NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Need a new job? 5 tips to boost your search this year

Washington Post
12 Jan, 2020 08:58 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Honing your skills to an industry in growth is a key to success. Photo / Getty

Honing your skills to an industry in growth is a key to success. Photo / Getty

Finding a new job is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions.

It's up there with eating healthier, losing weight, and saving money.

Like those other resolutions, its continual popularity signals how demanding it can be, and December's best intentions don't necessarily translate to success.

Despite the trials, a job search can revitalise your career. Here are five tips to boost you to success in the New Year.

1. Find the demand

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

If the skills and services you can provide are in high demand, your chances of landing a job increase. It's that simple.

While you can't control the job market, you can research what positions and skills are currently in demand.

Do your research and find out what industries are forecasted to grow.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

What if your industry isn't a top contender?

You can still focus your resumes and cover letters on desired skills.

According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2018, soft skills and learning abilities will be increasingly important across many industries.

2. Find out what your industry needs and show you can provide it

No job is one-size-fits-all, so your resume can't be either.

However, the thought of creating a new resume for each application sounds exhausting, doesn't it?

The trick is to create a resume template you can tailor for each application.

Your base template should contain information that doesn't change (job history, education, etc.).

When it comes time to apply, read the job posting and take note of the skills and qualifications you possess.

Then tailor your resume to optimise around those keywords.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Why? Because today's recruiters use applicant-tracking systems to scan hundreds of resumes for keywords before any human eyes see them.

If your resume lacks those keywords, the system won't recognise you as a qualified candidate.

3. Clean up your online presence

Recruiters don't rely on just resumes and cover letters alone. After all, a quick Google search may tell them more about you than you'd like them to know.

Before starting your job search, tidy up your online presence.

Ensure your LinkedIn and other public profiles are up to date.

Clean up your online presence before you apply for a new job. Photo / Getty
Clean up your online presence before you apply for a new job. Photo / Getty

Delete old and unprofessional social media messages.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Upload your most recent and best work samples for would-be employers to peruse.

Don't have much of an online presence?

Make developing one part of your resolution.

4. Practice common interview questions

Recruiters are creatures of habit.

They have certain routines when it comes to how they perform interviews and what questions they ask.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Use that to your advantage and practice the most common interview questions beforehand.

One technique recruiters love is the STAR method.

When a recruiter asks a STAR question—for example, "Can you describe a conflict and how you handled it?"—they want a specific response.

It should set up a situation, detail the tasks, describe your actions, and provide the results. Learning this formula can help you devise great answers.

5. Take care of yourself

No job search is easy. Even the best is stressful, time-consuming, and anxiety-inducing. To prevent burnout, it's important you take care of yourself mentally and physically.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

With all you have to do, don't forget to exercise, eat nutritious meals, and get enough sleep.

These are equally necessary to keep your body healthy and your mind functioning at its best. They also keep stress levels in check.

If things get extra stressful, you may need to adopt extra strategies.

We recommend yoga, breathing exercises, or walks in the park daily. Take at least one day a week to pursue hobbies, treat yourself, or otherwise disconnect.

Make this year your year

Unlike other New Year's resolutions, the jobs search comes with a definitive finish line: landing a new job.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This makes it easier to plan a strategy, stay focused, and measure your success.

With these five tips, you can better prepare yourself for the year and propel yourself toward that goal.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'He’s dealing with so much': Family of brave Connor, 8, cherishing final moments

01 Jul 07:00 PM
New Zealand

Road closed: Pedestrian hit in central Rotorua

01 Jul 06:48 PM
Premium
Opinion

No mean feet: Our obsession with parking on footpaths is getting worse

01 Jul 06:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'He’s dealing with so much': Family of brave Connor, 8, cherishing final moments

'He’s dealing with so much': Family of brave Connor, 8, cherishing final moments

01 Jul 07:00 PM

Connor Coster's fight with cancer began before he even started school.

Road closed: Pedestrian hit in central Rotorua

Road closed: Pedestrian hit in central Rotorua

01 Jul 06:48 PM
Premium
No mean feet: Our obsession with parking on footpaths is getting worse

No mean feet: Our obsession with parking on footpaths is getting worse

01 Jul 06:00 PM
Covid-19 and flu infections rise in Western BOP

Covid-19 and flu infections rise in Western BOP

01 Jul 06:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP