At UBS we want to ensure our students are ready for the workforce upon graduating. While you are a student, especially in second and third years, you should already be building your professional network in order to secure graduate employment. Julia Perryman from UNE Careers encourages students to use LinkedIn as a professional social platform. She says that LinkedIn is an ideal way to market your professional graduate persona.

If you are on LinkedIn, be sure to add the UNE Business School to your professional network and as your place of study: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/une-business-school/

If you’re not on LinkedIn, we encourage you make a profile. LinkedIn is an ideal tool for students to network and build effective relationships. This will aid you in your graduate job search and is also helpful when searching for an internship while still studying.

Julia advises for all students on LinkedIn to spruce up their profile with a professional photo and content that is worth reading. On LinkedIn you can share content or write your own. Writing articles in areas of your expertise can add to your graduate persona and have the possibility of going viral. Write some articles that are relevant to your career direction, you may be able to use something that you have written while studying. You also should add to your list of skill sets, previous employment and encourage others to endorse your skills.

Did you know that many graduate employers will undertake internet searches of their preferred candidates? Therefore it is important that your personal social media accounts are secured. This means to update the privacy settings to ensure that your Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and other social media pages cannot be accessed outside by those outside of your circle friends.

A great tip to Julia has for students on LinkedIn is to ‘link’ to other professionals that are well known – eg Bill Gates, Michelle Obama, Richard Branson etc – this shows your interests and that you are aiming to evolve with your career path.

For more information about becoming graduate ready contact Julia and the UNE careers team. They have fantastic career development services, including resume writing and interview practicing, all of which are helpful in securing a job.