SEASON TO SOLDIER ON
It’s time to get the advantage while others are distracted, writes Lauren Ahwan
THE approaching holiday period is not the time for new graduates to relax, with one expert urging them to turn the slowdown in hiring to their advantage.
Robert Half Australia director Andrew Morris concedes job adverts will fall by up to a third in coming weeks but points out there will be fewer candidates applying for roles as well.
“The period between
Christmas and New Year is very quiet, there’s no doubt about that, but people are still employing people, right up until Christmas and after that as well,’’ Morris said.
“A lot of (jobseekers) take a sabbatical but, for those that are still applying for roles over that period, there’s going to be less competition.’’
Morris said new graduates should be “proactive’’ in their job search and consider roles that, while not their dream position, will help them get to where they want to be.
“People tend to fall in love with (the notion of finding work only in) whatever it is they’ve studied – if they study law, for instance, then they will only (apply for) a job in that discipline,’’ he says.
“But the truth is there’s only a finite number of roles in that discipline that are available – and they’re going to go to the ones that have the top marks. You have to be flexible.”
Platinum Professional Training chief executive Coco Hou says getting practical skills is vital for new graduates, recalling she used to volunteer her skills as an accountant before securing her first role.
“There is nothing more frustrating for an employer than hiring a graduate who looks academically impressive on paper but turns out to be seriously unqualified to do the job that is asked of them,’’ Hou said.
Commerce and marketing graduate Jarrad Basnec, 24, agrees on-the-job experience is key to success. When Basnec started his degrees, he emailed 300 local accounting firms requesting work in an entrylevel role.
Only one firm, dmca advisory, replied and Basnec spent the next three years there as an intern before being awarded an account and marketing co-ordinator position upon graduation.
“That one response was all I needed,’’ he said.
“You don’t know what opportunities are out there if you don’t ask.’’