Ask the expert: Stand out from the crowd

By MARIE WILSON

Q. I am keen on one job that I have applied for. How do I make that known and have my application at the forefront of the company's mind?

A. To stand out in the crowd of applicants, make sure your CV and application are clearly directed at the advertised position.

Find out everything that you can about the job and the company in advance. Tailor your CV and application letter to show how you clearly meet the job requirements. Prepare for the interview by thinking through the job requirements and identifying examples from your past experience.

Have clear questions prepared for the interview that demonstrate that you are interested in the job, understand the requirements and know something about the company. Make sure all your materials are well-presented and that you present well for your interview.

Contact all your referees in advance and share the job description and your application or CV with them, as well as your passion for this opportunity, so that they can convey this for you as well.

If you are not successful in this round, maintain a relationship with the HR manager or whoever is hiring, and make sure they know about your desire to work with them.

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Q. I have come to New Zealand on a student visa to study postgraduate business and administration. I have been in the country for months and have still not been able to get a good part-time job. Most of the jobs offered are manual or labour-oriented and, frankly speaking, it demoralises me. In India I had been working for IT firms or for call centres. Could you inform me of some ways of approaching employers, such as the call centres in which I have experience?

A. Part-time work at a professional level can be more difficult to find, but a number of call centres are hiring and some do use part-time and contract staff.

Most call centres are part of larger organisations, so you can start with either the call centre manager or the HR manager. It may be worth contacting the call centre manager in any event to let them know that you would be available for short-term or project work as a way of getting started locally.

I've checked with Dr Carole Page, at Massey University, who is an expert in call centre work. She says the best call centre employers have long lists of potential employees, so it can take some time to get hired, but it is worth persisting.

She says that part-time call centre workers are happy that they can work the hours that suit them, but the downside is less training and management contact, and they have fewer opportunities to develop strong relationships with co-workers.

Dr Page suggests contacting all of the banks as a first point of contact. The telecommunication companies, local bodies and the IRD are other options, and most tertiary institutions now have small call centres for student inquiries, so there may be work opportunities where you are studying.

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