Got rejected for 11 jobs in a row before someone explained "local experience" to me

Anonymous Tired Goanna · 15 May 2026

Background: 8 years backend engineer, two big-name companies in India, PR holder since January. I sent ~40 applications in two weeks and got 11 explicit "no local experience" rejections plus a wall of silence. Two things changed it for me: (1) rewrote my CV in plain Australian English (no "spearheaded synergies"), (2) started reaching out on LinkedIn to engineers AT the company before applying, asking 15-minute coffee chats. Got 3 interviews in the next 10 days. Posting in case anyone else is in week 4 of silence and thinking the problem is them. It's usually the CV.

3 replies

Anonymous Sincere Currawong · 15 May 2026
This is gold. The CV thing is so true. Aussie hiring managers genuinely cannot parse American/Indian/UK CV conventions. Bullet points need to be active, metric-led, plain English.
Anonymous Determined Numbat · 15 May 2026
The LinkedIn coffee chat tactic worked for me too. Aussies are surprisingly willing to give 15 minutes if you're respectful. Never ask for a job in the chat — just ask about their experience.
Anonymous Tired Goose · 15 May 2026
I'm currently at rejection 38 and reading this is the kick I needed. Going to redo my CV this weekend. Thank you for posting.

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