When it comes to making, bagging, and delivering party ice, there’s nothing cooler than hiring students.
So says Coolit Ice HR Manager Diane Daly who turns to Student Job Search every summer as the warmer weather leads to a boom in the demand for ice.
“Every summer we go from 10 full-time staff to about 50,” she says.
“Using Student Job Search has been really successful, so far this year we’ve hired eight students, most of them in the production area.”
East Tamaki based Coolit Ice has dozens of job vacancies for class two truck drivers, people with car licences and customer service skills, and for production workers.
Despite the unemployment rate in New Zealand sitting at 5.3%, Diane says finding suitable and reliable candidates for all the roles is a challenge. However, she knows she can always trust Student Job Search.
“Some of these people are highly skilled or doing high-end degrees, and they’re basically bagging ice for the summer. I do think that’s a reflection of the job market at the moment; they want whatever work they can get.
“They are just fabulous. They turn up every day and they’re amazing employees. In fact, our factory supervisor has said ‘wow, you’ve got a really good crew this year.”
She says she never hesitates to list jobs on Student Job Search.
“It’s a fabulous platform to use now – it's extremely good. I can easily go from the screening questions to the documents to find their CVs and everything. It’s really easy to use.”
The standard of applicants on Student Job Search is high, in comparison with other platforms, she says.
“They always shine. They’re flexible and eager to work. During summer most of them are happy to do 40 hours per week. I’ve even had student applicants show up at the door to introduce themselves because they want to get ahead of the rest, which is great. They don’t mind working hard and they know it’s good for the CV.
“I think anyone who has a job to fill, that would suit a student, should absolutely use Student Job Search. Sometimes they need a bit of support but it’s so worth it in the long run and such a good way to fill lots of positions at once.”
Student Job Search Chief Executive Louise Saviker says businesses like Coolit Ice who give students a chance play an important role in reducing student hardship.
“Particularly as we head into summer and students are out in force looking for jobs to fund their lives and their studies,” she says.
“While the number of job vacancies has begun to lift nationally, applications per vacancy remain at historic highs. The gap between the number of students eager for work and the number of jobs being listed remains.”
The current economy dictates that employers are increasingly favouring short-term and flexible work arrangements, leaving a gap in permanent part-time and full-time opportunities.
“Here at SJS we encourage potential employers to remember that we all started somewhere. Whether it’s casual or permanent work for a business like Coolit, or household jobs, students are often uniquely placed to be available at short notice, bringing energy and meaningful impact to the roles they take on.
“As a charity on a mission to reduce student hardship by connecting students with job opportunities, we need to reduce that gap between supply and demand. To do that, we rely on employers to provide opportunities.”