Adelaide is a fantastic medium-sized city that offers all the benefits of megacity living without the congestion and crowding.
Recently ranked the third most liveable city in the world, Adelaide might be the perfect place to launch your career! Here’s a rundown on why you should consider looking to Adelaide for your next employment opportunity and how to achieve professional success in South Australia’s cosmopolitan capital.
Why work in Adelaide?
There are so many reasons to live, study, and work in Adelaide. Besides being the capital of Australia’s ‘festival state’, thriving on culture, arts, music, sports, and food, Adelaide’s affordable cost of living is the icing on the cake. Its low unemployment rates, buzzing local businesses, and international reach makes Adelaide a city teeming with job opportunities.
South Australia’s economy is projected to boom to $134 billion by 2027, according to Deloitte’s Shaping Future Cities Make it Adelaide series. The state’s fast-growing health and biomedical precinct, world-renowned universities, innovation hubs, and booming businesses in the defence, agribusiness, and tourism sectors will drive significant economic growth in the state. Some of the most in-demand careers in Adelaide include cybersecurity, healthcare, defence, renewable energy, and game art and design.
Prepare for Adelaide
If we’ve got you hooked and you’re now thinking about establishing a career in Adelaide, start by researching what your study options are and how the related job opportunities will align with your career goals.
Study a degree with an internship component
Studying at a South Australian higher education institution like the University of South Australia (UniSA) means you have the opportunity to experience work-integrated learning. This is important in enabling the practical application of theoretical knowledge through a placement or internship to boost your post-graduate employment chances.
For example, if you are studying for a business degree at UniSA, you will find that the business placement opportunities are well-tailored to your area of study and offer experiences with a range of organisations — large and small, public, private and not-for-profit, start-up and long-term.
If you are interested in finding an internship in Adelaide, your university’s careers service is a great place to start. They often advertise available work, volunteering, and professional development listings on their website. For instance, UniSA’s Career Services provides information on sourcing placements and tips on applying for internships.
Form valuable networks
As Adelaide is not a very large city, it is often helpful to know someone to help you get where you want to go. Make meaningful connections by attending networking events and don’t shy away from asking for someone’s contact information or connecting with relevant people on LinkedIn.
Build a compelling resume
Create a succinct and well-designed resume outlining your qualifications and relevant experience for the role you are seeking. Don’t hesitate to showcase the experiences you’ve gained as an international student and how this makes you a worthy employee. Your resilience and tenacity will be appreciated by your future employers. Check out our resume template guide and avoid making these five mistakes on your resume.
Find a casual or part-time job
While you are studying, it’s a good idea to involve yourself in a casual or part-time gig to gain some work experience early on. There are plenty of part-time jobs in Adelaide for students – here is our guide to finding part-time work. Casual jobs in Adelaide include jobs during the Christmas season — for which employers start advertising in August — so this might be a good opportunity for you to get started.
Find your dream job
If South Australia appeals to you, there are many rewarding jobs available for you to start building a successful career in food and wine, bioscience, health, agriculture, information and communications technology, defence, tourism, or the arts. Keep checking in with yourself on where you are at in terms of your career interests and aspirations, and stay up to date with the latest job trends and requirements.
Many jobs in Adelaide are advertised online through websites such as Seek and LinkedIn. You can also check out the Government of South Australia jobs website.
As an international student studying at the University of South Australia, you have access to our comprehensive UniSA Careers Services.
Career Development Planning is one of the most important aspects of university life, and the Career Services team is here to support you with achieving your career goals.
