How To Get That Job You Want
Most Kiwi job seekers are poorly prepared to navigate the New Zealand job market because they aren't aware that the local employment landscape has changed, meaning that we must take a different approach to job search. Here at Move to More (M2M) (where we are a recruitment company and coach people in their careers and job hunting) we see many candidates who seem to think that we are in a 'candidates’ market' and that jobs are easy. As a result, candidates use the same CV and the same cover letter to apply for multiple jobs. However, the cover letter should be specific to each role to stand out. Use the cover letter to position yourself better because the cover letter is the first thing a recruiter reads. Employers are looking for specific attributes in candidates that can be difficult for a candidate to fulfil without preparation. The skills market goes in cycles. With trends like the tech industry downsizing overseas, we see more caution locally—particularly considering recession warnings—so there will be heaps of people out looking for jobs. I think the local job market is going to be tougher. Job seekers will be challenged moving forward, particularly experienced people, because they may take for granted that they
Modern Recruitment: Why We Need to Get Personal
Lately, I've noticed a concerning trend with New Zealand's employers. Job interviews, once a platform for connection and mutual evaluation, have morphed into a mere checklist exercise. And it's not just me observing this; countless candidates echo the sentiment. Here's my take: while checklists cover essential points—like flexibility, no bullying policies, diversity and inclusion, and certification—much of this is becoming lip service. Don't get me wrong, these are all critical things. But selecting the right person for a role should go beyond mere compliance. With our ever-growing culture of 'busyness', many organisations need to take the time to reflect and truly understand what they need from a candidate. It's like everyone's on this relentless time dollar clock. And I get it. In many ways, relying on a checklist is
I Don’t Know What to Do With My Life! 5 Steps to Get Unstuck
“I don’t know what to do with my life!” If you find yourself saying this, you’re not alone. It’s common for people to get to a point where they feel stuck or directionless. It can result from poor decision making or an inability to make decisions at all. “It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing. It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.” - Oriah Mountain Dreamer This state of not knowing what to do next applies to a lot of people, at any age and at different times in your life. Whether we are graduating high school, choosing our career path, recovering from a heartbreak, being made redundant, or entering retirement, we all have a point in our lives where we may not know what to do next. The answers or solutions we seek vary according to where we are at in our lives. A young graduate will focus on answering this question in relation to their future and
Why Personal Branding Is Important to Your Career
As a Career Coach the very first thing I do with a client is help them create their personal brand. Many people believe that having a great CV is the key to their career success and it is still, but to a lesser degree. Everyone has a CV; no one else has your distinct Personal Brand. It is your Personal Brand that differentiates you from everyone else and that is what people buy – YOU. A Personal Brand is your mark on the world It is how people you interact with and the world, see you. It is your legacy – it is more important than a business brand because your personal brand lasts forever. I have coached people who have very successful careers and they come to me because they have suddenly found that they are not getting the opportunities or having the conversations that are leading them to their next role. I call this a Career Meltdown. Personal Branding helps you to become conscious of your differences It ultimately allows you to position yourself in a way that makes you stand out from the pack, especially among other potential job applicants. Don’t get me wrong having a great CV and a great LinkedIn profile is
How AI Empowers Job Seekers in the Age of Application Tracking Systems
The introduction of application tracking systems (ATS), particularly by larger companies, has disadvantaged some job applicants because the systems automatically accept or reject CVs based on specific keywords--the advent of AI may be able to change that. ATS is efficient for helping where employers are inundated with CVs, but also often results in unfair outcomes. However, AIs like ChatGPT are about to change the game. AI can empower job seekers by effectively incorporating keywords from job descriptions into their CVs and cover letters, thereby bypassing the limitations imposed by keyword scanning technology. Consider this: AI can now generate your cover letter with the necessary keywords. You're good to go with just a few tweaks, saving valuable time in the job-hunting process. However, it's important to note that AI isn't about gaming the system; it's using technology to level the playing field. It is important to note that AI still requires thoughtful prompts and instructions to produce quality output. Scanning technology is known to inadvertently prevents some exceptional candidates from getting interviewed. At M2M, while we make limited use of ATS technology, we recently placed a candidate who received a suitability score below 50% from ATS. Nonetheless, she turned out to be the perfect fit for
Women with grey hair often discounted in the workplace
Age catches up to us all, but in the workplace, there remains a big difference in how men with grey hair are treated compared to women with grey hair. As the modern workplace makes an effort to be more inclusive and remove stigma, many perceived barriers have been overcome. However, an unspoken barrier that deserves more concentration is the imbalances in the age between men and women. In the workplace, there is an expectation for women to dye their hair when it begins to go grey. If women choose not to dye their hair, this can impact perceptions of them as a leader, making women more vulnerable to "ageism." According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), ageism refers to the stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination towards others or oneself based on age. Despite all the progress, ageism is still rife in the workplace, especially with women as targets. For example, in January, a Scottish woman lost a $5 million employment dispute with her company over her complaints that she was given a nickname by colleagues "Christine Lagarde" due to her grey hair. Lagarde is the president of the European Central Bank and has grey hair. The 52-year-old Scottish woman took offence at the nickname and sued her