Helpful hints when job hunting

Common Questions about Résumés – by Eleanor Pannall of Living Career

1. Can I write my casual work on my résumé?

Yes. Your casual work shows that you have knowledge of the Australian workplace. It also shows that you have gained the competencies that employers require (i.e. team work, communication skills). In Australia it is normal to start your career with casual work and is considered beneficial.

2. Who should I use as a referee?

You can use anyone who has seen you work or study. You should not use a friend. Please remember to ask your potential referee before using his/her name. It is also polite to inform your referees when you go for an interview.

3. Do I need to describe my degree?

Yes, make sure you have described what you learnt on your degree. Employers want to know about your projects, case studies, team work and presentations. It is also a good opportunity to mention the technical skills you have gained from your degree. Make sure you do this in dot points rather than paragraphs.

4. Employers are not inviting me to interview. What am I doing wrong?

Perhaps you have not tailored your résumé for the job.
Perhaps you are applying for jobs which are not appropriate for you.
Perhaps you have not applied for enough positions.
Perhaps there are spelling or grammar mistakes in your résumé.

5. How can I tailor my résumé for each job?

• Make sure your career objective is appropriate for the job you are applying for.
• Make sure that the competencies and skills the employer requires are mentioned in your résumé (if you have these skills).
• Make sure you put the most important information on the first page.

5 Ways to Enhance Your Career – by Eleanor Pannall of Living Career

1. Get experience now!

Many students make the mistake of starting to look for jobs and developing their career skills after they graduate. Employers are more interested in graduates who have experience. Ideally, this experience should relate to your chosen career, however any work place experience builds excellent employability skills – even voluntary work.

2. Improve your spoken English

To interact well in the workplace you need to know a lot about workplace communication. You need to be able to understand and react in the right way to Australian slang. You need to understand how intonation, word stress and tone can change the meaning in conversation. To achieve this you must talk to Australians on a daily basis.

3. Improve your written English

This is the perfect time to revise the parts of grammar you learnt in school. Are you using articles and prepositions correctly? Do you always use the correct tense? Employers require a good standard of written English. Don’t let them reject your application because of your English.

4. Learn about local career opportunities

Find out about the job vacancies and the local companies. Start to learn about what skills they require from graduates, which positions they advertise and how they organise their recruitment processes. Attending networking events run by your professional association is a great way to learn about your industry.

5. Be clear about your goal

Employers want people who have a clear career direction. For example, it is not enough to say that you are interested in working in IT; you need to be more specific and say you want a career in networks. You will be expected to talk about your future with enthusiasm and know how you are going to achieve this goal.