| The Career Ahead mentoring program helped current students from the F... The Career Ahead mentoring program helped current students from the Faculty of Commerce prepare for interviews in the real world. | 
| Graduates mingle with current students during the networking session ... Graduates mingle with current students during the networking session of Career Ahead. |
Getting ahead – mentor program gives students job advantage
22 Jul 2008 | Kate McIlwain
The next round of UOW graduates will be ready to tackle the competitive job market after participating in the Career Ahead program held at UOW on Friday 11 and 18 July.
Successful Science and Commerce graduates provided first hand advice on job applications and interview techniques to over 50 current students in a series of mock interviews.
In its second year running, Career Ahead is a mentored interview program run by the Alumni Office, where students apply for a mock graduate position and are then interviewed by a panel of professionals.
Director of Fortitude Capital, commerce graduate John Corr praised the program and encouraged students to be ambitious and seek professional development opportunities.
“[Career Ahead] is a really positive experience for both alumni and students,” he said.
“It’s an opportunity for me to help students overcome the challenges associated with applying for jobs.”
Marketing student Tanya Saldanha from Dubai was also impressed with the program.
“I found it very useful to see what Australian employers are looking for. Interviews in Australia are far more behavioural based whereas back home [in Dubai] they focus more on your qualifications.”
Ms Saldanha encouraged students to consider applying for the program next year. “It’s only 15 minutes of your time but you never know where it will take you and the opportunities that might come from it,” she said.
Science graduate and Estuarine Ecologist at the Department of Environment and Climate Change, Kerryn Stephens was on the interview panels for Science students and said she found the standard of the interviewees very high.
“It’s so competitive out there now and students need any advice they can get. This program was a great chance for them to learn how to showcase the skills they’ve got,” she said.
Bachelor of Science student Teesha Downton said the key to having a successful interview was preparation.
“I had a bit of an idea what the panel might ask so I feel like I did well,” she said. “It was a comfortable environment and the feedback I got will be useful in future interviews.”
As part of Career Ahead, women studying Commerce were also invited to attend a workshop on the advancement of women in the workplace, facilitated by UOW graduate Lindall West, Director People and Performance at Westpac Banking Corporation.
Career Ahead is organised by the Alumni Office for final and penultimate year students and was open to students from the Faculties of Science and Commerce. Further information on the program can be found at www.uow.edu.au/careerahead.
[Article by Emily Davis, Office of Community and Partnerships]
|
