Debunking common employment and job hunting myths

Yeah, nah.

Get demoralised when you open up a job listing for what seems like a perfect role to find that you only tick five out of eight boxes? Don’t.

Remember, when employers write their job listings, they’re describing their dream candidate. And, if there’s one thing that everyone can agree on, people ain’t perfect. It’s similar to how, in a salary negotiation, you should always start with the high end of what you’d be happy to accept. It would be silly for the hiring manager to begin by listing anything except the perfect candidate because then they’d already be starting at a lower bar. But, in reality, not everything on that list is a must-have.

Generally speaking, as long as you meet most of the criteria, we always recommend applying. You never know, they might read your CV and cover letter and think you’re exactly what they need.

Again, this is another big ol’ nope.

You’ll find plenty of job listings posted by recruiters on Trade Me Jobs, and you may have hesitated before clicking on them because you think you’ll have to pay for the recruiters’ services. There’s no truth to this.

Recruiters make their money by being paid by the company doing the hiring, not the candidate looking to be hired. So, you won’t pay a cent to find a job through a recruiter in Aotearoa.

These professionals can also offer you heaps of value, including:

• Workshopping your CV and cover letter.
• Helping you prepare for interviews.
• Suggesting other roles you can apply for.

So, don’t let this common job hunting myth put you off. If you want to work with a recruiter, go for it!

Now, of course technical skills matter when you’re applying for a job. Something we’re all pleased to know whenever we visit the dentist and they start firing up that terrifying drill.

However, technical skills are far from the whole picture, and the most technically skilled person isn’t guaranteed to be the successful candidate. Our Head of Engineering, Amir Mohtasebi says that, when he’s interviewing software engineers, their coding ability is only “half the story”, with soft skills such as stakeholder engagement and teamwork ethos ranking equally as important.

There are two takeaways here. Firstly, while hard skills matter, you don’t need to be the Albert Einstein of your industry to get a job. And, second, brush up on your soft skills. No matter what sector you’re job hunting in, we can guarantee that they will impact your chances of getting hired.

From increased pay to learning new skills, there are lots of reasons why employees seek promotions during their professional lives. So, it makes sense that you might be wondering what are the best ways to maximise your chances of this happening.

One safe-looking option might be to stay put in your current job and simply wait to be promoted. And, while some organisations do promote simply based on tenure, this is far from a certainty.

In fact, we’d argue that this is a particularly slow way to win a promotion, and you might see newer staff members getting promoted faster, if this is your only tactic. The people who get promoted more quickly tend to be those who really stand out from their colleagues, who put in the extra mahi, and therefore earn the extra treats. So, rather than sitting in the background hoping one day you might get promoted, put yourself out there and make your boss take notice.