Careers

Lifelong Career Benefits of Studying in Australia

2010-08-06T18:24:03Z

Beyond the immediate benefits of studying in Australia as an international student, the experience will benefit you for a lifetime, particularly in regards to your future career.

Across all industries, future employers will respect your Australian education and value the skills you developed while living abroad. And they should, since international study builds students’ character and confidence, broadens students’ perspectives and encourages students’ resourcefulness and flexibility.

Here are some tips for noting your Australian study abroad on your resume, speaking about it during job interviews and applying the lessons learned to on-the-job situations.

International Student Experience on Your Resume

Your study abroad in Australia is something you definitely won’t want to leave off your resume or curriculum vitae. Employers appreciate an applicant with well-rounded educational, cultural and professional experiences, so including your Australian study abroad on a resume or CV will garner favorable attention from any potential employer.

Include your study abroad experiences under the education heading of your resume and use action verbs to describe in two or three brief bullet points a summary of the skills you gained by studying in Australia. Examples might include: “Mastered conversational English while living, learning and working in Australia” and “Adapted to Australian lifestyle and society by overcoming the challenges of intercultural communication and unfamiliar surroundings.”

International Student Experience in Job Interviews

You can expect any job interviewer who sees Australian study abroad on your resume to ask about it. Job interviewers will inquire about what you learned in Australia, and they may want to know how you became a better problem-solver or overcame adversity. They will want to hear about your flexibility in adjusting to new environments, and they will be interested in stories that demonstrate the independence and self-reliance you developed in Australia.

Moreover, they will want to know why you chose to study in Australia. When they ask, take the opportunity to present yourself as an employee who embraces challenge and change, tackles complex situations with enthusiasm and takes calculated risks that produce satisfying rewards.

International Student Experience on the Job

Skills learned while studying abroad in Australia will also have many practical on-the-job applications. During your time studying in Australia, for example, you may have learned or improved your English. Being fluent in a second language, particularly English, is a valuable career asset, especially in large companies that may operate internationally.

You also will have learned in Australia how to adapt to a new environment. Never will overcoming such a challenge be more applicable than in starting a new job. Your Australian study abroad experience will give you confidence as you adapt to a new company or new company role.

Your broadened worldview and diverse cultural appreciation will help you view job problems from a variety of angles and therefore give you a greater ability to brainstorm solutions.

Your experience in cross-cultural communication will be an asset in dealing with customers, clients, supervisors and colleagues; you will have learned to listen and understand before acting or making snap judgments.

It would be nearly impossible to gain many of these valued skills without international study experience, so you will reap the rewards of your study abroad in Australia for many years to come. Your future employers and companies will reap the rewards, too, and by applying the lessons learned in Australia to your future career, you will always be considered a valuable employee.

Landing a Job in These Tough Economic Times

2009-04-13T04:43:53Z

Landing a job in these tough times isn't easy. There is a lot of competition for every available job and plenty of experienced, older people who are looking for them.

Here are a few tips for how students can land a job during economic downturns:

Be Persistent

Students need to make themselves known. Employers aren’t having to look far for qualified applicants. Avoid being a nag but do not hesitate to call or stop in at businesses frequently to check on any available positions and to let the person who is doing the hiring know of your continued interest in employment.

Be Resourceful

The Internet is a resource for locating jobs. Utilize every available resource. Visit online job boards, employment agencies, and post your resume. Employers who have more applicants than they need are interested in hiring good students but they’re not going to go out of their way to find you. You have to be among those students who are able to locate them.

Apply to a Lot of Companies

You can’t be fussy during these tough times. There aren’t a lot of jobs out there and you’ll have to accept what you can find. Applying to a great number and variety of businesses will put you into the best position for being hired, even if it’s not the job you preferred. Once you’re hired, you can always keep trying to get a job at the companies you’re the most interested in.

