NZQA's Recruitment Process
Thank you for your interest in applying for a position at NZQA. The following information allows you to understand NZQA's recruitment and selection process, and what is required from you, should you wish to apply.
NZQA's process ensures all applicants are treated fairly and that the best applicant is selected for the job. Selection is based on assessment of each applicant's skills, knowledge, abilities and experience against the specifications in the Job Description.
Applications
All applications must be submitted to the person named in the Application Pack by the closing deadline. Applications will not be considered complete until NZQA have received the following:-
- A copy of your up-to-date Curriculum Vitae
- A Covering Letter
- A completed NZQA Application For
- A copy of your residency / work visa (if applicable)
You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt once all of the above has been received.
The Job Description sets out the responsibilities of the role, as well as the qualifications, knowledge, experience and skills that the successful applicant must possess. Your CV and Covering Letter should provide details of how you meet these requirements.
Please do not send copies of written references, qualifications or training certificates with your application. Should these be required, they will be requested at a later stage. Any documentation submitted will not be returned to you.
Ideally, your application should be e-mailed to the person detailed in the Application Pack. If you are unable to send by e-mail, please mail to the postal address provided.
Eligibility to Work in New Zealand
Applicants must have the legal right to work in New Zealand at the time of submitting their application. Therefore, an applicant must be:-
- A New Zealand or Australian citizen
- A New Zealand Permanent Resident
- The holder of a New Zealand Work Visa
If you hold a Residency or Work visa, a copy of this must be submitted with your application.
Short-listing
All applications will be reviewed after the closing deadline. The Selection Panel will review the information you have provided in your CV and covering letter against the required criteria for the role, as detailed in the Job Description. Those applicants who the panel feel most closely meet the requirements will be short-listed to attend an interview. NZQA aims to have short-listing completed within 10 working days of the closing date. If it is anticipated that the short-listing will take longer than this, applicants will be provided with a revised time frame.
If you are not short-listed to attend an interview, you will be advised in writing as soon as possible.
The Selection Panel
The Panel will be lead by the Manager or Team Leader to which the position will report. Panels do vary in size, but will comprise of between 2 and 4 members in total. The other panel members can be senior members of the team in which the position sits, or can be other stakeholders from within NZQA. Panels should have a mix of both gender and cultural representation. For certain positions, such as senior or specialised roles, NZQA may bring in external people as required.
Interviews
As a minimum, NZQA will conduct a competency based interview for each position. During the interview you will be asked questions which will require you to provide an example of when you have done something specific. These will relate to competences required for the role. For example, for an Advisory position, you might be asked to provide an example of time when you have had to explain a complex or technical issue to a person who is unfamiliar with the subject. You might be asked to explain how you ensured that the recipient of the information understand, what challenges you encountered and what you would do differently, if you had do the same thing again.
By providing examples of past behaviour, the panel can assess how you may deal with similar issues that may arise as part of the role.
The interview is not only a chance for NZQA to assess the suitability of applicants for the position, but also allows the applicants to see if NZQA is right for them. It provides the applicant with a chance to ask questions about the role, the team and NZQA as a place to work.
If you are invited to attend an interview, you are welcome to bring a support or whanau group with you. If you wish to do so, please advise NZQA at the time your interview is arranged, in order for a suitable venue to be arranged. All travel costs for your support or whanau group will be your responsibility.
Preparing for an Interview
If you are invited to attend an interview, you will receive a confirmation pack which will advise when and where the interview will take place, who will be interviewing you and provide you with a copy of the Job Description. Please read through the Job Description, and feel free to bring it along with you to the interview.
Additional Assessments
In addition to a competency based interview, NZQA may ask short-listed applicants to undertake additional assessments. These can range from work-based exercises, which relate to the type of work that will be undertaken in the role, to a presentation on a specific topic. Should you be required to undertake any form of additional assessment, you will be provided with sufficient notice.
For some roles, NZQA may include psychometric testing as part of the process. Again, should this be required, you will be notified in advance.
In some instances, a second interview may be required. This is generally less formal than the first interview and usually includes staff members from the wider team.
Reference Checks
As part of your application, you will need to provide the names and contact details for at least two referees. One of these must be someone who has been your direct supervisor in the last 3 years.
Reference checks will only be carried out for preferred applicants. All applicants who attend an interview will be asked to confirm that they are happy for NZQA to contact the referees they have provided in their application. The asking of this question does not mean that your references will be contacted, it is to obtain permission under the Privacy Act, should we wish to contact them.
Reference checks are used to validate your suitability for the position, therefore please ensure you provide referees who can make comment on your suitability for the role you have applied for.
Please remember to tell your referee that you have listed them on your application!
Offer
After the interviews have been held, any additional assessments completed and reference checks conducted, the panel will make a decision if they wish to make an offer to the preferred candidate. Once the panel have obtained the necessary approval from NZQA's Strategic Management Team, the Chair of the Panel will call the successful applicant to make a verbal offer. This will be followed by an Offer Pack being issued.
Provisional Appointment
NZQA appointments are made on a provisional basis, subject to a 5 working day review process, within the Crown Entities Act 2004 Good Employer Practices. This allows current employees to request a review of appointment, if they feel the process was unfair or unjust. This can be discussed further at the interview and offer stages if required.
Security Checks
As part of the NZQA Offer Pack, the successful applicant will be required to complete a Ministry of Justice Security Check Form in relation to Criminal Convictions.
All appointments remain conditional until NZQA have received a satisfactory report from the Ministry of Justice.
Unsuccessful Applicants
NZQA endeavour to inform unsuccessful applicants as soon as possible after a decision has been made. All applicants will receive confirmation of the outcome of their application in writing.
Further Information
All information provided to NZQA in support of your application will be treated as confidential.
If you require any further information, or wish to ask any questions about the vacancy you are applying for or NZQA's process, please contact the person named in the Application Pack.
Page updated: 17 June 2008