Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

This week I have been delighted to see so many Year 12 (Class of 2018) faces who are looking relaxed, happy and unstressed as they walk through the campus to get their final sign offs. Some have had interviews which have been fascinating to track and to see how they have grown through the process.

Most are looking for part time and full-time temporary work, so I thought it may be helpful to jot down some tips on how to secure work. Don’t forget the whole of the Year 12 cohort (in Sydney) is also currently doing the same, and so employers are being inundated with resume’s and drop ins.

How can you be different? How can you stand out?

• Timing is important. You may be popping into a shop when someone has just been fired or just quit, and this can be the break you need.
• Connection is even more important! Try and ask for the manager, be friendly, be polite, show your good side and engage.
• Tell them what you can do on the spot – a resume, at this stage, is only a follow up. Tell them you are keen, available, around the corner, a hard worker, whatever it takes to secure employment.
• Have tenacity. Looking for work can be soul destroying, so you need to be ready for lots of rejections and “thanks, we may call you”, and this is all part of the process.
• If you are fussy, you may have to wait longer. I recently heard a student saying they were only looking for work in retail sports shops and that may mean they will be waiting much longer if sports shops are not hiring.
• Go back again and again. Call back, pop in again, be prepared to hassle them (politely!). If you feel you made a good connection and they sounded promising, follow it up quickly and remind them who you are. Don’t rely on them to follow you up.

  

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If you are unsure about changes in medical school admissions testing you can attend a session to decipher the shift from UMAT to UCAT for Australian medical school admissions. This is being held in January in Sydney.

Find out more – www.facebook.com/pg/MedView/events/?ref=page_internal

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Who actually gets into a university like Harvard? Check out this Day In The Life video of Harvard sophomore, Calvin Duran, who is also taking advantage of Harvard’s generous financial aid program which is also available to Australian students.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQfZ3gpV-2I

TAFE NSW Environmental Studies courses

Students who are interested in studying at TAFE and want to learn more about the environment should click here: www.tafensw.edu.au/courses/environmental-studies-courses

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Macquarie’s Academic Entry program assesses a student’s HSC results in individual subjects. They match their related subject performances against their Macquarie course preferences to make an offer for one of these degrees. There’s no need to apply separately for this entry program, just have an eligible Macquarie course listed as your first preference in UAC by midnight 16 December. Find out more: www.mq.edu.au/study/high-school-students/getting-intouniversity/macquarie-entry/academic-entry-program