2009 Graduate Career Fairs
Posted By: Thomas Shaw, 2:22pm Monday 23 February 2009
It's that time of the year when Universities and TAFE's are holding their Graduate Career Fairs. Recruiters should think about attending these events - not only for candidates, but for market intelligence.
As new graduates get ready to develop their careers, they transition from a world where they've attained a level of comfort and success into an entirely unfamiliar one. Many of them think their hard work in university will automatically entitle them to recognition and desirability as a new hire.
University graduates with degrees in finance, law or accountancy face fierce competition securing a job this year as redundancies increase and employment opportunities dry up according to a recent article in The Australian
WikiJob is a website designed for Graduates on interview questions, placements & graduate jobs. Although UK based, the tips and suggestions apply throughout the world.
When you are recent graduate, you might not get a lot of help from Recruiters. As a Recruiter, I find that companies tend to fill entry-level jobs themselves and don’t always pay recruiters to find recent graduates. Often I do not have enough time to individually reply to each application, as to why they were unsuccessful. Here are some suggestions to get your job search rolling
1. Start job searching early! Don’t wait until one month before semester ends to start your job search. Employers tend to start accepting applications from Feb - Jun for next years intake!
2. Ensure that your resume highlights any relevant skills that you honed during University and that you demonstrated during the years. Include evidence of presentation skills, problem-solving skills, teamwork skills and other relevant skills that most employers would find useful that people often leave out from their resume.
3. Look for networking opportunities that your University offers. Take advantage of all career fairs and campus visits by Employers/Recruiters whether they are of interest to you or not. Utilize the Alumni program and University Career Advisors.
4. Ensure you utilize at least several job search options and ensure you do each of them well. Other than attending career fairs as mentioned above, use other networking methods, search Online Job Boards, Social Networking sites, Paper Advertisements, word of mouth etc.
5. Feedback - If your application is rejected for a role. Try to find out why, and use this feedback to make your next application stand out and succeed.