Originally from a small town in India, Ragi Kuttikate always dreamed of exploring the world. Inspired by her father’s travels and her brother’s migration to the UK, Ragi set out on her own journey, which took her from India to the UK and eventually to Adelaide, Australia, where she now resides as a permanent resident. Her experiences navigating migration, career transitions, and cultural differences have shaped her perspective and fueled her success in talent acquisition.
1.Can you share a bit about your journey? What led you to where you are today?
Came from a very small town in India, but had very big dreams. Had seen dad travel for work to middle east and airport drop-off and pick-ups were part of my life. And then elder brother migrated to United Kingdom in 2009 and since then wanted to explore the world too, 6 months visit visa to UK soon became a reason to move there on a student visa to study, travel and see life through a different lens. As a kid with asthma and allergy life in London was amazing and soon decided that I wanted to live in a place with better air quality. Didn’t get the post study visa in London and moved back to India. But the dream to move out and live in place with clean air never went away. And then migrated to South Australia in 2018 and now call Adelaide home as permanent resident.
2.What aspects of your home country—such as food, traditions, or places—do you miss the most?
I only miss people, even though we travel frequently and spend time in India having them around a stone throw away is what I miss the most, nothing else.
3.What do you love most about living in Australia? Was there anything that surprised you when you first arrived?
Better air quality, work-life balance rather a laid-back life of South Australia. Hills & beaches and everything in between. Wouldn’t say I was surprised, but the reality is far away from what I had expected. Even though Australia is so far ahead on migration policies and government initiatives. The awareness on the ground level to accept migrants is far to behind from most of the other countries that have big migrant population.
4.If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self before migrating, what would it be?
I would have possibly migrated earlier than what I did, I should have moved here directly from UK instead of doing a stop-over of 7 years in India, migrating at 27 would have been far more better than migrating at 34.
5.Has there been a person who deeply influenced your journey or helped shape your path?
Yes, my brother’s move to the UK played a big role and showed me the pathway and confidence needed to make it happen for myself.
6.You took a calculated risk in choosing Adelaide for migration. Looking back, what factors made this decision the right one for you?
I only had the option for state sponsored visa to qualify for moving to Australia. And I had to pick a state and a regional area as State Sponsored Visas had the criteria to live and work in Regional areas, and I found out that the whole State of South Australia was regional so even if I lived and worked in Adelaide I would meet the requirements of the visa and hence made the decision. Also when I was comparing job opportunities in Adelaide v/s regional areas of Victoria and New South Wales. Adelaide had far more better opportunities.
7.You arrived in Australia at 34 and actively built your network. What strategies worked best for you in establishing professional and social connections?
Having a focused and strategic approach helped, not expecting quick results or short-cuts. Being out and about, reaching out to people on LinkedIn was not just to find work but also otherwise helped. Made connections with no expectations apart from learning and getting to know 1 additional person in this part of the world where things weren’t going to happen organically. Always willing to give and share did the magic.
8.Finding a job soon after migrating is often challenging. What steps did you take to secure three job offers within a short period?
Reaching out to anyone I knew that lived anywhere in Australia to know their story and journey but not expecting anything back.
Letting every know that I was moving so that they could make introductions to people they knew who had moved to Australia.
Having a career coach to give information that I would have taken couple of months to settle and find.
Focused approach on roles that I wanted to get into and meticulously working on it. Treating job search just like a full-time job.
Making sure enjoying life and the reason to move by exploring the place and getting to know and understand the culture of the place.
Having a very strong support system of friends and family for days that were hard.
Accepting the facts that were beyond my control and just focusing on the ones that I could control.
9.You’ve mentioned constantly “learning and unlearning” while adapting to Australian work culture. What were the most unexpected differences compared to your previous experiences in India, the UK, and the US?
People not valuing global experience and only looking for “Local Experience”
Being unaware of the massive tech advancements that have happened in workplaces across the world. All the 3 countries mentioned above were far ahead, so being ok and accepting that things are slow and will take time.
Seeing people valuing the importance of mental and physical health. Importance of spending time with loved ones. Making this part of my thought process and accept it guilt free.
Being open about your non-negotiable and voicing out what you feel strongly about. Making this part of my thought process and accept it guilt free.
If you feel hard to communicate and understand the culture, it’s the same for the other person too, so finding a way to meet at 50-50 and be open to share about your own culture and value system.
How did COVID-19 and job redundancy shift your career path toward talent acquisition? What have you found most fulfilling about working in this field?
Even though I didn’t find it hard to find my 1st role, I saw that it wasn’t the case for people around me. They found it hard to navigate the local experience questions and also a lot of other biases that exist. I had started coaching people to find jobs by helping them with resume review, fine tuning applications, networking etc. And I felt there was a need for migrants like me to be in the Talent space to create awareness in the industry and also guide the job seekers and make them aware of the ground reality and hence transitioned myself into Talent. The most fulfilling part of my job is knowing that when I make an offer to an individual, its not just the individual but all people related family friends and loved ones that are part of it too and that feeling gives me a good night sleep.
10.If someone considering migration and career transition reached out to you, what key advice would you share with them?
Know your WHY.
Be open to learn and unlearn.
Have a good support system to fall back on and also to bounce back thoughts and ideas.
Research and understand the place to set the right expectations, talk to people but be able to filter out noise.
Don’t start with job search till you do the above.
Have a strategic plan, stick to it, regularly check the progress so can pivot if needed and celebrate the wins. Big or small.
Ragi’s journey highlights the importance of perseverance, adaptability, and strategic networking. From taking calculated risks to making meaningful connections, she has built a fulfilling career while helping others navigate the job market. Her story underscores the power of learning, unlearning, and embracing new opportunities—an inspiration to anyone considering migration or a career transition.
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