Insider Guides has partnered with the Council of International Students Australia (CISA) to bring together a panel of expert speakers to discuss boosting your employability as an international student.
Together with Lynne Trezise, one of Australia’s leading HR professionals, and Gerard Holland, the CEO of Outcome.Life, a firm that provides advice to international students and graduates about planning for life after study including internships and employment, we explored what employers are really looking for when it comes to hiring employees. Topics included:
- Real-world advice on finding employment during your studies and after graduation
- Breadth vs. depth when applying for jobs
- How to network effectively
- Top tips for standing out on your resume and in an interview
- How to properly research a job
- How to ‘play the game’ of recruitment and understand the AI involved
- Adapting to new challenges (i.e. COVID-19 pandemic)
Employability resources for students
A number of employability and careers advice resources were discussed throughout the webinar, including:
- Outcome.Life
- Outcome.Life internship program
- Latest Advice to De-Risk your Career Post Covid-1
- Career Development Association of Australia – Find a Practitioner
- ING Future Focus: Preparing for the digital workforce of tomorrow
- Business.gov.au – New Businesses
Legal and professional advice for students
If you need advice on your workplace rights, pay, or any other employment-related issues, you can use the resources listed below:
- Fairwork Ombudsman
- Pay and Conditions Toolkit
- Your Work Rights
- Student Ombudsman
- Work Rights for students (CISA)
Student poll
During the webinar we polled attendees on the following questions:
- What do you think is the greatest barrier for international students finding meaningful employment?
- How important to you is the high prospect of meaningful employment (during and after your studies) when choosing a study destination?
- If you could save 10% on your course and living costs, would you move to another Australian city to complete your studies?
- Would you ever consider studying in a regional centre?
The poll found that 84% of respondents believed that future employment prospects were an important consideration when choosing a study destination. In addition, 39% said that the greatest barrier to international students finding meaningful employment was ‘smaller local networks’, while 20% believed that it is a lack of strong resume and interview skills.
