02 - The application

I apply online to become a bus driver. The response was swift...very swift.

Did I mention I’d been made redundant? That’s not the story. I loved where I worked, and I loved the people I worked with, even more.

No, the story is that being made redundant allowed me to pursue my dream of becoming a driver of a ‘very large vehicle’.

After finishing work I reckoned that I deserved some time off. But I also had a shit-load of life admin to complete.

My mother’s house was flooded in Cyclone Gabrielle. She’s 94 and ‘frail’ so there was some stuff to do moving her down to Wellington, finding her some respite care, and everything that goes with that.

We’ve been waiting over two years for our kitchen to be remodeled and renovated. It’s finally happening.

Then in April, we’re heading to the UK to see some relatives we haven’t seen since 1995.

So, it’s a perfect storm. Redundancy, a displaced mother, a trip abroad, and a kitchen renovation. My life outside of work, and out of work, is full and busy.

So with all of these things going on, my intention was to start a job, any job, in early May. If you’ve read the previous blog post, bus driving has been on my mind. So, on my third day of redundancy, I thought “Maybe I should put an application in.” NZ Bus was bringing in drivers from overseas, and they were actively recruiting drivers locally. Virtually every bus you go past has “Hiring now: Call 0800 BUSDRIVER”.

Would there still be jobs available in May when my life would be a little less hectic?

I decided to put an early application in via the NZ Bus website. Who knows how long it would take?

I updated my CV because I needed to upload one to apply. To date, I have had no experience as a professional driver. I left the majority of my other roles under ‘Experience’, as skills are always transferrable. I added a section on the licenses I hold. And under Relevant Skills > Driving I wrote the following:

I have always loved, and continue to love driving. I got my car and motorbike license a week after I turned 15, but had been driving for several years before that. My first experience driving alone was driving a tractor on my uncle’s farm at the age of 12.

I’ve been known to drive to Auckland and back to Wellington in one day (I did this several times during Covid as my son was studying in Auckland and needed rescuing).

I’m a member of the NZ Distance Riders group, and the Iron Butt Association (USA). These organisations run long-distance motorcycle rallies. I recently completed the 2023 TT2000 riding 2,922 km in less than 48 hours (yes, I did sleep, off the bike).

This year I completed the Iron Butt Association Silver Mile Eaters Award by completing a 1,600km ride in less than 24 hours, once a month for twelve months. I’m only the second person in New Zealand to achieve this award.

There was a section in the application for a Cover Letter. It was optional. What the hell? Here’s what I said:

Dear NZ Bus,

I want to be a bus driver. 

I love driving.
 
I got my car and motorbike license one week after turning 15, but I had been driving since I was 12. My earliest experience driving alone was operating a tractor on my uncle’s farm.

I have worked in the creative industry pretty much all my life, most recently as ......[I added a bit in here about where I'd come from and what I'd done.]

We’ve recently gone through a restructure, and I decided to take redundancy.
 
It may sound surprising but I have always had a hankering to drive big vehicles. I took time off work last year to complete my Class 2 licence. I also have a Passenger Endorsement, so apart from on-the-road training I’m pretty much ready to go.

In everything I do, I have always had to have the customer in mind. I am a personable, outgoing person who gets on with a lot of people. I take pride in this ability, and would relish the opportunity to be part of the NZ Bus team, delivering great service with a smile to the people of Wellington.

I look forward to talking more about opportunities as a Bus Driver.

Regards....

Not my best work, but probably, comparatively, a pretty good letter as an application for a bus driver.

And because you should always make them feel like you’re an interesting person I added this section:

Better work stories

Among the other roles and experiences:

- Grave-digger
- Professional jazz singer
- Car reviewer (written as a woman) for Grace magazine
- Motorcycle reviews for Business Desk (2022)
- Social researcher 
- Starred in many TV commercials, most famously as a ‘weed’

I clicked SEND at around 12.30 pm on Friday 3 March. I got a phone call from the NZ Bus in-house recruiter at around 2 pm that same day, one and a half hours after I submitted my application! That’s an impressive turnaround.

The woman I spoke to was very nice. She asked me a heap of questions, many of which I had already answered in the application. At the end of our conversation, she told me she’d like to put me forward for a formal interview. They were busy, so did I think I’d be able to meet at 11.30 am on Monday?

Yep, sure, I look forward to it.

So, just saying, in the space of one full working day, if you ignore the weekend, I applied for a bus driving role and secured my first interview. BAM!

Tune in for the next post on how that interview went.