Profile success story: Vanessa Garcia

“In my case, I was fresh into NZ from the U.S., and was looking to buy a car. I had success finding a vehicle on Trade Me, so, when I was ready to start looking for work I figured I might find a similar success on the job front.”

“For job seekers, it’s the fact that a profile connects you directly with companies or recruiters looking to hire in your field. You can easily look for available positions and apply with just a few clicks once your profile is set up, because all your information, experience and downloadable CV are all in one location. Plus, because Trade Me is such a well known and frequently used site in NZ, chances are you’ll have a lot of job options available to you.

It also works the other way in that employers can search for you! In my case, I received an email the very next day from Trade Me themselves asking if I’d like to interview for a developer position they had available. They had found me before I even saw their listing or had a chance to apply for that position, which was an extra confidence booster.”

“The company reached out via email mostly and a few phone calls. They were able to quickly send out my CV to the necessary people within the business before they contacted me for an interview. This meant that talking with the hiring manager was easy as they already had all my information. I had already been vetted by the team, and all that was left was setting up an interview if I was interested in the position. Which, of course, I was.”

“My advice is to try and portray your key qualities that would be beneficial and relevant for any job, usually interpersonal skills. But also be sure to emphasise the skills and tools you’d like to focus on in your next position. And don’t be afraid to talk about the areas that you’d like to build on career wise. This shows companies that you actually care about what you do and are passionate about your work.”

“I really liked the skills tagging system, as this is a great way to make sure your core capabilities are clearly defined to the reader, and also the fact you can upload your full CV for employers to download.

The profile is a good overview of your skill set and a nice summary that essentially replaces a cover letter, but also means employers can easily get more details on your skills that they can share around to the office.”