Getting Started

Getting Started

Essential Final Year Tips for Job-Search Success

If this is your final year and you hope to be working in a graduate position next year, there are several things you need to be doing between now and the end of the year.

• Start Early – many graduate employers looking to recruit for [2007] start the process in the FIRST TERM. Visit your university's Careers Centre, get registered on the jobs database and learn how to participate in graduate recruitment programs. Check the Careers website and any jobs bulletins often to keep up-to-date on the latest employer information sessions, Careers Fairs  and job-search workshops.
• Identify Career Paths – find out where graduates in your major subject area have become employed. Visit the Careers Office to look at graduate destination reports or access them online at www.gradsonline.com.au .
• Identify your Skills, Values and Interests – if you haven’t done so already, ask if any self-assessment tools are available to help you learn more about yourself, for example [Your Career and You,] CareerQuest, Future Selves, Card Sorts, Myers Briggs Type Inventory.
• Explore all Career Options – browse through the Careers Resource Library to research companies, check out scholarships opportunities, postgraduate study or work overseas or visit www.graduateopportunities.com .
• Get Work Experience – if you haven’t had the chance to gain much work experience consider doing so now. Look at working part-time or volunteering to get the experience you need. Talk over any skills gaps with a Careers Adviser and develop a plan to develop the required skills.
• Balance Your Life – employers look for 'all rounders' with interpersonal and social skills as well as technical/academic skills. Get involved in activities other than study: join a club, take up a sport or hobby, work in the community, tutor college students, volunteer around campus, become involved in student radio or the student newspaper. Find something you’re interested in and do it!
• Prepare for Job Applications and Interviews – don’t wait until you find the 'perfect' job. Start preparing a basic [résumé] and learning interview skills now. Look for careers workshops, pick up handouts, look at resource books, watch videos and get a Careers Adviser to check your [résumé] and role-play an interview.
• Meet the Players – attend Careers Fairs and Employer Information sessions. Some are held on-campus, others are off-campus. Times vary from lunch time to evening presentations. Find out what employers are looking for and identify the ones you are most interested in.

Exploring career opportunities can be fun and exciting IF you don’t leave everything until the last minute. Avoid the stress by taking the advice above and starting your preparation now. Don’t hesitate to ask your university Careers staff for help at any stage of the process – that’s what they’re there for!

This article was written by the Careers Advisory Service at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. While it was originally developed for a New Zealand audience, we believe that graduates in Australia will also find the information within it relevant and useful.

Check out the excellent resources available on the Victoria University of Wellington's Careers Homepage