Career Myth-buster

Griffith Careers Fair at Nathan campus
Griffith Careers Fair at Nathan campus

ByJenny O’Neill,Manager,Employer Liaison and Graduate Promotion –Careers and Employment Service

Degree = Job? (Myth!)

Degree + Self Awareness + Career Research + Networking + Experience + Job application skills = Job (Reality!)

Griffith’s Careers and Employment Service staff are often alarmed by the prevalent assumption that graduating with a degree is an automatic passport to employment.

This is unfortunately not the case and many students leave preparing for graduate and postgraduate job search until it is too late.

Employment success has parallels with study. Just as we wouldn’t do well in an assignment without researching the topic, weshouldn’texpect to be able to get a great graduate job without prior preparation.

We can start from first year to research our future professions, explore the kind of work we are most suited to and start building a portfolio of employability skills that we are developing.

Progressive preparation throughout our degree life cycle will make our eventual graduate job search so much easier and dramatically increase our chance of success.

As with any endeavour, the success of our job search is affected by the conscientiousness of our efforts. But there’s no use trying hard if we don’t have a strategy.

Griffith’s Careers Service professionals are well aware of the job search formulas that really work and can pass on this knowledge to Griffith students via online resources and a suite of programs and services designed to maximise career success: intranet.griffith.edu.au/careers

Let’s look at the components of a successful formula for landing the job we want by asking ourselves some questions:

  • Can I identify and articulate my skills and strengths to prospective employers? (Self Awareness)
  • How much do I know about the industry I’m hoping to enter? Do I know where the ‘hidden’ jobs are? (Career Research)
  • Who do I know in the industry I’m hoping to enter and how do I develop industry contacts? (Networking)
  • Have I gained degree-related experience while I have been studying? (Experience — work placements, internships, vacation work, part time, casual or volunteer work in my field).
  • Do I know how to prepare an effective resume and write persuasive application letters and selection criteria? (Job application skills)

We live in a highly competitive job market.

With over 75% of employment vacancies never making it to an advertisement, we cannot afford to wait complacently for opportunities to be advertised.

We must proactively search out opportunities and market ourselves to companies and individuals who can help us achieve the career we want. For information and assistance with all the components necessary to succeed in your job search, you’ll find thousands of useful resources on our Careers and Employment Service website at:intranet.griffith.edu.au/careers

Try this:

E=MC2 ? > Employment = My Career Conscientiousness2

(Apologies to Albert)

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for careers news & myth-busting!

Jenny