A small share of entry level roles FindMeAJob tracks across the NZ market are marked as needing little or no experience at all.
What does that small share actually tell an employer?
It tells you that almost nobody advertising an entry level role in New Zealand right now is asking for absolutely nothing. Nearly all the rest want something: a driver licence, a food safety certificate, six months in a similar environment, a willingness to be trained on a specific machine. Cheap hiring is not about lowering your requirements to match some imagined bottom of the market. That bottom barely exists. It is about being precise on the one or two things that actually matter for your shift and dropping everything else you have been asking for out of habit.
That matters for the cost side of hiring directly, because the biggest hidden cost in a small business hire is not the job ad, it is the wrong hire. A cafe owner who advertises for someone with barista experience, gets nobody, then hires the first willing applicant and trains them anyway, has spent weeks and an ad fee chasing a requirement they never actually needed. If the real job is making flat whites to a standard you can teach in a week, say that, and open the door to people who would have ruled themselves out otherwise.
Where does advertising fit into the real cost of a hire?
Advertising is usually the smallest line, and it is the one most small employers agonise over, because it is the one they pay for out of pocket in a single transaction. A free listing on FindMeAJob covers one active role at a time, live for 15 days at no cost, which is enough for most single vacancies. If you are hiring for more than one role at once, or want the listing to stay up longer and sit higher, Pro is a one off $29 per listing for 30 days with a featured badge, and Unlimited is $99 a month for ongoing listings while you are subscribed. Compare that to the time cost: an hour spent screening applicants who were never going to be right for the role, because the ad asked for something irrelevant, costs more than the ad itself ever did.
The other real cost small employers underprice is the 90 day trial period, which is available to any employer with fewer than 20 staff. It has to be agreed in writing before the person starts, and it only protects you if the paperwork is right, so getting the employment agreement correct up front is cheaper than discovering the trial does not hold up later.
Source: 90-day trial periods
Key takeaways
- Only a small share of entry level roles tracked ask for zero experience, so most competition is over stated requirements, not a lack of them.
- Dropping requirements you do not actually need widens your applicant pool more than any amount of extra ad spend does.
- A free 15 day listing for one role covers most single vacancies, Pro is $29 one off for 30 days, Unlimited is $99 a month for ongoing hiring.
- Screening time wasted on people who were never a fit usually costs more than the advertising did.
Frequently asked questions
Does 'entry level' mean employers want zero experience?
No. Only a small share of the entry level roles tracked ask for no experience at all. Most want up to two years, a specific certificate, or a licence, which is still within the entry level range this board covers.
What's the actual cheapest way to advertise a single vacancy?
A free FindMeAJob listing, live for 15 days, covers one active role at a time at no cost. It suits most small businesses hiring for a single position rather than running several vacancies at once. You will need a free employer account to post.
When does it make sense to pay for a listing instead?
If you are hiring more than one role, or want a listing to run longer than 15 days with better placement, Pro at $29 one off or Unlimited at $99 a month are worth the cost against the time a vacancy sits unfilled.
Can a business with fewer than 20 staff use a 90 day trial to manage hiring risk?
Yes, but only if it is agreed in writing before the person's first day. It does not replace good screening, it is a backstop if the fit turns out wrong despite it.