Jobseeking Skills for Engineering Students

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Job-seeking Skillsfor Engineering Students

• Pat Watson
• Course Careers Services
• Level 1, Peribolos East, La Trobe Hours 9-5
  Mon-Fri

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Trends in employment

• Short term contracts for specific work to be done
• Increase in part-time and casual work
• Increase in number of people wanting to enter the
  workforce
• Regional and global activities
• Need for flexibility and adaptability
• Outsourcing of work
• Ongoing learning

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Skills employers are seeking

• Collecting, analysing and organising information
• Communicating ideas and information
• Planning and organising activities
• Working with others in teams independently
• Using mathematical ideas
• Solving problems/thinking laterally
• Using technology

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How to become employable

• Do as well as you can in your studies
• Try to get experience in your field of interest
• Undertake vacation work or voluntary work
• Get a part-time job
• Get involved in the community
• Be an active club/team/society member
• Develop transferable skills

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Job Hunting Checklist - YOU

• Identify your interests, skills abilities
• Identify the type of work you really want
  eg.Type of placelarge/small, government
  sector/private sector
• Consider part-time, full-time, further study,
  time off for travel and relaxing before
  committing to work

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Job hunting checklist- you

• Depending on your specialization, careers are
  found in satellite mobile telecommunications,
  microelectronic circuit design, control systems
  and robotics, biomedical engineering including
  health support and analysis
• Research the industry/organization/job
• Newspapers journals
• The internet
• Company reports
• On campus information sessions
• Informational interviewing
• Graduate Opportunities
• List potential employers

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Career Opportunities

• Find out about careers
• OZJAC program in Careers Service
• Job Guide Victoria www.jobguide.dest.gov.au
• www.gradlink.edu.au
• www.jobsearch.gov.au/joboutlook
• www.myfuture.edu.au
• www.olivier.com.au (Graduate Internet Job Index)
• International students check www.immi.gov.au

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Work experience

• Work experience will assist you in your job
  search
• This includes part-time ,vacation, or voluntary
  work (NB. www.seekcampus.com.au)
• You will develop new skills and knowledge, gain
  an understanding of an industry or
  organisation and build new contacts

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Professional Associations

• Publish newsletters or journals which are a great
  source source of information on new developments
• Make sure you join the relevant professional
  association
• Attend any conferences and seminars
• www.ieaust.org.au Engineers Australia
• www.apesma.asn.au
• www.ieee.org

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Sourcing vacancies

• www.latrobe.edu.au/careers - Register your
  preferences with Jobfinder
• Attend the Careers Fair in March 2005 and collect
  Graduate Opportunities (Check indexes Employers
  by occupation Employers by degree/discipline
  Employers who have Vacation work, Work experience
  Cadetships)
• Newspaper advertisements
• Employment agencies
• Direct applications on spec
• Yellow Pages

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Useful Websites

• Register with careers websites/publish resumes
  online
• www.seekcampus.com.au
• www.monster.com.au
• www.careerone.com.au
• www.mycareer.com.au
• www.unimail.com.au
• www.graduateopportunities.com
• www.workplace.gov.au
• Note the growing trend towards employers using
  online recruiting

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Responding to advertised vacancies

• Read job ads creatively
• Think laterally about your qualifications and
  abilities and where you can apply them
• Broaden your knowledge of what jobs exist, who is
  employing, skills being sought, salaries etc
• Get organized create a folder
• Research discipline related employment sites at
  www.latrobe.edu.au/careers

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The Job Market in General

• The hidden job market has most job vacancies
• 60-80 of positions are not advertised
• Tap this by
• Direct application
• Networking
• Informational interviewing
• Volunteer work/vacation work
• Professional Associations
• Alumni contacts

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Direct application

• Sending a resume and letter expressing your
  interest in working for a particular organisation
• First do some research on the organisation
• Decide where you might fit into it
• Indicate at the end of the letter that you will
  follow up with a phone call
• Provides opportunity for feedback and
  another persons ideas and suggestions
  

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Networking

• One of the most valuable and powerful strategies
  the job seeker can employ
• Involves simply identifying and making contact
  with people and organisations to facilitate your
  job search
• Use contacts - relatives, friends, neighbours,
  members of your sporting, youth or other clubs
• Members of La Trobe University Alumni

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Job Hunting Checklist -Advertised Job

• Read the ad carefully- highlight the employers
  needs
• Ask for selection criteria/application forms
• Read this carefully
• Complete the application EXACTLY as asked
• Match yourself to the employers needs
• Make sure application arrives by due date
• Contact employer to find out about progress of
  your application

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Tips for improving your employability

• Be flexible about the occupations you are willing
  to consider
• Be prepared to investigate opportunities with
  smaller, less well known employers
• Be aware of ways to enhance your chances
• Be prepared to put in time into a
  successful campaign
• Be planned, positive persistent

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Course and Careers Servicewww.latrobe.edu.au/care
ers

• JobFinder (searchable jobs database)
• Job-hunting workshops (graduate recruitment,
  resumes, interviews and more)
• Resume checking service
• Career counseling
• Careers library including folders, videos etc
• Website links to employer sites, career-related
  sites and workshop handouts