Hi everyone

I am not new to switzerland but i am new to the site! i am currently working in zurich but want to work in basel where i live but there never seems to be many jobs around for me. i work in IT and am a cisco ccie and would like to know if anyone has got any good links to sites for basel.
i have approached a lot of companies and my CV is with most agencies but i think there is hardly any jobs here. Unfortunately i am not very good at languages and never have been but it seems your CV is binned at this stage. I only have an L permit as i'm contracting and its a real pain in the backside as companies it seems drop your application.

If anyone has some tips then it would appreciated.

thanks
Matt

Are you swiss? Or can speak Swiss-German?
High german? French?

If none of the above, sorry, no levels of permits will likely get you a job, without some "contacts".
Although there is an anti-discriminatory law on recruitment, I think the swiss companies are unlikely to hire a non-swissperson. The political price is too high.

Your only chance is a MNC.

HAT

If you are ccie then language is generally not an issue. What might well be a problem is the permit. If you are an EU citizen then that too is not such an issue. For cisco work you are however likely to be looking at Bern or Zurich for employment opportunities...

Try Elan-IT, IT-Divisions or Hays as agencies.

Richard

Hi Matt,

I don't agree with Hat, given that you are Cisco certified you have a good chance of getting a job should one come up in Basel. As you know there are not really that many technical people out there who are Swiss, well that's my experience of working in IT here for a good few years.

Have you tried direct contact with any of the big pharmacuticals that are out Basel way? They must run some pretty big networks given that most of them have offices worlwide.

Sorry, with a CCIE, yes, you do stand a much better chance.

I was talking more in general with job seekers without language skills. If there is another one (local or speaking local lang) in line, with CCIE, then...

Try Norvatis...the HR lady could be "feeling good"...

Good luck!
HAT

Thanks richard...i have an L permit, a royal pain. i am English and used to commute to london so looked at other areas already. I can get a job in london within 7 days in england but here you have to beg to get in the door or be sneaky and get a friend to "recommend" you.
Zurich and Bern are ok but want to be nearer my place of work, my girlfriend has grown up in basel and her friends are there. So basel or england would be the choice!
Working on contacts but everything is so slow...

A question for HAT..what is MNC? code for what exactly?

I used to be registered through an agency called Nexus who are also in Basel (a branch office run by one guy, I believe). One of my previous, albeit junior, jobs in Basel I got through them.... though German skills were appreciated. But I found them to be very helpful. Don't know how good they are for positions higher up the ladder.

Will check nexus, thanks!
i have no direct contact with HR Novartis only uploading CV to their database and i think IBM manage their network but they are not hiring. Roche would be cool but nothing yet, found another company and would love to work there called Bank of International settlements....the benfefits are cool---no tax .

Hey hey and the general manager is a guy called Jim Hetherington ex Director General of IT for the European Central Bank. The benefits are cool but there is tax it is just negligible and more than equalized with the allowance for being foreign... You also get an F permit

wow.....what is an F permit (licensed to kill?!?) or f for foreigner....i have uploaded my cv there anyway as you never know. probably not a big network but 4 tram stops from my place!

I guess the best translation would be F**K-off to any official who wants to give you grief... It stands for functionaire and this is one step from diplomatic status. IT exempts you from a lot of the Swiss issues and rules and problems and... that you read about in this forum.

BIS do allegedy boot you out after a certain time working for them and usually employ contractors paying well to boot.

BoyD once mentioned them to me in passing; they're clients of his so PM him. I can vouch for him being in the office spouting b*ll*cks today too, as I just suffered lunch with him (no editing required )

MNC---Muti National Companies

F permit is for refugees as far as I can remember...

outstanding.....fingers crossed they need my talents
i would think every employee smiles when they go to work...was this a secret? i think lots of swiss would like to work there as well. i am lucky guy so who knows need to check the eurolottery result now.

D-permit rings a bell in BIS-world...?

Those dimplomats and their family have speical C permits

Hi mattc,

Welcome from a fellow CCIE! (bet you never expected that hehehe) I wouldn't be too concerned about the permit - it will get sorted out for you. I doubt your CV is landing in the bin because of it.

Now about the Basel thing. I guess you use jobserve already - but for a long while (as far as contract work went) there was nothing in Zurich and everything seemed to be in Basel. Then of course there are always things coming up in Bern for a company which starts with S.

In my own case I couldn't be bothered commuting to Basel each day (i'm lazy like that) so knocked them all back.

I am interested in what you might have to tell about the Zurich contract situation for CCIE's however, so send me a PM and we can chat in a bit more detail

Also, have you done your recerts lately? I may have a few tips for you there...

2 years IIRC - I know a brace of ex-contractors and applicants...

IIRC.....whats that?

MAtt

If I recall correctly.