Turn it off, Turn it on again

There have been a number of little technical marvels introduced into my life over the past decade.  Today's graduates and undergraduates have access to all these same marvels and yet we all end up having to rely on the one massive technical marvel, the human brain. Exams are haunting students by the thousands all across Australia right now and so many of your "marvels" are conking out on you.  What is the average grad to do?

 

I have been hammering away at all of my non-bio marvels this week with some annoying glitches catching me out on a daily basis.  My iPhone, my macbook, my software, hell even the air conditioner in my home (not an apple product) were giving me fits.  After getting the same advice over and over for a number of "glitches" over the past couple of days, I recently received the following from the support team at Rovio (developers of the smash hit iPhone app "Angry Birds")

"Have you tried turning your phone completely off and then on again?"

....and then it dawned on me..turning things off and on again (or rebooting for the techhies) works so often it would be infuriating if it wasn't so effective! Every issue I've had or been privy to over the past couple of weeks has been fixed (or fixed itself) by simply holding the reset button, flicking the switch or shutting down completely. So why is it I am writing about it?  Because this is probably the best study advice you will get this exam period.

It's 3am and you are cramming all you can into your skull hoping that somewhere in the gooey gray undergraduate mess that is your brain, it will cling on and lie in wait until summoned by question 67 of 200 or essay response 8 part B.  I applaud your efforts and sympathize with your situation.  We all know it pays to study in bunches and after a good sleep or meal when you are at your best…but do we heed this advice? Not often enough. After all, Hayden might be the first ever Masterchef competitor ever to get TWO immunity pins…am I right?? So here is my advice, it isn’t necessarily about what time of day and what you eat before hand and how all your relationships are going. While all these things can affect how well you study, sometimes the best thing you can do is simply shut off. Take a break. Go watch Masterchef. Allow yourself to calm down and lose focus for a few minutes. You can do anything you like in this break: you can go for a run; go for a beer; play a video game; call your mom (might not be stress “relieving”). Just make sure you do your best to turn your brain off and upon returning to the books, turn your brain back on. This allows for all the “programs” running in the background to get shut down and not restarted. It allows for the focus of your “CPU” (brain) to be on only the task at hand, not donating some of its precious strength to keeping the rest of the stuff running.

So, is this new advice? No. Is this ground-breaking research? No. Is this the right time for you to hear that maybe you just need to back away from your books and go grab an ice cream? Probably. Good luck to all of you out there and feel free to throw your study tips on our facebook page! We love hearing about the quirky ones. [read full article]

0 Comments | Read article

Graduate Offers

 

Were you stressing that you would not be offered a role and all of a sudden you have a number of offers on the table? You’re one of the lucky ones!

I can see you now leaning back in your black leather chair with the feet on the desk yelling ‘show me the money’ as you transfer from call to call. However, for some of you it may become quite stressful as I am sure many companies are setting deadlines for your decision.

Things that you should ultimately think about before accepting any role:

• The job – Seems a little obvious I know, but some people seem to get carried away with a position title and forget the responsibilities that come along with it. Make sure you understand the work you will be doing and if it aligns to your skill set and passions.
• Career & personal development – In accepting a position at any level, you should make sure that you have the opportunity to advance your career, through on the job experience and professional development opportunities, especially on a graduate program, as that is the point! Is there provision for training? What is the frequency of performance reviews? Etc
• The company – You need to feel comfortable with the company you are working for! What are the company values? Are they compatible with your values and beliefs? Do you respect the type of work the company does? Start doing your research and come prepared to a final interview to ask the employer questions!
• The Boss – Have you met your manager throughout the selection and struck up a good rapport? It’s important to have a good working relationship with your manager as they are the ones who manage your performance review proce$$!

