Graduate Recruitment Blog Australia

This week at GradConnection we have a special guest post from Development Beyond Learning's Managing Director and author of The Graduate Edge, Josh Mackenzie on how to improve your graduate programs return on investment. 

About Josh 

At the age of just 31, Josh Mackenzie is Managing Director of Development Beyond Learning and author of The Graduate Edge.

A young, dynamic and passionate leader, speaker, author and graduate development expert (and former professional services graduate!) Josh is widely considered as one of Australia's foremost thought leaders in Australia's graduate development industry across the public and private sectors.

Josh is a regular presenter for the Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) Annual National Conference and provides monthly online advice and thought leadership to the leadership development industry. Josh's insight and experience is built upon more than a decade of leading, speaking, training and working directly with all generations of people aged 16 through 61, travelling to more than 25 countries and consulting to an A-list of public, private and multi-national clients. Read on for the invaluable information Josh has for you on how to improve your graduate programs ROI, and like them on facebook here! 

5 Ways to Improve Your Graduate Programs ROI

Our team has been all over the country recently delivering workshops for a range of our clients, from 1^st year to 3^rd year graduates. While it appears graduates' enthusiasm and motivation has not diminished amid current economic conditions, graduates have been adamant that the "simple things" within their graduate development programs have made a huge difference to their first 8 weeks.

So with that in mind, here are five simple steps that through personal experience I've found can help to build high performance and engagement levels in the short and long term. These steps can also go a long way towards impacting on your programs ROI.

1. Bring graduates together regularly

Graduate relationships can last a lifetime, add to the cross-business culture of your company and help form the foundations of long term engagement. In times of change, strong relationships in these groups can also help to retain and inspire graduates when times get tough.

2. Develop and engage leaders in the graduate program

How engaged are your leaders in building strong graduate relationships and what can you do to equip your leaders to do so? Receiving quality one-on-one feedback has made a huge difference to graduates this year and has been spoken about passionately. Leaders work with graduates every single day. The majority of graduates' development rests in the hands of people in leadership roles in the business.

3) Skill and knowledge development 

We all want to develop and become more as people. Graduates are continuously looking to you to help equip them to stand out from the crowd and succeed in an increasingly competitive market. As is consistent each year, in 2011 the AAGE reported that 79% of graduates ranked Training and Development as the single most important factor in deciding who to apply for. The proof is in the data. 

4. Introduce graduates to senior leaders 

New employees buy in to leaders before they buy in to organisations, so involving members of your organisation's senior management or executive team in any activity or event with new Graduates can go a long way to seriously building levels of engagement. Additionally, quite often the very success of a graduate program itself rests on the support of these senior leaders, so it's just as important for the leaders to be involved as well.

5. Talk about change openly and honestly

Graduates have appreciated knowing exactly where they stand, the company's plans and how they are faring against their competitors. The graduates who have had this exposure haven't been overly concerned or distracted by the current on-goings in the outside world when information has flowed openly and honestly. They do however realise they need new skills to deal with a new world and have high hopes their graduate development program will provide this. Will yours?

Do you have any more steps to add? Please add them in the comments section below if you do.

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Tips on preparing for psychometric testing in graduate recruitment

By Salih Mujcic, Consulting Psychologist at Onetest

Psych testing is usually the part that most grads are very stressed about. Unfortunately this has led to the emergence of some operators hoping to prey on these fears - those that purport to be able to coach, train or assist graduates in responding to psychometric assessments and thereby make them more desirable to a potential employer.

An enticing prospect!

But the truth is any organisation claiming to be able to improve your performance or turn you into a 'supergrad' is telling you a fib. These companies are simply exploiting your desire to be more competitive with baseless claims, taking your hard earned money, and offering services that can be more damaging than helpful. These organisations are often operated by individuals who have a limited knowledge of psychometric assessments and are not endorsed by any type of regulatory body.

Please don't get me wrong - not all companies offering career support are of the undesirable type. In fact, there are many wonderful career coaches out there who provide stellar support to help graduates differentiate themselves on things like presentation skills, interview ability and resume writing.

On the other hand, psychometric assessment coaching is impossibly difficult, fraught with danger and if anything more harmful for the graduate themselves.

Fortunately, the majority of graduates recognise that responding to psychometric tests in a way that is not reflective of their own ability or orientations is actually detrimental to them personally. If successful, they are likely to be offered a job that does not suit their preferences, that may be stressful or de-energising or that sits outside of their skill set. 

