Auckland man’s job search: 3000 applications, 158 interviews, still out of work

Michael Oliver just wants to work.

The 41-year-old was fired nearly 18 months ago amid structural changes at the government agency he worked for.

The arrival of Covid-19 and its closures did not deter Oliver and since the beginning of last year he has applied for more than 3,100 jobs. He has attended 158 interviews: in person, in zoom, in conference calls, on the phone and has made four presentations to potential employers.

He has also conducted 48 personality tests.

She made her own applications but also used three different recruitment agencies to post her CV, totaling eight applications every day of the year.

There were some hits, he was offered roles four times, but all were rescinded as the country went through yo-yo lockdowns and the inactivity rate increased.

“All I want is to pay my bills, support my son and afford little luxuries like coffee or ice cream,” Oliver told the Herald on Sunday.

“I just want to work, no matter what it is to help pay the bills.”

Oliver, who lives on Auckland’s North Shore, began his job search in his field in sales and account management, in which he has over 20 years of experience.

But faced with one brick wall after another, he has sought any type of job to help pay his bills, enlisting the support of friends to help him get through tough economic times.

“I applied for packaging on supermarket shelves, bus driving, fruit picking, cafe work, garbage collection, retail. Whatever, I have requested,” he said.

Oliver was rejected from some of these roles and told that he was overqualified.

“All of this requires hours of input, research, testing, dedication, effort.

“It is a strain on their stress levels, mental health when there is no effort on the part of the contractor and no reason is given when they are unsuccessful.”

Oliver, who is a single father of a 7-year-old boy, said that after his layoff money ran out, he had to dip into his home deposit savings to keep it afloat, which meant giving up the dream of being owner of a house.

“The benefit barely covers my rent and child support. It’s not enough to survive let alone pay regular bills like gas and food. It doesn’t cover the basics of life.”

The latest figures show that New Zealand’s unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in the December quarter, down from 5.3 percent in the previous quarter.

But economists have also warned that the data could be noisy due to conflicting impacts from Covid-19, such as closed borders restricting immigration.

“We’ve seen a sharp drop in the number of people out of work, or wanting more hours to work … today’s report was really remarkable,” Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr said when the figures were released in March. .

Oliver says he has received a lot of help from family and friends, but has also become isolated.

“Stress levels have skyrocketed; it is a significant strain on mental health with constant concern about costs of living, unstable housing and the need to move without having the funds.”