Digital myth-busting
Here at the Careers New Zealand website team, we’re focused on creating great online content that’ll pique up the interest of anyone looking for a job in New Zealand.
When we create content, we’re looking for the largest audience possible to use it – tradespeople from Canterbury, secondary school students in Gisborne, men in Stratford, women in Gore, recent graduates in Auckland and the people in our rural heartlands affected by job layoffs and redundancies.
However, time and time again I see myths floating around both social and mainstream media that suggest the vast tentacles of the internet aren’t reaching the demographics that need our information the most. They say the spread of the internet isn’t as prevalent as we’d like to think it is, and that many people do not have access to internet-based services.
The first point to address is around the growth of internet access. It used to be the case that where telephone cables went, so did the internet. However, the spread of wireless internet access has changed that. What may have been true six months ago can be completely wrong now, such is the pace at which technology advances. While terrestrial cables still dominate internet service providing, wireless internet access through mobile phones is growing exponentially, and revolutionising how people access the web.
Let’s have a look at some of the common myths around internet access in New Zealand.
Myth 1: “Low income areas are disadvantaged when it comes to internet access.”
According to Digital Media New Zealand, the gap between the highest and lowest income brackets for broadband use has halved since 2007. 84% of people in the lowest income bracket now have access to broadband. Yes, in the past lower income groups didn’t have as much access to broadband, but with so much access in schools and libraries across the country, the world wide web is only an friendly inquiry away.
According to an Auckland University of Technology (AUT) survey, of the 14% of people who don’t currently use the internet, 61% of those have asked someone else to make a purchase, send email, or access information for them. This shows just how pervasive the internet is, even for people who don’t use it directly.
Myth 2: “Maori and Pasifika are less likely to have access to broadband connections.”
According to the AUT survey, for Kiwis under the age of 30, rates of access to broadband are very similar for Asian, NZ European, Maori and Pasifika. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that a greater rate of Maori and Pasifika are accessing the internet from mobile devices, which has grown by 20% across all ethnicities between 2007 and 2011.
Myth 3: “Rural areas have very limited access to the internet.”
Broadband access in rural areas has always been a tricky task to negotiate in New Zealand. The isolation of rural communities and the poor quality of traditional phonelines has meant that broadband access has been slow getting to these areas. However, the much talked about upgrading of phonelines and rollout of broadband in the early ’00s has finally come around. Broadband access for users in rural areas has increased from 47% in 2007 to 84% in 2011. Although some of the most remote areas still rely on dial-up connections, broadband connections are widely available through improved phonelines in rural areas. Broadband in schools is very important for the Careers New Zealand website, and the access students have through school resources helps to make up for a the still growing internet presence in rural New Zealand.
Extreme Interviewee’s Revenge
Beast of a job interview, by Notions Capital on Flickr
Previously I looked at the cut-throat world of extreme interviewing where employers threw radical, left-field interview questions at unsuspecting applicants. It’s a craze that is taking off in America and like most things it will no doubt filter its way into New Zealand practice in the not too distant future.
Gathering valuable information
But an interview isn’t just a one-way street. It’s not just about the employer bombarding the interviewee with a series of questions in an attempt to understand their personality or see how they react in certain situations. A good interview is also an opportunity for the candidate to gather some valuable information about their prospective employer, so they can make a good decision about whether the work place is right for them.
Your chance to ask questions
In the world of the situational interview that is currently common in New Zealand, you might gather information about the job by asking something constructive like, “Who will I be directly reporting to in this role?” (Questions like “When can I take my first holiday?” or “What time do I get lunch?” won’t help you to nail the job.)
But in the extreme interview world, where the employer asks radical questions designed to reveal your creativity and personality, what about gathering information about the job by using the same technique? Why not fight fire with fire and put the employer on the spot? See how creative they are and learn a bit about their personality. Read more…
My friends’ careers: the jeweller
Sometimes I envy my friends’ careers, so I thought I’d talk to them about how they got to where they are now. Today I talk to Kim Laurenson, who sells jewellery online.
1. What do you do?
I run Cupcakes and Mace – a laser cut jewellery business , I blog, and I am a temporary administrator and customer service rep. Read more…
My friends’ careers: the programmer
Sometimes I envy my friends’ careers, so I thought I’d talk to them about how they got to where they are now. Today I talk to Brenda Wallace, an amazing woman in technology, who works as a programmer.
1. What do you do?
I’m a Production Engineer at Weta Digital in Wellington. Read more…
What dinosaur are you, and other difficult questions
Dinosaur Firefighter by Dimmerswitch on Flickr
“Kia Ora Daniel. Good to meet you, please take a seat. I’d like to introduce you to Blair and Christine who will be interviewing you today for the Career Consultant position.”
Blair: “Hello Daniel. We want to start things off with a nice easy question.”
Christine: “If you were a dinosaur what kind of dinosaur would you be?”
Daniel: “Umm, what are you talking about?”
Apparently this kind of interview question is all the rage in America. Just like extreme sports skateboarding and snowplough racing, this is extreme interviewing. The idea is to shock, stun or amaze candidates into letting their real personalities come through. To take the bland and predictable world of interviews to the next level.
At Careers New Zealand we do a lot of work coaching people on how to respond to the type of situational interview questions they are likely to get in New Zealand. Questions such as, “Can you tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult client?” That type of question.
What if we went the American way? Could interviews that ask you to consider what kind of biscuit best reflects your personality actually become part of the job hunting process that is fun, something to look forward to?
So for the first ever piece of New Zealand extreme interview research I’ll throw myself in the hot seat, and answer the questions to try and reveal my real personality traits. Read more…
My friends’ careers: the café owner
Sometimes I envy my friends’ careers, so I thought I’d talk to them about how they got to where they are now. Today I talk to Joseph Slater, who works in hospitality and owns his own businesses.
1. What do you do?
I own and run Monterey, Six Barrel Soda co. and Kreuzberg Summer Café with my pal Mike. Read more…