Not such an enticing prospect.

The lowdown on psych testing

The thing is, psychometric testing is a scientifically designed process that measures an individual's relevant strengths and weaknesses.

Assessments are used to provide reliable and valid information on specific graduate skills that have demonstrated links to job performance. To select the best suited graduates organisations essentially employ two types of psych assessments: ability and attribute assessments.

 Ability Assessments

Ability tests provide key insights into a candidate's potential on the job performance. These tests can measure abilities such as:

• Cognitive Ability

-           Abstract or conceptual reasoning

-           Verbal reasoning

-           Numerical reasoning

• Mechanical reasoning
• Spatial reasoning
• Emotional Intelligence

Basically these assessments gauge your ability to communicate, make decisions and problem solve, calculate cause and effect, observe and recognise emerging patterns. Unfortunately, these abilities simply cannot be 'learned' or 'taught' as they are innate to the individual. 

Feel free to practice and get acquainted with the different types of ability assessments by reviewing examples provided by credible test providers (you can review example cognitive ability test questions on the Onetest website). However, keep in mind that practicing will not lift your performance from novice to expert but it may help to lower the level of anxiety you will experience when faced with these questions in the recruitment process.

Attribute Assessments

Attribute assessments measure individuals' relatively stable behavioural tendencies, preferences and orientations within an occupational context. These assessments focus on aspects of the candidate such as:

• Workplace personality and preferences

-           Communication style

-           Preferred work environment

-           Preferred work tasks

• Organisational or cultural fit
• Integrity and reliability
• Safety orientation

Attribute or personality tests are assessments which require the least preparation on your part. With personality assessments there are no right or wrong answers just personal preferences, interests and motivations. The best way to complete personality assessments is by answering without too much thought, just to go with the first instinctual thought.

If you are interested in experiencing an attribute assessment, you can complete a Onetest Personal Insight Profile, which is very similar to those many graduate employers use in the selection process.

The big myth about coaching and training for assessments

Grads typically overlook the point that that their responses on psychometric assessments are often compared to a unique organisational profile or industry comparison group. Guessing, training on and responding in a particular way is simply ineffective and damaging.

Here is an example. Let's say you were applying for an Accountant position with a major financing company but didn't think you were really the typical 'Accountant type'. Your natural inclination might be to present more of a typical 'Accountant flavour'. In a test you might choose responses which are traditionally more strongly associated with accounting types such as introversion, mathematical orientation, being highly task focused and compliant. However, the problem is that this particular company might actually be looking for candidates who have strong interpersonal skills and are more creative or innovative thinkers - in fact, nothing like the stereotypical traits you might expect in an Accountant.  

What if they're actually after an out-of-the-box Accountant? What if they're after you? 

This is why psychometric assessment coaching and training is fraught with danger and can have a negative consequence for graduates. Grads must realise that they are their own biggest asset. You - with all your imperfections, quirks and development areas is exactly what organisations are looking for! 

Let's face it - everyone has weaknesses and areas for development. The individuals who tend to excel in life are those who accept these imperfections, show awareness and work towards improving themselves. 

Give yourself the best opportunity to perform

To give yourself the best chance of doing well, review some example questions. These will make you more comfortable with the types of questions you are about to face. 

When it comes time to complete the test, it's important to make sure you've done the following:

• Read all instructions carefully no matter how monotonous they are. They're there to assist you!
• Make sure you are well rested, comfortable and relaxed. Fatigue, anxiety and general discomfort have a negative influence on testing ability.
• Ensure that you are in a quiet environment, free from distraction.
• Refrain from completing assessments while affected by alcohol or drugs (this one is pretty self explanatory).
• If you wear contacts or glasses, make sure you have them on. There is nothing more uncool than receiving a less than favourable result in the pursuit of aesthetic appeal. J
• Resist receiving help from others, they may provide you with the wrong answers or waste your precious time by having to engage in debates about what the right answer should be. Also, even if they did do well and you proceed to the next stage of the process, you will probably be asked to complete a supervised verification test!
• Respond honestly and to the best of your ability. Assessment results are generally locked down for a 12-month period and you may be retested in future stages of the selection process to ensure that you were honest.

Remember, psychometric tests are only one part of the whole selection exercise and other pieces of data (e.g., experience, interests etc.) also weigh into the decision making process.  Don't fall into the trap of letting someone tell you that you're not enough. You are your best asset and this is what organisations are looking for.

