2. Finding a job in NZ
 Is competitive.
 Is harder for people who are not native English
speakers.
 Can be a very lonely process.
 Employers expect many different skills.
 Sometimes jobs are not advertised.

3. And our CVs are different
too
 When you apply for a job, your CV and cover letter
should be tailored to the job you are applying for.
 Your CV needs to sell yourself as not just an
employee but also as a colleague.
 You need to talk about the jobs you have done and
skills you have using as few words as possible.
 The next slide is an example – my recent CV.

5. Some helpful tips
 Here are five tips which I found helpful:
1. Know what you want to do.
2. Know your skills and capabilities and how they are
transferable.
3. Research the position and the company.
4. Build a strong network.
5. Be disciplined, set goals and have a plan.

6. 1. Know what you want to
do
 This is not always easy to know and I have changed
my mind a lot!
 Sometimes when you do a job you discover things
you don’t like, which helps you work out what you
would like to do.
 Personality tests like the Myers Briggs test or
123test.com can teach you about yourself so you
can find what type of job is right for you.

7. 2. Know your skills and
capabilities
 And how they are transferable – this means how you
could use your skills in another situation (eg.
Because I was a checkout operator at a
supermarket, I knew how to look after customers
well so was able to move into sales).
 We are all good at some things – when applying for
a job you need to talk about how good you are, but
at the same time you do not want the employer to
think you are arrogant!

8. 3. Research the position and
company
 If I was an employer I would pick someone who was
passionate about my product or service over
someone who had good grades in most cases.
 These are common questions in a job interview so
you need to be able to say why:
1. You would like to work for that company.
2. You would be good for that specific role.

9. 4. Build your network
 Your network is made up of people you know in New
Zealand who have worked with you, or know what your
good qualities are and can act as references for a NZ
employer.
 A common saying for people finding jobs and working in
NZ is “it’s not what you know, but who you know”.
 Even if you need to work for one or two years in a job
that you did not study for, this will help you build
relationships with more New Zealanders and help you get
a job in the future.

10. 5. Be disciplined, set
goals, have a plan
 Consider carefully which jobs you would like to apply for – very
few people are offered a job when they just send their CV to a
company.
 You have a better chance of being offered a job if you work for
someone for free or go to their business to give them your CV.
 Pace yourself – job hunting can be discouraging, so plan to
apply for one or two jobs,or visit one company or recruitment
agency each day.
 Enjoy the time you have free, or volunteer somewhere which
will help build your network.

11. Final thoughts
 In my experience, finding out what job you would like
to do is like baking a cake – it doesn’t taste right if
you don’t have all the ingredients.
 Think of each job as an ingredient for baking your
cake – you may not find what you love doing straight
away but it could help you gain important
experience.
 Don’t try and do it alone – make sure you still see
your friends and talk to people when you find job-
hunting hard.

12. Resources
Job Skills, CV Writing
 www.careers.govt.nz
 www.seek.co.nz/jobs-resources/resume-cv
 www.trademe.co.nz/jobs/job-hunters-guide
Personality tests
 Myers Briggs
 www.123test.com
 http://freestrengthsfinder.workuno.com/
 Careerpath – color career counselor

13. Interview tips
From “What Color is Your Parachute” by Richard N. Bolles
1. Approach small organisations with twenty or fewer
employees, since they create two-thirds of all new
jobs.
2. Hunt for interviews using the aid of friends and
acquaintances, because a job-hunt requires many
pairs of eyes and ears.
3. Identify who has the power to hire you there, for the
position you want, and use mutual friends and
contacts, to get an introduction to that person.

14. Interview Tips
From “What Color is Your Parachute” by Richard N. Bolles
4. Ask for just twenty minutes of their time, when
asking for the appointment; and keep to your word
rigidly.
5. Go to the interview with your own agenda, your own
questions and curiosities about whether or not this
job fits you.
6. Talk about yourself only if what you say offers some
benefit to that organisation, and their “problems”.

15. Interview Tips
From “What Color is Your Parachute” by Richard N. Bolles
7. When answering an interviewers question, talk only
between 20 seconds and two minutes, at any one
time.
8. Approach the employer as if you were a resource
person, able to produce better work for that
organisation than any predecessor; not as a job
beggar.
9. Always write a thank-you note the same evening of
the interview, and mail or email to employer by the
next morning at the latest.