Deciding your next steps
Tools and advice to help determine the right career for you.
See 10 types of careers advice on this page
Direct Career Service
Tertiary Education Commission
Free, personalised career advice from career experts. They can help you gain confidence, make a plan and take your next steps into work or training.
What it's about
- Personalised career advice by phone with career experts who will help you make a career plan and find work or training. Call 0800 601 301 to book.
- Career advice pop-ups with career experts in libraries, Connected sites and other public locations across New Zealand.
- This service is available from 19 October 2020 until June 2022.
Who it's for
This service is for all New Zealanders who need advice to plan their career and find work or training. It is especially for people whose employment has been affected by COVID-19.
What it offers
- Make a personalised plan that outlines your next steps into work or training.
- Understand your transferable skills and how you can use them in a new job.
- Get help with your CV and cover letters.
Plan or change your career
Tertiary Education Commission
Finding your purpose or changing your career is exciting. Careers.govt.nz's information hub guides you through the steps to finding the right career for you based on your skills, interests and jobs in demand.
What it's about
It takes people through the steps they need to do to find the right career for them based on their skills, interests and jobs in demand.
Who it's for
New Zealanders who want to plan or change their career.
What it offers
- A guided career planning process.
- Worksheets and exercises to discover who you are and what you want.
- Information on how to explore and test career options
- Inspiring videos of people talking about their career path.
- Tips on figuring out your skills and jobs in demand.
- Study and training options.
- Advice on what you need to do if you want to change careers or study.
Choosing a career
Ministry of Education
Explore how your skills and values match with different careers, and how you can attain a good work-life balance.
What it's about
This resource helps you to identify your skills and work values, and how they can match-up with different careers. Additionally, this resource can help you with what to think about when balancing work and your life.
Who it's for
All students across New Zealand.
What it offers
This resource helps you to match your skills with different careers, and to really consider what you want out of a job. It also links to several other helpful resources – where you can gain further insights.
Advice on what to do if you need to change your career
Tertiary Education Commission
You might change your career many times in your life. Here’s advice on how to work out if you need to change your career and study, and who can help.
What it's about
How to change your career or study.
Who it's for
People in work or study who want to change their career or course.
What it offers
- A worksheet to identify if you need to change your career or study.
- Information on who can help you with career advice.
- Options for retraining to change your career.
Advice on how to figure out your skills
Tertiary Education Commission
Figure out your skills, so you can increase your job options and find a career that’s perfect for you. You need to know what you’re good at to choose a career, and to list skills in your CV.
What it's about
How to find out your skills from your work, study and life experience. Why it’s important to know your skills when you plan your career and apply for jobs.
Who it's for
School leavers or career changers planning their career, people looking for a job.
What it offers
- Information on skills and how to identify all of your skills
- A skills worksheet
- A video explaining how to describe skills when looking for a job.
Get started with Skill Matcher
Tertiary Education Commission
Want to find your purpose in life or change your career? The Skill Matcher tool takes your skills and suggests jobs. Or, see what jobs you can get if you change your skills.
What it's about
An interactive tool that suggests job ideas based on skills.
Who it's for
New Zealanders who want to plan or change their career.
What it offers
- An interactive tool that can save your results.
- Job ideas based on your skills.
- Explore job ideas to find out entry information and what the job is really like.
Options for study or training after redundancy
Tertiary Education Commission
Redundancy could be your opportunity to upskill, or find a new career. Find study or training you can fit into your life, and options for scholarships or free fees.
What it's about
Study or training options, and how to fund them, for people who have been made redundant.
Who it's for
People who have recently been made redundant and need to upskill or change careers to find work.
What it offers
- An overview of study or training options suitable for adults retraining.
- Information on scholarships and fees free.
- Options for getting NCEA or recognition of prior learning.
Tupu Aotearoa
Ministry for Pacific Peoples
Tupu Aotearoa is a targeted programme to support Pacific people to gain tools and skills that enable them to thrive through employment, completing further training or study.
What it's about
Tupu Aotearoa is delivered by local providers to support you on your journey to employment, further training or study.
Who it's for
Pacific people in Aotearoa who are:
- aged 15 or over
- New Zealand citizens
- currently not in employment, education or training.
Locations of providers can be found on the Ministry for Pacific People’s website.
What it offers
Local Tupu Aotearoa providers can help you with:
- identifying appropriate upskilling and training courses
- career advice and guidance
- job search
- support writing your CV and cover letter
- preparing for interviews
- obtaining a driver's licence
- pastoral care and support post-placement.
From learning to earning
Ministry of Education
Students gain a better understanding of how their NCEA studies applies to the world of work, and the qualifications and skills required by industry. These Vocational Pathways help students see how their learning is valued in the real world by aligning their NCEA to six industry sectors.
What it's about
Vocational Pathways help students see how their learning is valued in the workplace by aligning assessment standards that can count towards with six industries, and help them discover careers they’re truly passionate about!
Who it's for
Students studying NCEA level 2 and 3 across New Zealand in school, or enrolled in tertiary education organisations.
What it offers
The Vocational Pathways help students contextualise their learning into the world of work, and gain knowledge of the skills and qualifications required by industry.
Students can see how their learning can be connecting to six industries including, Creative Industries, Primary Industries, Service Industries, Social and Community Services, Construction and Infrastructure, and Manufacturing and Technology.
Careers.govt.nz
Tertiary Education Commission
Want to find your purpose in life or need help to find work? Careers.govt.nz has tips on how to plan your career, find a job or bounce back after redundancy. Get inspired by the wide range of jobs in New Zealand and take steps towards your future.
What it's about
How to find your purpose, plan a career, find work and learn about the world of work.
Who it's for
New Zealanders who want to be inspired to plan their future.
What it offers
- Career inspiration – 400+ database of job profiles and case studies to explore.
- Interactive tools to find career ideas based on your skills and interests.
- The latest job hunting advice, CV Builder and templates, cover letter templates.
- Advice on what to do when you’ve had a career setback.
- Clear information on study and training options and choosing school subjects.
- Information on jobs in demand and the future of work.
- Resources for parents, employers and educators.
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