Katrina Nicholson is desperate for a job so has taken to standing on the road with a sign to help get a foot in the door.

A woman is advertising her CV on the street in her fight to be noticed by employers.

Katrina Nicholson has more than 20 years of working experience, but is unable to find a job.

In January, she applied for 121 jobs in Manawatu. Not one led to an interview.

David Unwin/Fairfax NZ. Katrina Nicholson is having a hard time finding work, so she is out on the street, sign in hand each morning advertising her CV.

Waiting to hear back from employers and for more jobs to appear online had been a "demeaning" experience, she said.

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So the 43-year-old has taken her problem to the street.

For the past four mornings Nicholson has stood out on Rangitikei St and Main St armed with a sign and her CV.

"I need a job. That's it. I've been unemployed for a month and I can't sit on my bum all day looking at a screen waiting for a job to come by. So I'm out here looking and hopefully I'll get a job."

Her last job as a personal care assistant finished in late January due to financial reasons, she said.

Since then she has been unemployed and has been on a benefit for about a month.

Nicholson also applied for 40 jobs in February and received three interviews. But none led to her being hired.

She said job hunting in Manawatu was "very tough" due to the high competition from students and young people with tertiary degrees.

But being out on the street was her way of showing people she was willing and able to work.

"If you want a job nobody is going to get it for you but you. You've got to go out there and do it yourself."

She said she was a reliable, hard worker, with years of experience in office administration, customer service and credit control.

Nicholson said the job climate had changed, and employers were looking at her age and lack of a degree, rather than her experience and life skills.

"I've been working all my life - you used to be able to walk into a place and get a job, [but] you're fighting with other people.

"You're fighting with students. You're fighting with young people that have left school. Unfortunately, I'm 43 and it's not like the good old days.

She said she wanted people to know that not all unemployed people were druggies.

"For employers out there, don't just look at education and tertiary, look at their life skills and and experience as well.

"I want employers to give people a chance. There are people out there that just need that one break - just that one chance."

Nicholson had an interview on Wednesday for a job as a cleaner, after a man stopped to pick up her CV on Tuesday. An interview for another job was booked for Friday, and several other people had got out of their cars to get a copy of Nicholson's CV.

Many passers-by also tooted and waved in support of her bold actions.

Nicholson was confident she would get a job after her efforts and she encouraged others looking for work to do the same.

"You've just got to get out there and fight for it. Get out there and do it."

According to Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment data, the Manawatu-Whanganui/Taranaki region has shown a solid increase in online job vacancies over the past year, up 13.2 per cent.