Commitment counts

15th April 2009

Commitment counts

The latest Hays Quarterly Report advises New Zealand jobseekers to have real commitment to the roles applied for to be successful.

``When markets are volatile, candidates having difficulty obtaining a role in their sector or at their level of experience often gravitate towards roles they consider easier to secure,’’ says Jason Walker, Director of Hays in New Zealand.

``This has seen some candidates applying for positions at a level comparable to their recent position rather than making a career move forward – and in some cases even contemplating a backward step.

``But employers are just as reluctant to accept an over-qualified candidate as they are an under-qualified candidate. To the employer, a senior candidate in an intermediate role is a risk because they are thought to be using the role as a short-term solution until a position at their level becomes available.

``For similar reasons, those without long-term commitment to the relevant sector are seen as a risk. For example, there has been a marked increase in applications for office support and contact centre roles, but to be successful you need a history of tenure within these sectors.

``Employers will question the motives and commitment of someone who hasn’t worked in a contact centre for 10 years but suddenly seeks a return.’’

The Hays Quarterly Report also targets the candidates in most demand. In today’s market demand exists for the following specialist skills:

 Accountancy & finance: Company accountants, management accountants and financial or performance analysts with NZCA qualifications, newly qualified accountants, assistant accountants, credit controllers, and payroll clerks.
 Banking: Financial planners, wealth managers and the associated support roles, foreign exchange dealers, NZX qualified investment advisors, and sales professionals.
 Construction & Property: Infrastructure engineers, business development skills, environmental engineers with contaminated land experience, senior mechanical engineers, transport planners, traffic engineers, geotechnical engineers, civil project managers, and civil machine operators for new projects.
 Contact Centres: Credit control and contact centre collections staff, experienced telesales consultants with a solid track record in exceeding sales targets, and customer service representatives.
 Information Technology: Core skills in infrastructure (level 2/3) and development (.Net/Java/C++).
 Office Support: Sales support administrators, office managers, and legal secretaries.

Further details of these hotspots, in addition to recruitment activity, executive activity, candidate trends and salary movements by sector, are contained in the Hays Quarterly Report, available at www.hays.net.nz/forecast

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