When you graduate alongside hundreds of others, how do you make yourself stand out from the crowd? And when you’ve landed that ideal job, what can you do to impress your employer? GenerationYOU, held on the 18th September 2015, involved 14 speakers sharing their advice and wisdom on their experiences as employers, employees, and recruiters.
The Careers Service and the Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences sponsored students to attend the event. We asked these students to share their favourite take-home messages of the day. This is what they had to say!
Image: Sponsored students outside the GenerationYOU venue
“The experiences at GenerationYOU changed the way I see life. They made it clear that difficulties in life are bound to happen but it's the way we deal with them that is important. They were able to explain what employers will look for when undergoing the recruitment process and that is attitude, engagement and communication. Employers see education as a given so going into the interview with the right attitude, demonstrating the ability to converse and listen as well as demonstrating team working abilities should land you the job. They also explained the importance networking and having good connections with other people in the industry as our lives are revolved around connections.” - Nader, Masters of Engineering
"GenerationYOU was a very exciting and dynamic event. The line up of speakers was very impressive and each talk was unique on its own. For me personally, the take away advice was of being persistent throughout my career... This is the lesson that I will carry with me throughout my career.” - Rohan, Masters of Global Food and Agribusiness.
Image: UoA student Megan Lock (B.Teaching/B.Math & Comp Sci) assisting presenter John Kain collate responses from the audience
“I know that I wouldn’t be the only one who left with an important mantra in their mind: ‘Face to face wins the race’. A simple statement, but it is easy for us Gen-Y’s to become complacent and communicate from the safety of our inboxes.
Don’t downplay your ‘transferable skills’ – us Gen-Y’s are somewhat addicted to travel experiences, so use these in your interview as an example of your resilience (especially if you travelled alone), confidence and global engagement. This is particularly important for those who don’t have much relevant industry experience: try to think of times that exemplify the similar skills that employers are looking for. Have you volunteered perhaps, or been a member of a sporting club? These can be emphasised to demonstrate your team work abilities. Are you artistic in any way? This can demonstrate your problem-solving capacity.” - Samantha, Bachelor of Psychological Science
Image: The Gen Y, Baby Boomer and Gen X "Talking about YOUR Generation" panel - photo by Dominic Burnet
“Careers isn’t just about the job position - instead it comprises of experience, attitude, and finding self-identity. GenerationYOU serves as a reminder for me to keep exploring and trying different kind of opportunities, without sacrificing my personal values. Furthermore, the elements of being realistic, persistence, and creative should be included in designing my future life. One of the best motivations I found was Thomas Edison’s quote - “many of life’s failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.”- Maria, Masters of Global Food and Agribusiness.
"Unsurprisingly, there was not just one 'ah-hah' moment. The day was filled with them! What I will most take out of generationYOU's event, is outlook and mindsets of the presenters. Although approaching life and business from totally different angles, all of them were successful. Why? They all worked hard, were determined, jumped at opportunities when they arose but most importantly, they followed their passion. Since going to the event, I have set strong goals for myself, focusing on study and networking." - Dominic, Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering.
Now’s the time to take heed of these messages and work on your networking skills, job applications and online presence! Search CareerHub today for resources and events that will help you along your way.
Image: Students sponsored by Careers Service to attend the event, at the end of a long day of learning
