Te aratohu mō te tono mahi i Mfe Guidance on applying for jobs at MfE

We advertise our roles on our website and via various external sites. 

When you click on the link for the role you will be taken to our application form where you:

• will be asked to provide some key information about yourself
• attach your cover letter, resume and any other documentation required as part of the application process.

It is important that you submit your application before the closing date listed in the job advertisement, so you don’t miss out.

Check the position description

• Check the position description and note if there's anything you need to include other than your covering letter and CV.

The position description will give you an overview of the role, the expectations and the skills required for this role.

Prepare your application

• Tailor your covering letter and CV to the role you are applying for.

We look for confirmation within your application that you have the experience required for the role.

Submit your application

• Go to the Careers Centre web page and log in to My profile.
• Find the role you want to apply for and upload your CV and covering letter and any documents that are listed in the job description.
• You will receive an automatic email acknowledgement of your application.

Hearing from us

We will contact you after the vacancy has closed. Sometimes you may receive a phone call from us to clarify your application or immigration status prior to the role closing.

If you are shortlisted for an interview, you will be contacted by phone to arrange a suitable interview time.

We will let you know:

• everything that you need to know about your interview
• what you will need to prepare or bring with you to the interview.

Depending on where you are located, we may set up an online interview via Microsoft Teams or Zoom.

If at any point in the selection process it becomes clear that you're not the right fit for the role, we will let you know as soon as we can. There may be other roles more suited to your background and experience.

Prepare for the interview

We like to have a two-way conversation when interviewing. We really do want you to be successful, so your interview preparation is key. Depending on the role, you may have more than one interview.

You may be asked to complete a presentation as part of the interview process. You will be provided with the information at the time of booking your interview.

Research the role

• Find out as much as you can about the role you are interviewing for to show us how interested you are.
• The interview also gives you an opportunity to decide if the job is really for you, so think of a few questions you would like to ask us.
• Research the role before applying to make sure it's right for you. You can read up about MfE and find out more what we do on this website. You can also email any questions to vacancy@mfe.govt.nz 

Pre-employment checks

Before you apply, be aware that like other government agencies MfE does pre-employment checks for all roles.

The type of checks include:

• referee checks
• a criminal conviction check see Ministry of Justice criminal record check 
• proof of identity and right to work check
• serious misconduct checks (for the last three years in government roles)
• security check – for senior level roles.

Prepare your answers

We use behavioural event questions to interview you. We will ask you specific questions about your past behaviour or experiences to give us an idea about the way you might handle similar situations in the future. Where possible we will provide the interview questions to you before the interview.

A question might be — Can you tell us about an important decision you have made and the process you went through to make it?
Your response to this will generally indicate how you will handle important decisions on the job.

When you answer behavioural event interview questions, try to answer them in four stages using the STAR method:

1.       Situation – tell us about the situation or challenge

2.       Task – what was your involvement or responsibility

3.       Action – what action/s did you take

4.       Result – what was the result or outcome

When preparing for your interview, practise your answers and use relevant examples. You'll need to think about the specific competencies required for the role you are applying for, and examples of how you put them into practice in your prior experience. 

For some roles we like to have presentations or work samples. Information on this will be provided with your interview confirmation.We will provide you with plenty of time prior to the interview to prepare.

You will have received an email confirmation of the interview time and place.  It could be in person with the panel or online via Microsoft Teams or Zoom. If you have any questions, please email vacancy@mfe.govt.nz

You have the opportunity to bring a member of your whanau or a friend to your interview for support. Please advise whether you wish to take up this opportunity at the time of booking your interview.

There may be more than one interview or meeting.

We may ask you to meet with your future peers or team or other members of the MfE whanau.

We aim to have interviews conducted by a diverse panel.

If you are the successful candidate for the role, we will do out reference and background checks after the interview.  We use Xref for our reference checking, so will be asking you to contact your referees through this system.

Once we have the right checks completed, and approvals in place, we will be in touch regarding an offer. We will send through the offer documentation and ask you to complete some forms and information to set you up as a new employee of MfE.  

If you're no longer interested in the role you have applied for, then log in to your profile and withdraw your application.

From time to time we will advertise opportunities where you can submit an expression of interest. 

For example, we do this with our Intern Programme. We ask candidates to register their interest. Then we get in touch with them when applications open. 

An expression of interest can include a cover letter outlining why you are interested in joining MfE and your resume, or just the letter.

You will be sent an expression of interest form which will tell you what information we need from you.

When you set up your profile in our Careers Centre, you can request job alerts for roles that may be of interest to you.

We welcome overseas interest in all of our career opportunities.

However, if you are living overseas and want to work in New Zealand, you must meet one of these criteria:

• be a New Zealand citizen or hold a New Zealand residence permit
• be an Australian citizen or an Australian resident who holds a current Australian Resident Return Visa
• have lawful authority to work in New Zealand, which includes a Work Permit with conditions that allow the holder to work in the position applied for
• have a variation of condition to a Visitor or Student Permit that allows such work.

Visitors in New Zealand on a Working Holiday Scheme Permit are not permitted to take up permanent employment.

You can find out more about obtaining a Visa to work in New Zealand on the Immigration New Zealand website 

For more information about living and working in New Zealand see:

• New Zealand Now website 
• Tourism New Zealand website