Sell Yourself

Be neat and courteous in appearance. You’re in competition with a lot of other people for the job and you’re going to have to make a positive first impression. Wear only acceptable clothing and jewelry. Remember that you're meeting employers who will sometimes judge you on the basis of your appearance.

Your job application and resume should appear professional. Both should be neat and concise. These represent you to your potential employer and if he or she isn’t impressed, you may never get an interview.

Be Prepared

Before filling out an application make sure that you know your previous employers’ addresses and phone numbers. You should be able to complete job applications with all of the needed information. Know your academic schedule so that an employer can be assured you'll be available. The more organized you are, the better job prospect you'll be.

When going for your first interview, make sure to be on time, be confident, and smile big as first impressions are an important factor for getting a job. Follow this guide and we are sure you will be one step ahead of your competition.

Student Guide for finding work in Australia

2008-11-27T03:22:01Z

Finding work in Australia

Most Australian schools have a career center that can provide great service for finding a job that meets your criteria. Their main service is to inform students of job openings or opportunities. Another great service that the career center provides is helping students with writing attractive applications and edit student’s resumes. Students can also find work through:

•    Job postings in newspapers
•    Employment agency
•    Craigslist.org
                                                     •    Gumtree.co.uk
                                                      •    Government employment service

Different types of work

Most students in Australia work in the hospitality or retail industry such as restaurants, bars, or shopping malls. Typical jobs within these industries include the following:

•    Department store staff
•    Bartender
•    Cleaner
•    Supermarket worker
•    Cinema staff
•    Retail sales

Some international students find it easy and convenient to work as a translator or language tutor.

Potential Holiday jobs

Students are limited during the semester because of course conflictions, but during the holidays students can earn some nice extra cash by working full time. A lot of international students who do not travel back to their home country for the holidays can stay and work full time.

A lot of full time jobs during the holidays include jobs within the tourism industry. Some full time jobs that students should think about getting during the holidays include the following:

•    Life-guards
•    Surf instructor
•    Ski Instructor
•    Ski assistant
•    Nanny at fun parks
•    Assistant at zoo’s or museums
•    Theme park attendant
•    Sales or assistant in shopping malls
•    Hotel assistant

Benefits of part-time and full time work include the following:

•    Earn extra money
•    Make new friends and connections
•    Increase your English skills
•    Become more responsible
•    Socialize with people from all walks of life
•    Increase your confidence level

Resume Guide for Landing a Job

2008-09-23T11:23:11Z

Your resume is one of the most important parts in landing a job. Often large corporations, who are sent hundreds of resumes, toss out any resume that looks or does not include vital information. Below is is a resume guide describing the important details that you should have listed in your resume.

Contact Information:

Include your name, home address, home phone number, mobile number including area code, email address.

Objective:

Make sure to be clear and to the point when writing your professional objective. Describe what you can do for your potential employer rather then telling how this job can benefit you. Employers look closely at the objective as they can see what your intentions are.

Summary of the Resume:

State your most credited achievements along with the different environments that you have worked in.

Employment:

When listing your work history, you want to have it start with your most recent job first. List the start and end date, the name of the past organization, location including the city and state, job title, brief details of work duties, any important responsibilities, accomplishments and skills.

Include action verbs and quantify when possible.

Education:

Put your most recent education first with the college or university name, state/city, degree complete, and concentration/major studied.If you are still in school, list it first and make sure to add the estimated completion date. Add any obtained credentials, certifications, or licenses that you are in the process of getting.

Skills:

Put any additional foreign languages that you are fluent in down first. Your computer/knowledge skills and any other important or relevant skills.

Community Service:

List volunteer work that you have completed with the name, date, duties, and activities you performed for the organization.

Affiliations:

It is good to list past and current groups or organizations that you belong to and are involved in. These can include school clubs, non-profit organizations, and professional organizations. List your title, number of years being a member or part of the organization. It is important to concentrate on organizations that are applicable to your field.

References:

List references that are professional and who you know that describe positive qualities about you. Do not put your Mom, Dad, or relative down as it is obvious that they will only talk good things about you.