The Employment Experience Fair is being held on campus today and Sigourney Young spoke to professional staff working in the careers area and to students to see what makes a job applicant stand?out from the crowd.
Economic uncertainty and rapid market changes are a given in today?s society. Both employers and students must manage the impact of these factors on recruitment and career development.
For students, this means that university goes beyond academic results, it must now provide a platform from which to develop employability skills through professional experiences. For employers, investment in attracting and recruiting talent is increasing, and what constitutes a competitive candidate has been refined.
Careers & Employment, Industry Engagement Consultant, Katie Bell emphasises that ?when employers are recruiting graduates they don?t just want a degree, they want relevant work experience?.? Such insights have informed the annual Employment Experience Fair which connects students to employers offering work experience opportunities, specifically focusing on short-term summer vacation programs, internships and cooperative programs
Over 80% of Employers in the AAGE Employer Survey 2011 indicated that it is the soft skills developed through work experience that are key in the selection process, with teamwork, oral communication, interpersonal skills and problem solving skills ranked in the top competencies.
BCom student Alexander Schwab, who will be completing a summer internship at PwC in Germany agrees ?my joint learning experiences, through volunteering as Project Manager of Switched-On Consulting in SIFE, and my internship at the KPI Institute has empowered me to stand out, especially in developing professional skills such as teamwork and self management?.
But work experience is about more than employability skills says Christine Enker, Manager, International Careers & Employment Programs, ?it?s about clarity, it?s about helping [students] make career decisions?. With so much variety in the opportunities available for students, experience is essential in making decisions about the careers and disciplines to pursue.
Xavier Hildebrand speaks at the Closing Function of the Career Mentoring Program, 2011
Students are taking more time to reflect on their experience and are thinking more strategically about their careers, with Katie Bell noting a yearly ?increase in demand for our services within Careers & Employment as a whole, [including] consultations, resume reviews, workshops and attendance at on campus [employer] presentations.
The Employment Experience Fair is a ?win for students, employers and university? says Bell, ?it?s really a networking event? these are actually people who will be going through the applications?. With the 2010 AAGE and High Fliers Research indicating 66% of grad positions available offered to students already completing vacation schemes, internships & clerkships at the organisation, there is no denying the impact of work experience and starting early in career planning.
What?s the most important message to students in building their careers? ?What we really want students to know is that it?s important to engage with employers early on, it?s not enough to finish your degree and apply for jobs, you really need to put yourself out there and take every opportunity you can? says Bell.
Students wanting to get involved have a variety of avenues within the Faculty of Business and Economics through the BCom and GSBE Student Experience teams and BECC. University-wide services include Careers & Employment and the LIVE Unit.
Source: http://benews.unimelb.edu.au/2012/standing-out-from-the-crowd/
knicks vs heat ash wednesday kate walsh cnn debate equatorial guinea marine helicopter crash chicago weather
No comments:
Post a Comment