If you have received a number of offers and feel pressured by a company for a response, let them know your situation as honesty is the best policy (or so my mother tells me). Inform them Telstra is your preferred employer or you’re in the selection process for another company (how could that be possible?) that you would like to seriously consider and would like more time. Be proactive, jump on the phone and let us know so we can then look at fast tracking your application! This is not a simple decision of whether to have beef or chicken for dinner; this is a decision which should be made with consideration. Also speak to a trusted adult ….your parents….people that will also have another view of the companies you’re considering.

Here is some more food for thought, do not be fooled by salary as it is not what you can earn now it is about what you can earn in 5-10 years! Start gathering as much information as possible on your preferred employers and do not feel pressured into making a rushed decision. If they offer you, it means you are there preferred candidate so you should have some bargaining power to make them wait for you!

Guest employer forums page. 

[read full article]

0 Comments | Read article

Graduate Assessment Centres!

Our friends at Telstra have been giving some excellent advice. Read on to find out what Bordo has to say about Assessment Centres!

 

As we move through into the selection process, I thought it would be appropriate to blog on everyone’s favourite pastime – assessment centres. If you are shortlisted you will be invited to a Telstra assessment centre, and I am sure you will ask yourself all the common questions, what will it consist of? What should I wear? What should I take with me?

Whilst the process can be intensive and commonly viewed as ‘stressful’ by graduates, it does provide a great opportunity to demonstrate your abilities in a group environment. Assessment centres also enable graduates to obtain a practical idea of what the employer expects from staff, and opportunities to network with other graduates on the day. They can also be fun!!

Here are a few tips for you to consider:-

• Relax, everyone is nervous. A little bit of nerves is good.
• Show you are actively listening to everyone else by nodding, smiling and making eye contact.
• It is what you say not how much you say that counts.
• Don’t assume shy or quiet members have nothing to contribute. Encourage everyone to participate they just might have the answers the team needs.
• Get a good night’s rest before the big day. Try not to have a few drinks to steady your nerves.
• Arrive early so you don’t feel rushed.
• Be yourself – bring your own personality and experience to the Assessment Centre.
• Dress to impress – a favourite quote of mine is ‘dress for the job you want, not the one you have’. Gents, white socks with a dark suit is probably not a good look.
• Don’t read too much into people’s comments on forums surrounding activities, as they may not be the same for your assessment centre!

Assessment centres are also a great opportunity for you to sound out the companies you are applying for. If you get an opportunity, ask questions and find out if the company is a good fit for you.

And remember, even if you do not do well this time, it is good practice for the next time, as long as you take the opportunity to learn and progress. Good luck!

Good luck to everyone taking part in assessments & thank you to Bordo for giving some excellent tips as always! 

Guest employer forums page.

[read full article]

0 Comments | Read article

Average grades get average graduate jobs? Nope...

I have been getting a number of questions from graduating students regarding “average grades” and which graduate employer should they apply to. I feel your pain as I was a strong student but wasn't always the most committed and as such I finished my degrees with a slightly above average GPA. I knew I had a great deal to offer but had so much more going on outside university that my grades didn’t represent. Now, as you can imagine, graduate employers aren't keen to advertise their willingness to accept average to below average grades. This would open up the floodgates to all manner of grads who applied the ideal that “4’s open doors” and cruised through uni drinking and cramming and drinking and cramming. Graduate jobs will require more than just a cruisy attitude.

What might surprise you is that many graduate employers are happy to accept this (reasonable) academic shortfall should you make up for this in other areas such as professional development and leadership. Having a tremendous repertoire of extracurricular skills shows that while you may not be the most gifted student, you have pursued passions outside the classroom and have committed to becoming a very well rounded student. Don’t confuse this with a green light to scrape through uni and hope to pull the wool over employer’s eyes. Your academic mediocrity needs to be far outweighed by involvement on campus, volunteer or paid work experience in your field, worldly experiences and professional skill development. It’s not good enough to have gone on a Contiki tour for a couple weeks to Bali that you don’t really remember because, well, it was a Contiki tour. Stress your time as captain of your footy team or swim squad; focus on the 6 months you spent at culinary school in Italy; elaborate on your campus involvement and your time as a student mentor. These are all well valued traits that employers are very keen to have on board.

