Where & What Type of Work

Where & What Type of Work

Finding Career Opportunities

Being aware of all possible avenues for career hunting is always going to help ensure that you give yourself the highest chance of finding a great job. This article looks at the wide range of options out there for you.

Graduate Recruitment Programs – What Are They?

• A formalised intake of a certain number of graduates each year.
• Generally undertaken by large companies who want an influx of fresh graduates each year, thus ensuring that the company keeps up-to-date with current practice and technology, and keeps staff numbers up.
• Application is generally directly to the company.
• For further information about companies running graduate programs, go to the employer profiles in Graduate Opportunities or its website www.graduateopportunities.com or contact your uni's Careers Service office.
  

Alternatives to Graduate Recruitment Programs
While graduate recruitment programs are a great option there is fierce competition for places and companies usually only take the top five per cent of graduates. There are plenty of other, equally valuable, career opportunities to be discovered.

Researching Jobs
There has never been as many ways to research jobs as there is currently. You can:

• go to your Careers Service
• search the internet (see Job searching on the internet for websites and tips)
• look in newspapers – local, state and national
• directly contact companies you are interested in working for
• look at company websites – many have a careers section
• peruse professional association newsletters and websites – many will have a jobs section
• register with appropriate employment agencies.
  

The Hidden Job Market – What Is It?
The hidden job market covers the many jobs that are not advertised through mainstream media and traditional methods.

How do you access it?

• Through networking (see our networking article).
• By contacting employers and employment agencies directly.
• By using all of the job search options available.
  

Small to Medium Companies
Another important point to remember is that there are many opportunities in small to medium companies – you should not be looking only at the large market-leading companies. Advantages of smaller companies can include:

• the opportunity to gather a wider range of skills due to an increased need for multi-tasking
• the chance to see how departments other than your own operate, due to a smaller office/organisation size
• a less rigid office structure
• greater room for movement within the company.
  

Finding employment in small to medium companies involves the same process of job research detailed above.

Looking Outside Capital Cities
Another option to consider is looking for employment opportunities outside of the capital cities. There has been a fair amount of publicity recently about worker shortages in regional areas. Advantages of working in the country may include:

• increased opportunities earlier on, due to less competition for positions
• gaining a wider range of skills through the increased need for mutual support in smaller offices
• the many programs currently underway, designed to attract people to work in regional areas – these may offer attractive benefits
• the personal skills gained through moving out of your ‘comfort zone’ and starting in a new town.
  

You can find these opportunities through:

• job search websites that have sections on regional employment. (Look at the list of websites given in Job searching on the internet .)
• searching the internet for regional programs using Google or your search engine of choice. Potential search words could be: regional career programs (plus a specific region if you have an area of choice)
• speaking to your Careers Service as they will have information on opportunities available and more ways to track them down.
  

Interested in Finding a Job Overseas?
Information on this topic is given in Finding Work Overseas.

Tips for Penultimate Year Students

• Many graduate recruitment program applications close early in the year, so it is a good idea to start researching your companies of interest now.
• By considering your other options earlier rather than later you put yourself in an advantageous position when it comes to applying for graduaterecruitment programs or other positions, as you will already have done the research needed to start your career charge.