“Not only did Planit sponsor visas for myself and my family, they also arranged flights and accommodation for all of us. This made the move to New Zealand much easier and stress-free than it could have been, and also ensured that I was able to hit the ground running.”

Khyati, Engineer, Planit

When Khyati completed her Masters degree, she had to think about what kind of job she wanted to do, and more importantly to her, one that she would enjoy. One thing she was confident about was that the IT field would be a good start.

“I always wanted to do something that would allow me to challenge my mind, improve my analytical skills, learn and use new tools, and then implementing all those learnings day-to-day,” Khyati says. “Although work isn’t the only thing that influences happiness, it’s where we spend a big chunk of our working lives.”

After exploring several IT roles, Khyati found that testing fulfilled most, if not all, of the above requirements. She started out in French multi-national company in India as a software test analyst, where she stayed for seven years later and moved up to be a lead software engineer.

Having reached a plateau in her career, Khyati decided it was time to move on to the next big thing. Her initial job hunting focused on local opportunities, but then a phone call from New Zealand in 2014 changed all that.

“The call came seemingly out of nowhere, since I didn’t know anyone in New Zealand who would want to call me,” she says. “But it turned out that Planit’s HR team in New Zealand had shortlisted my profile from a job portal, and they were calling to invite me to attend their upcoming India recruitment drive.”

Hundreds of hopeful candidates gathered on recruitment day, and Khyati counted herself among them. What followed were numerous exams and interviews (face-to-face, phone, Skype), which included a one-to-one chat with the Director of Testing Services of Planit’s Wellington office.

At the end of it, Khyati was one of a handful of lucky recruits invited to join Planit. This was two year before Planit established its two Indian offices, so she was asked to join the Wellington office.

“This, of course, meant relocating to New Zealand with my husband and then 5-year old son,” Khyati says. “I talked it over with my husband and we agreed that this was a great opportunity for me to take my skills and career to a higher level, so I soon accepted the offer to join Planit in Wellington.”

Relocating overseas is not an easy task. Fortunately, Khyati had help.

“Not only did Planit sponsor visas for myself and my family, they also arranged flights and accommodation for all of us,” she says. “This made the move to New Zealand much easier and stress-free than it could have been, and also ensured that I was able to hit the ground running once I arrived.”

The next four and a half years were spent supporting clients of Planit’s Wellington office. Numerous client engagements and opportunities to skill up helped speed things along.

“I absolutely love the support given by Planit, including the seemingly endless learning opportunities it provides,” she says. “The in-house training, which is done by the same professional trainers that teach the same accredited courses to external students, expanded my skillset and helped with my career progression.”

The opportunity to work across various clients in different industries, and meeting their diverse needs, also kept Khyati on her toes. “Not only have I gained unique insights from working in several domains like investments, banking, and supply chain, I also gained knowledge of many different systems over a short duration, something that’s only possible at a consultancy like Planit.”

Just like Khyati’s efforts in India earned her the attention of Planit in New Zealand, her efforts in Wellington gained her the attention of Planit in Australia. Namely, the Melbourne office, who wanted Khyati to move over to their team in 2019.

This once again meant relocating to a different country, but this time Khyati knew what to expect after already doing it once before. She also knew that Planit would support the move, which it did in much the same way it did before.

“Changing from one Planit office to another wasn’t as disruptive as I imagined,” Khyati says. “In many ways, it felt like I was moving from one family to another.”

Although Khyati initially missed the quiet and easy-going lifestyle of Wellington, she and her family have quickly adjusted to life in Australia.

“Melbourne is vibrant, fun and full of life,” she says. “The same goes for the local Planit team!”