About the Author

 Salih Mujcic, Consulting Psychologist at Onetest

Salih is a registered Psychologist and is currently completing a PhD investigating the impact that organisational climate and culture have on recruitment and selection processes. Salih has a deep interest in organisational culture, diverse workforces, social justice, psychometric assessment and internet recruitment and selection. He has consulting experience spanning both public and private sectors, and has worked across a number of industries including engineering, construction, health, personnel selection, talent management, education and community.

www.onetest.com.au
www.onetestexpress.co.uk
@onetest_hr

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The Top 8 Resume Mistakes You Need to Avoid

Special guest blog post by Gavin at RedStarResume

Edited by Belinda Luby

Gavin Redelman is the founder of RedStarResume, known as a career strategist and master of "Achievement Based" resume writing. Recognised as an expert in the field of resume writing and also as a prolific blogger, Gavin has had articles published around the world in newspapers, journals, student and graduate publications and magazines and recently published his third book "Career Secrets Exposed". With a love for what he does, Gavin and his team of writers are passionate about providing every customer with the ultimate first class-treatment. From the student or entry level position to the CEO, their unique, custom-made resumes are written specifically to match the goals and desires of each client to help them land their dream jobs.

Gavin's philosophy is simple:  stick to the facts. If in doubt, leave it out!

Here are the top 8 resume mistakes you need to avoid

1. Using  abbreviations

Avoid abbreviations! They are unprofessional and not universally accepted.  Nothing looks worse on a resume than seeing sentences resembling the following: "Duties included answering the fone and going 2 c clients."  Rather than "Duties included answering the phone and meeting with clients."

This is a resume, not a text message or a twitter post. Make sure you use correct words, correct spelling and grammatically correct sentences. First impressions count - make sure your first impression is a professional one.

2. Including irrelevant information

Your resume is a professional document - not a Facebook profile. Leave off anything related to hobbies or personal interests that can't be angled to show how this is relevant to an employer. Instead of a hobby written as "hockey", try "I play hockey for Sydney University Hockey Club and organise the team social events". This shows an employer initiative, organisational and social skills.

If it doesn't relate to employment it doesn't belong on a resume. Information such as weight and height is irrelevant (unless of course you're trying out for basketball team). I have seen resumes where people include their eye colour and comments about their skin ("glowing skin"). Do not give the reader a reason to eliminate you because you have included irrelevant characteristics.  Stick to the formula - if it does not relate to the job it doesn't belong on your resume.

3. Including graphics or artwork on your resume

Graduates often feel that in order to be noticed, they need their resume to look like a piece of artwork - doing this can have the opposite effect of appearing unprofessional and amateur. Employers not only want to see skills, duties, and achievements - steer clear of including artwork or design on your resume, and show these talents in an attached portfolio of work instead if this is relevant to the role you are applying for.

3. Displaying negativity

Avoid negativity on your resume or cover letter (and most importantly, in your interview). If you left your previous job because you didn't get along with your boss, don't let this prospective employer know about it. Remember, a resume's job is to promote and sell. Do not get eliminated immediately for displaying negativity.

4. Not including relevant dates

This is such a killer on any resume. Include dates. What years did you go to high school? How long did you go to university? When did you graduate? How long did you work at your current job?

Do not make the person reading your resume have to ask these questions.  The minute this happens, your resume is going to one place-the trash bin! Make sure your resume flows and you have no gaps in your dates. If you took a year off to go travelling, include this. When you include dates, don't just include years - include months too. For example, "I worked at McDonalds from 2006-2008"- what does this mean? Did you work for 3 years (January 2006 to December 2008), or for a little over 1 year (December 2006 to January 2008)? Be more specific.

5. Writing long-winded resumes

Long resumes are boring!  If an employer sees an extremely long resume, they will immediately develop a negative frame of mind, as some employers have upward of 500 resumes to search through. Remember - resume readers tend to have limited time, especially considering that most graduate recruiters or employers can receive  in excess of 100, 200 even  500 resumes for one particular job. Keep your resume succinct and sell yourself well to land in the shortlist pile. 

6. Not including your achievements or highlights

Many times I have seen people fill up their resumes with irrelevant information, and they leave off one of the most vital parts of a resume-showing off your highlights and achievements. Most people who apply for the same job can do the standard day to day duties. So what separates the good resume from the bad resume? It's the one that includes achievements and highlights.

It mentions how they were an asset at their previous job. Employers want to see not that you just worked and did a good job, but that you added value to the company.  Leaving off your achievements is the best way to get your resume tossed in the bin. Including value-adding achievements, however, is the best way to get your resume put on the top of the list and ensures that your resume application will stand out from your competitors.

