complain about the frustrations we face when we move overseas, but it’s sometimes not so easy to recognise that the obstacles can be eradicated largely through our own effort. With so many immigrants coming to South Australia on regional visas that require one year of work in a two-year period in order to obtain permanent residency, adapting to a potentially different way of finding work as a result of what some would term Adelaide’s incestuous nature is a must. Joining up to social groups, professional networking organisations, and even interest groups is a perfect way to meet people as well as begin to make connections with others who may provide a link to potential employment.

Even with the best networking skills, it is still important to remember that patience is an important virtue in situations such as this. It will take time to settle in, find a job that suits you, and in the meantime, you may simply need to be content with less materially. It’s a perfect time to use those networking opportunities to build the skills and lifestyle you always wanted but never had to work as hard for before!