Graduate Jobs in Wellington overview
Living in Wellington as a young professional
Wellington or ‘Wellywood’ (the nickname was coined as homage to the cities world-leading film industry), is the capital of New Zealand. Wellington is famous for its great coffee, tucked-away bars, award-winning restaurants and quirky cafes.
Graduates and young professionals either working in Wellington or considering making the move, have a plethora of choice when it comes to living options. The Culture Trip recommends Te Aro, Miramar, Mount Victoria, Oriental Bay, Thorndon, Kelburn, Eastbourne and Brooklyn. Wellington has an excellent public transport system which is well used by the locals. The Metlink has an easy to use journey planner which will help you get anywhere within the Wellington region using ferries, trains or buses. Like most cities globally, Uber and Uber pool is extremely popular amongst locals, although cycling and walking to and from work is ingrained in the Wellington culture.
Employment opportunities in Wellington
Wellington is currently experiencing strong economic activity. In fact, Wellington CBD's economy actually outgrew Auckland's by 0.4 per cent between 2014 and 2015. This has resulted in a lot of service firms like PwC, Deloitte and BDO increasing their hiring of graduates in Wellington in previous years, as the strong economic forecast continues to look positive.
Which employers hire graduates in Wellington
Whilst the competition for graduate jobs in Wellington remains competitive, there are plenty of roles available for students. Gaining work experience in the form of cadetships, clerkships and internship is absolutely essential for building out that resume and putting yourself in a great position to land a graduate job.
The most sought-after graduate employers in Wellington include:
Wellington career fairs and employment evenings
The Victoria University of Wellington offers a variety of employment evenings and career events for Commerce, Law, ICT, Teaching and Science students. There is also a few ‘general’ career fairs where a range of graduate employers who hire multiple disciplines will attend. These connections are valuable, as you have the opportunity to get one-on-one face time with hiring managers, plus the ability to ask their current graduates about what life is like in the graduate program.
Member-based organisations Chartered Accountants ANZ, Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Engineering New Zealand all have student resources and do run some employment evenings. Be sure to check these out as they generally offer smaller graduate employers the chance to meet students.