The impact of the COVID pandemic on the New Zealand tourism industry has been far-
reaching. Businesses have been working hard to adapt their offering, altering staffing and
services to meet the needs of the domestic market. Those looking for work have also
needed to adapt, reviewing their skills to see how they can market themselves to potential
new employers.
Taupō-based Bodhi Vette, founder of job-based driver hire service Driver Guide Hire (DGH), has been working on new ways for job-seekers to present themselves to employers. “Before COVID hit DGH had been working on an app that would help our drivers introduce themselves to potential employees through video. We believe video CVs are much more
effective than a traditional written job application. You can let your personality shine through, and share your passion and motivation for your work” says Bodhi.
Soon Bodhi realised that the app could help others looking for work, and created
present.me. “Creating a video CV is great way to get cut-through in a job application
process. Traditionally applicants use a cover letter to try and connect with an employer, but
it’s pretty one dimensional. Often recruiters are looking for a quick way to shortlist
applications and it’s easy for unconscious bias to creep in. A CV can be discarded simply
because of a spelling mistake” he says.
The present.me app uses a short list of questions to create a script for the job applicant.
“The script is then sent to a teleprompter, so you can read it while looking into your
computer or phone’s camera. You can re-record as many times as you like, and you can
share it directly with potential employers. It’s a chance to present the best version of
yourself in the job application process” says Bodhi.
Bodhi has been in contact with the Ministry of Social Development about the present.me
product, and is also in talks with recruiters across a number of sectors. “We believe that
written CVs and cover letters will eventually be replaced by video CVs and digital resumes–
they are just much more powerful” says Bodhi.
Enterprise Great Lake Taupō helped Bodhi access support for the business idea from
organisations like Callaghan Innovation. “A lot of great business ideas can fall by the wayside
through lack of funding. There aren’t a lot of venture capitalists offering seed funding in
New Zealand at the moment, so it was great to tap into EGLT’s knowledge base in this area”
he says.
Bodhi believes that Taupō is a great place to start a business. “There is a real benefit to
living in a smaller place. It’s easy to network with the right people, and to make your
business visible. The lifestyle is pretty incredible as well. There’s not a lot of downside” he
says.