Rotorua's job hunters need to dust off their CVs with Kmart confirming it will start taking applications for up to 100 jobs within two weeks. Rotorua's Kmart is on track to open in April. It is part of a $20 million development at Rotorua's Trade Central that will see at least 140 jobs created and several other retail, food and convenience stores open.
The first businesses that make up stage two of the complex will open this week. They are St Pierre's Sushi and Pita Pit.
Stage one included the building of Mitre 10 Mega and Hunting & Fishing, which opened two years ago.
Kmart New Zealand country manager Jason Picard said recruitment for some key roles would start this month.
"General recruitment for store team members will take place in January with applications being taken from mid-December."
Those positions would be advertised on Kmart's website and Trade Me, he said.
The store will employ 80 to 100 team members which will be made up of fulltime, part-time and casual staff.
Pukeroa Oruawhata Group general manager Peter Faulkner said carparks on the northern side had just been completed, creating enough parks for the first businesses that would open in the coming months.
Faulkner said a further block of parks would be finished by mid-February, which would bring a total of 762 to the site.
He said while the first few weeks of Kmart's opening would be extremely busy, they were confident this would be enough.
If premises were still to be filled come April, work at the site would shut down for two weeks.
"Kmart is quite clear about what they want. They don't want their opening to be minimised or disrupted by subcontractors and tradesmen hanging around all over the place so they have said 10 days no work on site or at least at the front of the site."
Other businesses to open include Epiphany (donuts and speciality bakery goods), a yet to be announced cafe, a curry business and Bed Bath & Beyond - which is moving from Rotorua Central.
Faulkner said the Bed Bath & Beyond site in the mall was being taken by another Rotorua Central store, which can't yet be named, which would create a store vacancy at the popular outdoor mall.
"What we are hearing and seeing is really strong inquiry both at the Kmart and our other space at Haupapa House (former RSA site next to the Rotorua Lakes Council).
"Kmart in particular has been a drawcard for tenants and another plus is they trade to 12 every night."
How to make your job application stand out
With plenty of locals vying for the Kmart jobs, the Rotorua Daily Post asked local recruitment and human resource specialist Junita Maassen from Talent ID what people should do to make a good impression.
Include a cover letter in your application, make it clear and precise, briefly outline your experience and your interests in applying for this role and what values you could add to the role and company.
For those who have been unemployed or out of work for other reasons for several years (raising children etc), what should they do to prepare?
If you have been out of work ensure the reasons for this are made clear in your resume and at the time of an interview. It is important to remain confident and not think of this as a disadvantage. If you have dependent children ensure that you have the right support around you to help with school pick-ups, drop-offs and school holiday care. You will be asked this question in the interview.
Should you get your CV done professionally?
If you are in a financial position to do so it would be an added advantage. If not, ensure that your resume is clear, precise, to the point and clearly outlines your previous work history listing in order of recent to previous. Ensure that you clearly define your title, dates, company name and a brief outline of your responsibilities. Make sure you have listed your personal contact details, and a brief overview of yourself in a personal profile. Ensure that you contact any referees that you have listed, letting them know you have done so.
Research the company, understand its products, company values etc. Understand the role you have applied for by asking for the job description prior to the interview, ensure you arrive on time, not too early and not late. Be well presented, be confident, allow your personality to shine through, talk around your previous experiences particularly relating to the job you have applied for, if you haven't carried out this type of role before don't pretend that you have, be truthful and answer these questions by stating any other transferable skills you can offer in order to effectively carry out the role i.e customer service etc. Be prepared with any questions you wish to ask. At the end of the interview, thank the panel for their time and leave letting them know that you are very much looking forward to hearing from them.