Getting Started

Getting Started

Using Job Seeking Resources

If you are job-seeking, make certain you exploit all the job search resources available to you. Knowing where you can get relevant information and making use of employment-related services is the only way you can stay on top of all the possibilities on offer (not to mention saving you considerable time and energy). Your final year job search should take advantage of the following services and opportunities.

University Careers Service

Your university Careers Service offers assistance with almost all aspects of the job search process. Services typically include: careers libraries for researching industries and organisations; job search reference books and videos; assistance with employment interviews; information and advice on working overseas; job search workshops; careers counselling, job vacancy noticeboards and websites; and résumé checking. Careers courses that can be taken as a curriculum option, and professional skills programs-where you develop workplace skills such as time management, leadership and presentation skills – are also increasingly common.

Your Careers Service may also be responsible for coordinating graduate recruitment programs for students in their final year. Typically, this includes Careers Fairs, employer information sessions and the campus interview program. Recruitment brochures and job application forms are also likely to be available. From the beginning of your final year onwards, you should be in constant contact with your Careers Service.

Your Networks

It is estimated that around 70 per cent of jobs are not publicly advertised. Your personal network is a way of accessing the 'hidden job market' and is an essential component of your research, in which you should aim to:

• produce a list of people from whom you might get information, advice and suggestions
• develop contacts and connections with people who work in the field that interests you
• establish contact with people who are in a position to offer employment
• obtain information from others that will assist you to make better decisions, plans and applications.

The initial stages of your networking should be information-based. Request information and generate questions that will stimulate discussion, provide you with knowledge and help establish the connections you need. Avoid asking for favours and don't ask questions that are likely to result in 'no' for an answer, such as 'Have you got any jobs available?' Expand your network by joining professional associations, attending conferences and seminars, taking up voluntary work, and foster relationships with peers, tutors and lecturers.

Employment Agencies

Part of your research should include keeping an eye out for both large and small-scale opportunities offered by employment agencies, contacting agents that might specialise in your discipline and, where appropriate, forwarding a résumé and seeking an interview. Using the services of an agency should not cost you anything at all - costs are incurred by the employer when positions are filled. In effect, you have nothing to lose but the time and energy it takes to be well prepared for contact. Treat agencies as employers: be clear about your goals and skills, and stay in touch if the initial contact goes well.

Professional Associations

Most professional associations solicit student membership that allows you to participate in their activities and use their services. They provide professional development seminars, networking nights, and advice about pay and conditions which help you make the transition to work. Membership is usually cheap or free, and your involvement shows you are serious about your vocation (an important criterion for potential employers).

Publications

Careers publications cover everything from career planning to managing a redundancy package, including employment rates and overseas work requirements, professional journals and company literature. Check out your Careers Service library/resource centre to find out what's available. Your Careers Service will also have a copy of a GCA report called the Graduate Destination Survey (GDS), detailing the job search activities of previous year graduates from your course. The GDS will tell you, among other things, how many graduates found work, the type of work they were doing and the amount they were paid. This information has also been turned into the searchable website GradsOnline.

Finally, as well as having classified sections which advertise jobs locally and nationally, newspapers such as The Age, The Australian and The Sydney Morning Herald are an excellent source of information about major corporations, industrial climate and vacancy rates, as well as employment-related articles that will help keep you informed of trends in selection and recruitment.

Videos

Whether you want to learn how to write a résumé, improve your networking skills or perform well in interviews, most Careers Services will have a number of helpful videos such as:

• Why Am I Here? – transferrable skill development
• Why Ask Me That? – interview skills
• Can I Have a Few Minutes of Your Time? –networking skills
• Out in Front with an Arts Degree – skills identification for Arts students
• The Written Edge – résumés and covering letters
• Looking Good on Paper – résumés and covering letters
• Getting the Job – interview skills for jobseekers who speak English as a second language
• Essential Interview Skills – interview skills from an employer perspective.

The Internet

The internet contains a number of useful resources for jobseekers such as:

• career planning and exploration sites
• research sites
• opportunities for online networking
• dedicated job search sites
• company websites.

You should undertake a weekly scan of dedicated sites such as:

Graduate Careers Australia, which provides access to the Graduate Opportunities website as well as a job search facility via SEEK Campus. Company websites are also worth looking at, especially in the context of campus recruitment. Many graduate employers now expect students to access information and resources online, and require completion or download of online application forms.