Career Ready Plan Gain career relevant experience

Gain career relevant experience

Evidence of relevant experience is a high priority for employers. Hands-on career relevant experience can improve your graduate job prospects, help you stand out from the crowd and give you valuable insight into the type of jobs you will enjoy. Employers prefer to recruit someone they know and have seen perform or who has evidence of the application of knowledge and skills gained in their studies in a work context.

Gain experience and skills and demonstrate your talent and potential to future employers. Getting a foot in the door can lead to graduate employment.

Tips

  • Apply for Work Integrated Learning, placements, internships, cadetships, and vacation programs offered within your studies. They provide the opportunity to put theory into practice and reinforce your academic learning while developing essential employability skills.
  • Check your college’s Work Integrated Learning or Placement page to identify opportunities.
  • Gain additional career relevant experience. Check JCU CareerHub, GradAustralia and GradConnection to identify internships, cadetships and other course relevant opportunities relevant to your degree.
    • Internships are monitored work or volunteer experiences in which you have intentional learning goals.
    • Vacation programs are generally offered to students in the penultimate (middle) year of their degree.
    • Cadetships enable students to work part or full time with an employer while completing your studies.
  • Volunteer in a career relevant field. Volunteer opportunities can be found on FNQ Volunteers, Volunteering North Queensland, Townsville Community Directory, Cairns Community Directory
  • Complete the Maximise Course-Relevant Experience module in the JCU Employability Edge program to see how to source course relevant experience opportunities and maximise the experience.
  • Keep a record of your career relevant experience and add it to your resume and LinkedIn profile.