Freeloaders culled from tech job site
People simply ‘‘looking for a free holiday’’ are being weeded out from the tens of thousands of tech experts who applied for a trip to Wellington for job interviews.
More than 48,000 applicants will be cut to just 100, who will descend on the capital in May through global talent search Looksee Wellington.
The ratepayer funded programme, which aims to boost ranks of mid and senior level technology experts, is offering free flights and accommodation for successful applicants.
Applications closed last week, with the final tally exceeding organisers’ targets ‘‘many times over’’.
Project partners Workhere New Zealand said it had pre-screened 24,000 applicants. Those simply looking for a free trip to Wellington were canned.
Workhere managing director Damian Sainsbury said the quality of applicants was high.
‘‘The submission process made it very clear that genuine skills, experience and desire to relocate are essential to progress, so people just looking for a free holiday quickly dropped out.
‘‘That means our talent pool is already distilled, and the sheer volume of applicants means we’ll be putting the very best people in front of our employers.’’
Workhere will create a shortlist of fewer than 1000 candidates for consideration by registered Wellington employers.
Employers will then nominate applicants they would like to interview for mid to senior-level positions.
Following that, 100 selected candidates will then be chosen to visit Wellington in May, to undertake at least three job interviews and get a taste of life in the region.
Looksee Wellington, which launched in February, quickly gained global media attention, with publications including Forbes and The Daily Mail writing stories.
The most interest came from people from India, closely followed by the United States. Some who registered with the site hold senior roles at major tech brands, including Facebook, Google and Amazon.
Marie-claire Andrews, who registered her company Showgizmo with Looksee Wellington, said there was a global shortage of talent in the technology sector.
‘‘The biggest systemic obstacle to growth for Wellington tech companies has been recruiting enough experienced talent to meet our needs.’’
Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (Wreda) chief executive Chris Whelan said the initiative worked alongside the agency’s programmes to support development and retention of local talent.