What you are doing in 2021?
You probably don’t want to think about 2021, but if you are in your final year of study at UNE, you need too. This year is already flying by… so to help you start preparing, our Careers Counselling Coordinator, Julia, has put together all of the information you’ll need to get started.
We are now in the middle of graduate recruitment season. You can think of it just like a hunting season – there is an annual time that employers are hunting for their new staff and it is right now! March to May of each year is when the majority (but not all) graduate programs are being advertised, and if you don’t apply, you miss out!
UNE graduates obtain awesome positions right across the world each year and you really want to make this happen for yourself. A career path is something that you can take control of and the only way to do that is to put yourself out there and make the most of every opportunity.
So, let me answer some of the common career questions that students have.
1. What is a Graduate Program?
This is a job that is designed specifically for students that have got new tertiary qualifications. It may be a degree, a graduate certificate, graduate diploma or even a masters. The employer will put you through vigorous training for a period of 12-36 months and train you into their organisation, undertaking relevant practical tasks and pumping you full of hands-on information. The training often involves rotation through some internal departments so you learn so much more than just doing one job. There could be more study involved with having to complete certificates. They train to keep you, and many graduates are promoted quickly – some even before they finish the program.
2. Why should I be applying for a job?
It is a myth that jobs are just handed to graduates. You have to be fierce and competitive, putting yourself out there and applying for as many jobs as you can – better to have a couple of job offers to choose from than nothing! Just because you have a degree – doesn’t mean you get a job – think about it, there are lots of people with degrees and experience.
3. How many jobs should I be applying for?
This is a shock to many when I say around 50-60 in the March to May period. It is like carrying another unit on top of your studies, but if you don’t apply, how else will you get a job? The more applications you make, we hope the more interviews you get, and the more job offers on the table.
4. What should I be applying for?
Don’t put your eggs all in one basket. Apply for everything you are able to. If you are an Arts student, you will find there are limited job titles asking for an Arts degree, but you will find jobs that state ‘generalist’, ‘humanities’, ‘all degrees’ – you are versatile, so apply. If you do have a dream organisation that you wish to apply to, by applying to many others first, it gives you practice in applications and interviews, so apply, apply, apply!
5. My friend said not to apply for that…
We all have a lot of friends that are ‘helpful’ – but it’s important to put that aside and make our own decisions. This is your future and no one else’s. Do not listen to gossip about that ‘organisation is bad to work for’ – do your research and when you get to interview, you can make up your own mind. I have had many students in my office that have said, ‘I don’t really think I want to work for them, I have been told that they are bad to work for’ and then once they get through the interview and offered a position, they realise that this is a dream opportunity. Many are still with those employers today and have been promoted. Also, there are not usually too many ‘friends’ when it comes to job seeking – especially if they have the same experience and qualification as you. They may be talking you out of applying simply because they see you as a threat to them getting the job. It is now all about you. 🙂
6. I don’t know how to find jobs…
You all have access to the Careers Online Moodle unit in your myUNE – there is lots of self-help. Once you’ve drafted a resume or application, you can send it through to the UNE Employability & Careers staff for assistance – just send it to careers@une.edu.au We also have a great job board on Facebook and LinkedIn (search UNE Employability & Careers) and regularly post to the student societies Facebook pages. If you want to add us to your student Facebook page, just send our office a request.
You also need to sign up to email alerts on job sites such as seek, indeed, iworkfornsw, etc. Getting weekly notifications of graduate positions is a necessity to stay on top of what is on offer.
7. What happens if I miss out?
All is not lost, you can keep applying for many other entry positions – just because you have a degree does not mean you get to apply for the CEO’s job that is being advertised, but you can apply for many other positions, it does not have to be a graduate program. A Career Coach can talk you through some ideas.
We understand it can be a little daunting to think that you only have this one year left before you start your career journey – but don’t let the opportunity get away. UNE Employability & Careers are very happy to help you through, send an email via AskUNE or via careers@une.edu.au
It was said that “it is like carrying another unit on top of your studies”
If we’re studying full-time – 4 units per semester, how are we supposed to make room for that?
If we were capable of carrying an extra unit we would have been doing 5 per semester!
I was an Arts Degree Graduate from UNE and in mid 2005, I randomly applied for a Graduate position with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia thinking I had less than no chance because I hadn’t studied all the traditional finance/business/law based degrees. I was accepted as part of their Leadership program due to having a psychology major and true enough, I was the only applicant in the 8 successful candidates for QLD that didn’t have one of those degrees. Prior to this opportunity, I had no idea what banking could offer. I didn’t have the top grades (in fact, I had my fair share of N and NI’s on my transcript) but I started with CBA in their Grad program in 2006, obtained my first management post in 2007 and have been a People leader in Banking ever since. I have now worked in the industry for 15 years and 4 Banks, lived all over the country and I still love my people leadership role, every single day. I would not have had this opportunity had I not taken a random chance one day. You will only be limited by what you think you can do, accept the opportunity you have earned and go with it, you just never know where you will end up.
To the poster above – I did study 5 subjects a semester in my last year , I also worked to pay my way – your discipline and determination to succeed will ensure you get the outcome you deserve – it is entirely up to you what the outcome of your efforts will be.