06 Apr 2021

You’ve finally finished years of study at uni. No more assessments or cramming for exams, yeehaw! But now it’s time to land a job in your dream career.

Ah, what we would all do to land a job straight after uni. To be there already, killing it in life and loving every moment. Truth is, it can be a tough gig to land, so here’s some hot tips on how to make it happen.

1. Identify what you’re actually passionate about

Making a difference? Business? Not-for-profit? Fashion? Music? Art? Policy? Health and wellbeing? Whatever it is, chase it!

If you’re unsure, be a sponge. Inhale books, podcasts, articles, movies, documentaries and tutorials about the desired industry you wanna have a crack at.

2. Bulk up your resume

No experience? No worries.

Play a sport? Then you're great at working in a team. Know how to sew? Then you have attention to detail. Or, maybe your part-time job in retail has made you a people-person with exceptional interpersonal skills. Don’t downplay life experience to workplace experience. You can turn life and job experience into desirable qualities!

It’s good to have references, too. A teacher, someone you’ve babysat for, someone you volunteered with. It’ll show that you have connections, and people who respect the work you’ve done.

3. Do an internship

An internship is basically a stint of work that you do in exchange for experience. It’s the perfect way to get ya foot in the door! You’ll learn a bunch of skills on the job and see how it all works. Afterwards, you might be offered a job at the company or you might get more qualified to get a job somewhere else. Either way, it’s a great start and it looks good on your resume!

ANU has some awesome opportunities through the Australian National Internships Program. Even better, it counts as credit towards your degree. If you’ve got a head for politics, they even have the coveted Washington Internship Program available. US of A, here we come!

4. Make it personal

When it comes to applying for a job, you need to stand out like a sore thumb and have some sort of edge. Avoid sending out generic cover letters and use one that lets your personality shine through.

Express interest in a particular company, address all the points in the job description and prove why you’d be an asset to their team. Yes, this means you have to make a different one for most, if not all, applications. You can even spice it up by sending in your portfolio or previous work!

5. Talk to ANU Careers

By having a chat to ANU Careers, they can point you in the direction of a career that’s right for you.

They offer a huge range of services to assist you with career planning and decision-making including accessing employers and employment opportunities, and successfully navigating application, interview and selection processes. All the hard work is done for ya!