“Future proof your career by standing out in the job market and becoming more visible to employers.”
That’s the advice from a leading online employment site to our learners who are about to enter New Zealand’s job market.
SEEK is synonymous with connecting job seekers with employers. They have over 1.9 million searchable profiles on their database with 400 new profiles created every day.
A recent survey found that 55% of people in the workforce considered them as the most popular employment site in the Asia-Pacific region.
In August, 89 ākonga from Manukau Institute of Technology and 114 ākonga from Unitec attended ‘Explore Careers’ presentations facilitated by SEEK.
The presentations focused on empowering job seekers to become more visible to employers. Topics included using job seeking tools to improve online profiles and the impact of AI on jobs.
The response to the presentations was indicative of the high demand for advice on careers and jobs.
“This is the second year in a row SEEK have engaged with our students, supporting their transition into work,” says Kylie Pass, Interim Team Lead Careers in Industry Partnerships.
“In a tight job market, it is critical for our ākonga to submit tailored job applications that catch the eye of the hiring manager.”
Seek account managers, Jessica Carli and Gemma Richardson shared their insights on enhancing job seeker profiles, CVs and covering letters to get noticed by employers.
They also gave useful advice on utilising all of SEEK’s digital tools and improving their job search strategies.
In light of the volatile job market where unemployment currently sits at 5.2% and the number of jobs being advertised is on the decline, SEEK’s key advice to ākonga was to get an understanding of the industry they wanted to work in.
That came through networking, finding out who were the people to talk to, and taking on opportunities to diversify their skills.
Students were also advised about being mindful of their digital footprint, especially on social media, where some employers often look at when choosing the right applicants.
“Put energy into improving your online brand. Everyone’s looking at your profile and they can see everything that you do, including your comments,” says Ms Carli.
“So be very aware of what you put out online because your social brand is also your personal and professional brand.”
Ms Richardson says it is important to have a good online profile which positively demonstrates your strengths, experience and skills in the current job market.
This was because the number of jobs being advertised has been in steady decline since 2022 with the job ad volume rate currently hovering around 100.
In contrast, the number of applications per job ad has soared to almost 500 in 2025.
That means jobs are harder to get with employers faced with high numbers of applicants.
“Standing out to employers is crucial and there are many ways for students to share their skills and experience,” she explains.
Ms Pass says the SEEK presentations were well received by ākonga from both institutions.
“It was great to see the high engagement from our students and the feedback we received on the value of the session for their short and long term career goals. Both students and staff found it very insightful and helpful.”