So, my advice to you is rather than search for graduate employers or graduate programs that are looking for average grades, go after the employers that are looking for extraordinary people. Obviously most of the Big 4 and financial services and national engineering firms will be looking for those who have excellent grades, but do a little homework and find the graduate program that fits you best. Most employers will allude to their willingness to surpass grades in their profiles so try to read between the lines. Applications are closing daily so make sure you get in quick!

For more help on how to land the role you can hit up our forums or our facebook page.

 

[read full article]

0 Comments | Read article

Psychological assessments - just part of getting a job?

Our friends at Telstra have been giving some excellent advice. Read on to find out what Bordo has to say about Psychological Assessments...

This week I thought I would focus on what seems to be a really hot topic on Whirlpool and our Facebook page.  Psych assessments!!

In reality they are not as scary as they sound, (easy for me to say) and my mantra is forewarned is forearmed……like anything if you know what to expect and prepare it should be a better experience and a better result.

Online pysch assessments seem to be much more common place these days, not just for graduate roles but almost any job.

I will not speak on behalf of other employers and the assessments they use, just the one you will experience in this years graduate program with Telstra.  Hopefully some of the advice will be helpful regardless of which assessment you go through.
We will send you a link to the assessment if you are successful through the application process over the coming weeks.  

These are the key features of our assessment It is a twenty minute timed assessment – so don’t answer the phone or make a cup of tea once you have started.

The assessment is completed online – so make sure you are in a quiet and comfortable place where you won’t be interrupted.

There are practice questions – do them. 

They will help you get a feel for what to expect and will help with the nerves. The assessment measures verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning – the stuff you practice every day.

There is no pass or fail and you will receive a feedback report at the completion of the assessment – you are compared against other graduates and the report will be emailed to you.

Good luck to everyone taking part in psychological assessments & thank you to Bordo for giving some brilliant tips!

For more great advice directly from employers, check out our 

Guest employer forums page. 

[read full article]

0 Comments | Read article

Keeping You Posted - New Aus Post Blog

Here at Unigrad we are constantly talking to the top employers who are looking for great grads – check out the guest blog below from our friends at Australia Post. 

Hi all,

My name is Teri and I’d like to welcome you to my blog, ‘Keeping You Posted’ which will run on the Australia Post graduate program Facebook page. I look forward to sharing my stories as a current HR graduate at Australia Post and updating you on the recruitment process as it unfolds.

Although I am now a graduate, it seems like yesterday that I was in your shoes applying for graduate programs whilst juggling uni! When I applied, the first thing I did was print the application form and marked the recruitment dates in my diary. This kept me focused and gave me plenty of time to prepare.

Once I typed my application into Word, it was easy to check for spelling & grammar mistakes, but I still asked my sister to have a quick read to make sure it was perfect! 

Then all I did was submit it through www.auspost.com.au/jobsatpost/graduate and waited to hear back! It was worth taking the time to submit my application because to my excitement I received a phone call that May from Australia Post.

You never know, this could be you, so just apply now! 

Remember you have to be in it to win it so go for it!

Applications close this Sunday 12 midnight.

Bye for now,

Teri

[read full article]

0 Comments | Read article

Top 5 Tips To Survive The Exam Period

Top 5 tips to survive the exam period

1. Make sure you have a watch/mobile/laptop/alarm clock with the right time! And don’t rely on your friend’s watch. This is to make sure you get to your exam on time and not one second late. Taking an exam is stressful enough without the extra load of stress supplied by hoping you get to the venue on time.
2. If you must cram, try and cram the night before and not just before the exam as you might hit the ‘overflow’ mark and then confuse yourself with prior notes.
3. Make sure you get enough sleep before your exam and make sure you eat breakfast (if it’s in the morning). I know it’s hard sometimes because you’re nervous, but taking exams is also about endurance and providing fuel for your brain to be awake and ‘fully’ charged and ready to go (even if you don’t know EVERYTHING, at least you’ll be able to complete the whole exam, on not be so tired you fall asleep midway). 
4. Take frequent breaks whilst studying. Exercising is good as it’ll give you relief from being at the desk and help burn off some of those calories caused by excess snacking (i.e. peanut M&M’s in the bucketful!). It’ll help refresh your mind as well as keep some balance in your tight schedule.
5. Always try and visualize your dream career too, and how passing your exam will help you get one step closer to that. It’s a good motivation and even if you don’t think you can pass with flying colours, at least you tried and just passing is just as good as getting HD’s when the minimum qualification for a graduate job post is a bachelor degree (employers aren’t nit-picky that you got 54% on one exam paper at the end of the day). So try not to think it’s the end of the world when you face that dreaded exam.

Remember, you can be still be successful no matter the outcome of the exam – Mark Zuckerberg (Founder of Facebook) never finished his university degree and is now the world’s youngest billionaire! So keep positive and let live, even through exam period. Good Luck and God speed! [read full article]

0 Comments | Read article

Grades and your Graduate Career...do "fours open doors"?

It is now the end of March, and for most people we
are about a month into Uni. Personally, I have fought the urge to sleep through my 8am lectures, go to the Uni bar (or Red Room as it’s known at UQ) instead of going to class and generally finding  anything else to do except Uni work. Even if it means clean my room, or making sure everything is in order so I can start studying. It has been a battle, but I would like to say I have kept up pretty well. I am sure the majority of Uni students can relate to a few of those habits. Especially in QLD at the moment, sitting through a lecture in this heat would be resulting in a few overheating brains. As if the lecturer’s voice isn’t enough to put you out of your misery.

The year kick-started with a bit of fun at Orientation Days at UQ and QUT, working as a Student Ambassador for unigrad. UQ was very full on, with the two of us going non-stop for the first 5 hours due to the massive queues at the unigrad tent. However, I am sure many people that day got the ball rolling on their future job prospects by signing up with us. For anyone like me entering their final year of study, the graduate application process can be very strenuous. I am in my final year of a Commerce degree, and have already spent hours on job applications. I can admit in my previous years at Uni, when trying to decide whether or not to go out and ‘socialise’ with friends over a few cold ales, the ‘Fours open doors’ motto always kicked in to make me feel better about my decision. Its only now I realise for the sake of my job prospects, I could have sacrificed a few hangovers for a few 6s or 7s. In saying that, I have worked for unigrad now for a little over a month, and have learned that it isn’t all about the brains. To succeed in the graduate job hunt, you not only need brains, you need personality, creativity and a little bit of diversity. A lot of major corporations out there aren’t just looking for brains, they’re looking for a ‘well rounded’ person. And that doesn’t mean someone who’s had one too many cheeseburgers. I am hoping that this will encourage those who don’t have a GPA of 6 or 7. Once you get to the interview stage it becomes just another number. It’s all about promoting yourself as a person to the employer.

Best of luck to everyone with their studies. Hopefully I will see some of you drop in to the Unigrad tent at the upcoming Careers Fairs in QLD.
[read full article]

0 Comments | Read article

Buying a car...or grad at a careers fair? Bordo's Blog reveals all!

Here at unigrad we are loving Bordo's blog on the Telstra Graduate website. Going to a careers fair this year? Don't leave your house without some invaluable advice from Bordo!

 

 

Just recently I accompanied my housemate to CarCity as he was on the lookout for some new wheels. On the drive out, he was taking me through his prerequisites; max number of km’s, year, colour, air con etc but I could not get a sense of any brand affiliation. It seemed he was entering the car yard with an open mind apart from his lists of ‘must haves’.

We arrived and starting walking through the car yard acting like we new exactly what we were looking for. For those who have not been to car city, it is a huge car yard which is made up of a number of second hand dealerships who all compete against each other.

As we strolled around, they would all greet us with so much enthusiasm and then dive straight into their sales pitch! It was this moment in time that I thought of how graduates must feel as they are walking around a Careers Fair. I imagine the majority of graduates would walk into a Careers Fair with their own list of prerequisites; must have rotations, tailored development & learning, career advancement opportunities, reputable brand & competitive salary. However, it would seem every company present at the fair would be trying to entice you over to their stand with all kinds of giveaways and give you premeditated sales pitch!

When car hunting, you are really seeking an authentic conversation with someone who is not trying to pull the wool over your eyes! A person who can look you in the eye and try to understands your needs and let you know the pro’s & cons of each car you cast your eye over. Not every car in the yard was ‘absolute steal’ like some of them believed.

This theory should transcend into a Careers Fair, please do not be fooled by a pack of playing cards or a bouncy ball. Engage in a genuine conversation with a nominated representative from the business and try to find out as much relevant information as possible.

To help yourself at a Careers Fair pre write a list of questions that you really want to know the answers too. These questions should be centered on seeking the desired information that will help you make your final decision on whom to apply too. Be open and honest with any business rep that engages you and takes notes on each discussion as it can become quite manic at times and you may need to revisit your notes!

Who knows, but you first graduate position could lead you to owning your first Aston Martin!

Pop along to Option City to find out more. 

[read full article]

0 Comments | Read article

Graduate Rockstars..Are you one?

Landing a job as a rockstar or a pop-star (if that’s more your style) is tough, and really I don’t know the formula for it.... seems to me that only 1 in a million people reach this kind of international stardom. So maybe more attainable is being the rockstar at work? Word on the street is that it’s more attainable but still tough... 5 out of every 100 people reach “Rockstar” status in the world of work. Is that who you want to be? I know this formula a bit better...

• Deliver high quality results as often as you can. And when you can’t, reflect on what it will take to achieve the results next time.
- Deliver results on-time, every-time.

• Rockstars don't start office gossip and they don't dish company dirt to get themselves ahead. This is for the rockstars who cheat to get ahead and become washed-up really quickly. Always tell the truth to your employer and be someone with integrity.
• 
Be fun to work with, courteous, polite, and happy. Always be willing to help others out and spread your rockstar can-do attitude!
• 
Communicate effectively with your peeps and make sure you’re working towards a common goal and not fighting against what others are trying to achieve.

• Help co-workers and managers so they can also be rockstars. Try to make their lives easier and be someone they can count on.

• Arrive to work on-time.
• 
Don't over work or you will burn-out and cost the company and your personal life much pain. You’re a rockstar after all (the show needs you).
• 
Don't screw yourself over by piling-up "wasted hours" watching too YouTube, sexting, smoking, going on long breaks, or creeping photos on Facebook etc.
• 
Always make it a goal to over deliver, set the bar high, and be a role model to your co-workers.

• Don't be a royal pain in the ass. Have you ever seen a movie with a high-maintenance drama queen? Don’t be that person at work.

• The rockstar fantasy comes true for an employer when their employees are amazing. Employers keep rockstars. They’re indispensable and risky to replace.
• 
Great employees are always dependable. They do the job they are supposed to do every time, and no one has to worry about them (hopefully at this point you’ve caught on that in the world of work rockstars are much different than the hotel trashing booze cruising rockstars in the music realm).
• 
Rockstars know how to take direction and constructive criticism and make it work for them. They see it as an opportunity to learn something about themselves and become even more of a superstar.
• 
Don’t think you’re too cool for school. be engaged and participate in the day to day life at the office. Don't bow out of meetings or skip office parties!

Rockstars are competent and are always looking to improve their craft. They have good working skills and look for extra training and strive to stay on-top of their industry trends. If this doesn't sound like you, then get started on your path to role righteousness by following some of the above tips. We all want to be Rockstars at one thing or another...here is how to make it happen for you! [read full article]

0 Comments | Read article