Top 5 Things You Can Do At Uni to Get Work-Ready!

From the UTS Careers Career Programs Team

Hey you! The student over there thinking you have all the time in the world to look for a job after you finish your degree: our advice to you would be to start NOW. The earlier you start thinking about getting work-ready, the more confident you will feel when reaching out to employers for job opportunities after your degree. So here are a few quick tips on how to make that process easier….

1. Volunteer

As a student, there are heaps of opportunities on offer for volunteering both on and off campus. Organisations can be interested in how you perform academically at university, but they’re also interested in how you spent your time outside the classroom. If volunteering with a NGO tickles your fancy, then come along to hear more from NGO’s and how you can get involved with these organisations. Perfect Match runs every May and August and is a great way to meet NGO’s  and discuss opportunities they have for student volunteers and how you can give back to the community.

2. Develop your team building skills

If you love a little competition and want to further develop your teamwork skills, start thinking about opportunities where you can work with others whilst contributing to your work experience. If you want to sink your teeth into a real life business issue, Univative is the program for you. Designed for university students looking to gain real industry experience and an opportunity to work with other UTS students from a range of faculties, Univative ticks all the boxes.

3. Build your network

If you’re looking to build your network in a friendly and fun environment, look no further than Network Café (insert link). It runs every Tuesday during session time at 4pm at Cornerstone Café and is open to students wanting to meet new international students and practice their networking skills over a free cup of coffee.

4. Build your interpersonal communication skills

Employers look for written and verbal communication skills and there are many ways to further develop these. Whether it’s through coursework or presentations, these skills are constantly evolving during your time at university. A great program to further develop these skills is Global Scope.  Global Scope engages teams of university students, with the support of consulting mentors, to deliver business projects to clients including NSW government departments, business, and NGO’s.

5. Boost your job search skills

Preparing your resume is a must and getting this together well before you graduate will put you miles in front of other graduates when it comes time to applying for roles. Apart from putting together a resume, the Careers service provides free personalised face to face feedback for students looking to update their resume. Another way to improve your resume (and a whole bunch of other skills!) is to join the UTS Accomplish Award. The program delivers a series of interactive workshops around a range of topics including interview skills, networking, job search and professionalism.

You can find out more about the Accomplish Award and other UTS work-ready programs here.

Featured image courtesy of Unsplash.