You’ve come to Australia with a dream, a vision of the kind of life you want to live here. Now that you’ve graduated, the time has come to make that dream a reality. We have compiled 8 steps you can take to make yourself more employable and stand out from the crowd.

With these initiatives, you’ll be sure to impress potential future employers and land the entry level job of your dreams, just the right role to set you up for long-term success in your chosen career.

1. Volunteering 

Employers are more likely to hire you if they see voluntary experience, as they often believe that those applicants who volunteer, are harder working, better team players and more self-motivated than others. You may like to help out at your local community group or work weekends at a local charity. You will gain experience from the volunteering and also you will be helping the community around you. 

2. Your online presence  

Many companies now use social media in their recruitment process, so you should always be aware that what you put out online could be seen by your next potential employer. One way to increase your online presence is to blog. Blogging has become a popular way in recent years to showcase your talent like writing, graphic design and photography. 

3. Learning a language 

Learning a foreign language can be a great asset for you and your next employer, particularly within organizations that operate internationally. Learning a language can increase your confidence, make you stand out from competition and broaden your chances of employment. 

4. Playing a sport 

Playing sports showcases to employers that you work well as a part of a team, you are disciplined and enjoy activities outside of your day-to-day work duties. Playing sports not only helps with your overall health but more importantly, your mental health and focus, something that is valuable to any organization. 

5. Travelling

With travelling you will gain greater knowledge about the world around you, this will be very beneficial to you in any workplace. With travels, you will meet new people, your interpersonal and communication skills will improve and you will also be pushed out of your comfort zone, returning back home with more confidence and independence, and plenty of stories to tell work colleagues! 

6. Learn another skill 

A way to add some further content to you resume would be to learn a new skill. The internet would be one way to start looking, going online is a great way to seek out courses where you can start to learn something today. Learning a new skill shows you have initiative, a willingness to learn and develop plus the added bonus of something unique to talk about during the interview! 

7. Having a casual or part-time job

Having a casual or part-time job could actually be beneficial as it increases employability.  You will be able to show employers how you manage your time, that you’ve learnt to work as a member of a team, learnt new skills and enhanced your communication. Having experience will show that you are eager to learn and take on new responsibilities. 

8. Get relevant experience through an internship

A lot of transferrable skills can be developed through the above initiatives, but when it comes to specialised jobs in IT, Accounting, Marketing, Engineering, Finance, Supply Chain, Human Resources etc., a structured internship program will set you miles apart from other candidates. Not only will you get practical experience in your job function, but also an opportunity to experience Australian work culture, as well as guidance from a dedicated mentor. And, if you are taking your internship seriously, it is not unheard of to be offered a paid role with the same company.

If you would like to explore this last option further, head over to this page to learn more about our Gradability Accelerator Plus Program.

And if you have any questions about the program at all, feel free to email Arthur.

Also check out our free Podcast for many more tips and tricks on how to transition successfully from graduation to employment.

Good luck on your journey, let us know how you’re getting on 🙂

Ben Boyce,

Corporate Partnerships Executive