Online job hunting a success for Rotorua newcomers

A young couple say job hunting online helped them find employment in Rotorua.

It comes as Trade Me figures show the number of job listings locally has increased 16.1 per cent for the first quarter of 2017 from the same time last year.

Jessi Kotze, 21, and her boyfriend Francisco Larrea, 27, work at Millennium Hotel on Hinemaru St, with Mr Larrea behind the bar and Ms Kotze as a receptionist.

"I went online and applied for a lot of jobs, including the one here," Ms Kotze said.

The couple said they looked at Trade Me, Seek and on backpackers' websites.

"I think we're in the right industry [hospitality] to find a job, it's easier to get a job. Here [at Millennium] there are international guests and it's good to have staff who can accommodate them."

Ms Kotze moved to New Zealand with her family from South Africa two years ago and has residency, while Mr Larrea, from Argentina, arrived on a one-year working holiday visa in September.

The couple met while working in hospitality on the West Coast, with Mr Larrea saying he would move with Ms Kotze to wherever she found a job.

"We like the weather here. It's a nice town, we like the lake and to go for picnics," Ms Kotze said.

"We like to adventure, there's a lot of stuff [here]."

She has been in her role at Millennium for six weeks, while Mr Larrea started last week.

"It's really good, we've had good training."

Mr Larrea said he thought there were lots of jobs in Rotorua online, however, he had found it hard not always getting a response from his online applications.

"I applied for 15 jobs but only heard back from one or two."

Michele Weston, operations manager at Millennium Hotel, said it was recruiting for entry-level roles at present, as university student employees had returned to study.

"If you take in the current situation where demand is staying at an all-time high we need to recruit."