Know what to apply for

An employer’s market?

At the quarter ending September 2024, Stats NZ reported an Unemployment Rate of 4.8%.  This continues the upward trend in unemployment of the last few years.   

Certain industries took a hit during and post-pandemic, with roles being made redundant and entire businesses closing, sending both employees – and their former employers – into the mix of people looking for work. 

Oddly though, although businesses were struggling in their attempts to regain traction post-pandemic, there was a spell where it seemed to remain an ‘employee market’.  For a while, candidates were asking what were previously ‘above market’ salaries – and back when our borders were closed, they were confident of being able to secure pay at a premium.

Those heady days for candidates seem to be behind us now as new candidates keep making their way onto the market.  And though salaries appear to be holding strong, employers are again in a position of being able to choose from a number of well skilled applicants. 

In 20 plus years of recruiting, I have never seen the pendulum swing so quickly from one extreme to the other.  

Which applications get shortlisted?

For some roles – at least, on the face of it – most applicants appear suitably qualified.  So, when applicants appear similarly skilled, an employer may start with some objective measures like: 

• A pre-requisite qualification

• Experience closely aligned to most (or key) requirements of the role

• Previous employment in their industry

• Common ground around pay expectations

• Location of the applicant – relative to where the role will be

• Legal entitlement to work in New Zealand

• Whether an applicant followed instructions set out in the advert

They may then weight aspects of their criteria differently, based on their current abilities to bridge a gap, or their need to address a particular skill deficit in their team. 

Step one, in submitting an application that will be shortlisted, is to make sure it demonstrates – clearly – that attention has been paid to what the employer said they are looking for.   

Ideally, the application will show that the applicant has what the employer asked for. Or if not, that the applicant has the attitude and aptitude to gain what the employer is after (perhaps as a logical next step from some other relevant experience, or similar skills).

No job advertisement can completely communicate everything that an employer wants. 

Even if every technical skill was listed – even if the importance of every skill was clearly described with words like ‘imperative’ or ‘preferred’ (to show their relative weighting), there will be aspects of culture and ‘team fit’ that may be evaluated in interview – and sometimes, before interview. 

This means that there is an element of needing to ‘read between the lines’ when working out which roles to apply for.

The tone of the advert might convey an upbeat informality – setting the scene to communicate similarly. 

The advert might convey some context – say, a period of growth or some distinction in how they do things. This sort of information is useful as it may help to describe the pace they work at, or the achievements they are particularly proud of. Being able to relate to their outlook may be a good reason to apply.

Other things not said expressly – but implied – can be taken into account when deciding whether or not to apply, and what the likelihood is of your application being shortlisted if you do apply. 

A fair bit can be gleaned in this early stage, to help you gain a sense of the roles that may fit you best. 

Step two, having ascertained some common ground and the likelihood that you can do what they need, attention turns to giving them a sense of how you may bring your skills to the team. 

Without breaching the confidence of your previous employers, you may be able to use volumes, percentages or timeframes to illustrate how the pace or scale that you have worked at before might line up with the size and scope of the new role. 

When you apply, write (in as much as it’s appropriate) like you talk. 

In summary

• Try to apply  for jobs where you have the exact skills.

• Where you fall short – don’t sell yourself short.  Highlight the attitude, aptitude and past experience from which you can springboard forward to give them what they need. 

• Try to gauge if your personality and values line up with the hiring company’s culture – in as much as you can gauge that from the advert or what is publicly known about the business. 

The CV

The job of a CV is to get you to interview

Not getting calls from agencies or employers?

If the phone isn’t ringing and you’re not securing interviews, it suggests that your CV either doesn’t say what the employer is looking for – or it does say what they’re looking for – but that information is not clearly presented.

What should a CV contain?

It’s a given that a CV must evidence experience, skills and personal attributes that the employer said they require.

In theory though, all CV’s will have this content. That means that your information must be easy to read and relevant.

Imagine that the employer is speed reading a lot of CV’s with only a short period of time to get through them all. Or (as is happening more often now) imagine that the business is using software to detect key words.

Presentation

• Your CV is an employer’s first glimpse at you.

• Are they going to want to see more?

• And when they meet you, will you present similarly to how you portrayed yourself in writing.

CV tips

• Start with a template (MS Word has template resumé documents that you can personalise).

• Use bullet points.

• If you’re applying for multiple roles, re-order bullet points for each job to lead with the most relevant.

• If need be, re-word your personal objective to show how your goals line up with that particular role.

• Steer clear of long sentences in your CV and covering.

• Follow any particular instructions, e.g. inclusion of documents or online processes.

• Add a photo to your CV if you have one you’re happy to share (photos can help to build trust and engagement).

Avoid ambiguity

Ambiguity may cause an employer to skip over or decline an application, in favour of other CV’s where the information is more quickly understood. And a delay in an employer being able to see what one applicant has to offer is time in which another applicant may present and gain the employer’s interest.

• Dates Include the dates that you started and finished in each role.

• Order Start with your most recent employment and work backwards in chronological order.

• Month & year Do not put years only. If someone worked from 2020 to 2021 in a job, did they work from the end of one year to the start of the next, i.e. only two months? Or did they work the full two years?

  Ambiguity with dates may cause an employer to favour other CV’s where they can be more certain of an applicant’s length of service (and the experience that may have been gained in that time).

• Explain gaps For example, if you left a role to return to full-time study for a year, insert that year in amongst your work history so every year is covered off (and show qualifications obtained under a separate heading).

• Detail Under the headings of ‘Duties’ or ‘Achievements’ put enough detail to succinctly show what you did. Don’t expect an employer to be able to guess what you did from just a job title. For example, one mechanic might spend most of their time doing WOF’s. Another might be expert in diagnostics.

• Add reasons for leaving Add these for at least the last job or two. These could be statements as simple as, “Seeking advancement” or “Role made redundant when function moved off shore”. This statement should give the employer an impression of what motivates you, or what changed that made you look for something new.

• Qualifications Include relevant qualifications obtained.

Sometimes less is more

• Use headings and white space between sections.

• If a qualification does not directly relate to the job sought, question its value. Consider leaving it out.

• The CV is an invitation to the employer to meet with you. It should inform – yet still leave room for discussion.

Think ahead to an interview

• Be ready to back up and expand on what your CV says (with examples, percentages and work stories).

• Expect to be asked what situations you encountered, what needed to change, what you did and how things ended up.

Interviews

Good news

Most employers will interview no more than five applicants for a role. Sometimes only one or two people get shortlisted. This is not just good news, really. It’s great news!

When you secure an interview it means that something in your CV made the employer think you can do the job. At this point, the odds of getting the job are so much better.

The key thing now is just continue to be yourself.

Behavioural interviews

Employers often ask for specific examples of what, when and how you have tackled the similar requirements of previous roles.

This is called behavioural interviewing.

• If they ask you to give an example, they don’t want to hear how you think you might tackle the situation.

• They want to know that you have encountered this type of thing before.

Some of the best prep you can do for any interview is to jot down situations you’ve handled well, so they’re easier to remember when you get asked these kinds of questions.

However, if they ask for an example of something you have no experience in, you can do one of two things:

1. Tell them how you think you would deal with it based on how you have dealt with similar situations in the past OR

2. Draw on your experience outside of work.

   For example, if they ask how you have reacted when a colleague was not pulling their weight – and if you haven’t had that happen in your work – you could perhaps share a similar situation from a sports team or other group that you’re a member of.

Although it’s rare for an employer to actually ask where you see yourself in 5-years’ time, they will most likely want to know if your longer-term goals line up with what they can offer.

Sharing your ambitions can help to assure an employer that you’re committed to personal growth and that you plan on staying with them as you develop further.

Answer on point

It may seem self-explanatory, but sometimes nerves kick in. Maybe you talk fast, or you waffle. And before you know it, you’ve headed off at a tangent to what was being asked.

If you’re not sure that you have answered on point, seek to clarify. You could say:

• “Does that answer your question?” OR

• “Is that what you were meaning?”

If it’s really not clear what the hiring manager is driving at, ask them. For example, if they say, “Tell me about yourself”, what does that mean? Do they want to know about you as a person – or just your work history?

Clear communication in an interview does more than facilitate the exchange of information. 

• It can go some way towards demonstrating how you maintain understanding with others, just generally – or how you make sure you’re doing things right.

• The employer may be evaluating your tone and demeanour when things aren’t immediately straightforward.

• Or whether you’re respectful of other people’s time and commitments.

Team fit

A lot of employers say ‘team fit’ is important. And however unscientific it might sound, fit includes a sense of connection that happens between you and the hiring managers. It’s a measure of whether or not you think you could work well together, how they think you’ll go with others in the team. And more.

Based on interpretation and perception, it can be somewhat subjective. However, it is impactful in determining a hiring outcome.

• All organisations have spoken and unspoken norms that may get summed up as ‘values’ or ‘culture’. These standards, outlooks and tolerances are important in differentiating how teams communicate and how their business brand is to be portrayed.

• It is generally accepted that these ‘values’ are much harder to train or modify than technical skills.

• So ideally, an interview will be a discussion that helps both parties to make a well informed decision.

Ask them questions too

This might be the most important thing you will read here. If you ask questions, these things happen.

1. You get the information you want.

2. ‘Off script’ you gain more insight into their personality and values.

3. They are left with the positive impression that you want their job – not just any job.