Saturday Shoutout!!! Graduates

Saturday Shoutout!!! Graduates

Issue 1 | Number 9 | 28 April 2012

Quote of the Week – All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose. Brian Tracy

Employer demand for international graduates in 2011 increased close to levels not seen since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 according to recent research conducted by Graduate Careers Australia (GCA).  Dr Edge said “with a graduate’s employment history the most important factor when it comes to a curriculum vitae, graduates need to look at finding employment experience during their studies as this is valued by employers at the end of their degree when they are looking for a job.” Graduate Careers Australia

#1 Do you want to connect with a real-world professional within your field of study?  The QUT Career Mentor Scheme is an invaluable experience for students, matching students with an industry mentor during a year of their study.  It is designed to give students the opportunity to receive guidance, support and knowledge from an experienced industry professional as you begin your transition from university to the real world.  Read on.

#2 Application Letter Writing.  The application letter you send with your resume provides you with your first opportunity to present yourself to a potential employer.  It is more than just a brief cover note in which you merely introduce yourself, ask the employers to accept your application, and refer to your attached documents. Together with your resume it provides you with an opportunity to sell yourself as a highly suitable candidate for the job.  There are usually two types of application letters – one is a response to an advertised position or personal contact – the other is seeking to be considered for possible vacancies and is often called a ‘speculative’ or ‘cold canvas’ letter.  Read on.

#3 Why should you find out company details before the interview? I strongly advise to find out details about the company before the interview, even if the company has a website too large for you to digest in a few hours.  Try to select from it only main information that you can impress them with: company main activities, company values, location/s, achievements and awards during past years.  Try to spend at least one hour reading about them, remember as much as you can, even write down some information that you consider important.  Read on.

#4 Getting the most out of your recruiter.  You have made the decision to move on and are armed with a killer resume. You can almost taste your next dream job… but where to from here?  In addition to trawling through the job boards for advertised vacancies and scanning the Saturday papers, inevitably you will benefit from establishing relationships with key recruitment specialists in your market. So who should you talk to? Where should you start and how do you make sure your experience is a positive and useful step in your career search?  Read on.

#5 AHRI Student Memberships – what’s in it for me? Getting on board as an AHRI student member can help you to establish and build a successful future in the HR profession.  As an AHRI student member, you’ll have what you need for both your studies and your career – access to essential HR resources and professional networks that you can’t get anywhere else. And best of all – membership is FREE!  Read on.

#6 What Recruiters Look At During the 6 Seconds They Spend On Your Resume.  Although we may never know why we didn’t get chosen for a job interview, a recent study is shedding some light on recruiters’ decision-making behaviour. According to The Ladders research, recruiters spend an average of “six seconds before they make the initial ‘fit or no fit’ decision” on candidates.  Read on.

Graphics: chamberdailydose.blogspot.com

Next week’s blog – Best of Saturday Shoutout!! Issue 1

If you find these updates useful, feel free to forward on to a work colleague or friend.

About the Author

To fulfil his professional and personal career aspirations, Tony Wiggins created ‘The HR Architect’ brand in 2009.  With a well-grounded focus and passion for HR, he thrives on working across his networks as a thought leader in ‘making a difference’ in the HR arena.

Tony Wiggins is the Founder and UX Editor of Saturday Shoutout!!! and The HR Architect Spends 5 Minutes with …. Tony utilises the blog ‘The HR Architect’ as a social media network and platform that empowers HR professionals to network, assist and support one another, spanning different countries, subcultures and niches.

Contact Tony at basketa@optusnet.com.au or @tonywiggin on Twitter.