7. Making grammatical and spelling mistakes

People read this point and think, "Obviously my resume isn't going to have spelling mistakes and typos." I can tell you from experience that 1 in 5 resumes will make this vital mistake. When an employer has 100 resumes, the first 20 are eliminated because of grammar mistakes or typos. These mistakes are glaringly obvious on a resume. Make sure you use spell-check, but more importantly, re-read your resume. Give it to someone else to read over. Then proof read it again.

8. Trying to sound "too clever"

You may think that using words such as "meticulous," "scrupulous" or "industrious" to describe yourself may make you sound smart.  Unfortunately they can have the opposite effect. Your resume is a representation of you. This can appear transparent to an employer- try to include more specific, value adding evidence on your resume.

Avoiding these common mistakes on your resume will see you immediately make a high and positive impact on employers. If you would like still more assistance on perfecting your resume, Gavin and RedStarResume have a special offer to GradConnection blog readers who are interested in trying out their resume service. Use the discount code "GRADCONNECTION" and receive a 10% discount off the price of any of RedStarResumes services.

Visit www.redstarresume.com  

(Enter the discount code "GRADCONNECTION" in the "Discount Code Box") 

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What to Wear to a Job Interview

Special guest post by Melissa from Joe Button

As it is coming to the close of application season for 2013 graduate programs, we move closer to the graduate job interview season for those of you lucky enough to secure one. This month Melissa Lee from Joe Button has taken the time to provide some very helpful advice to those of you who will be attending interviews.

Melissa is a co-founder of Joe Button, an e-commerce startup that allows customers to design their own business shirts and have it tailored to their exact measurements for a perfect fit. Melissa and Joe Buttons other co-founder Modi have nearly ten years of experience in the professional services industry, having previously worked at KPMG Assurance & Advisory and Deloitte Corporate Finance. It was during this time that they identified a gap in the market for premium European cotton business shirts available at a fraction of the price of traditional retail outlets. Melissa and Modi have been kind enough to offer a special discount to our GradConnection blog readers for Joe Button tailored clothing services which can be found at the end of the article if you would like to add a professional touch to that first impression. 

What to Wear to a Job Interview

Going in for a job interview is nerve racking enough as it is - the last thing you want to do is add to the worry by having an imperfect outfit! The key is to make a great impression overall.

The most important thing is to wear clothes fit like perfectly. Your interview clothes don't need to be expensive, but they do need to fit you perfectly - if your clothes are tailored to your body, they'll look expensive even if they're not.

You only get one chance to make a first impression, so make sure every detail of your outfit is perfect. If you can't be bothered ironing your clothes or are just bad at it, take them to the dry cleaners a few days before the interview to have them professionally cleaned and pressed. Even an expensive Armani suit will look completely unprofessional if haven't made the effort to keep it pressed.

Men

• Charcoal or navy coloured single breasted suit - Choose a suit in a textured wool fabric and make sure it fits you around the shoulders. Your jacket sleeves should not extend past the base of your thumb, to expose a half inch of your shirt cuff.
• White or blue solid colour shirt - Again, show your attention to detail through texture - a pale blue or white shirt with a subtle herringbone pattern always works well.
• Solid colour or conservatively patterned tie - No bright or flashy colours. Also avoid narrow ties - three-and-a-half inches wide at the widest point looks best.
• Always match your shoes to your belt - Don't stray from the most basic rule in men's dressing. Always ensure that your shoes share the same colour palette as your belt.
• Be well groomed - Get a haircut the week before a job interview so that it has had time to settle by the time you meet your potential employer. A clean shave is also a must.

Ladies

• Dark coloured skirt suit - Skirt suits are more conservative than pant suits, so if you're on a budget and want to be on the safe side, this is your best bet.
• White blouse or shirt - The goal is to create clean lines, so avoid a top with frills or ruffles. When choosing a shirt, go for a French cuff rather than a regular button cuff. This way, you can show off your new pair of sophisticated cuff links.
• Nude hosiery - Sheer hosiery is making a comeback, seen on international celebrities such as the Duchess of York. More conservative firms would expect you to wear pantyhose with your skirt suit.
• Heels - Your heels should be no more than three inches tall and close toed for work attire.
• Natural makeup and pulled back hair - You want to look natural but polished and professional, so wear natural makeup and tie your hair back if its length is below your shoulders.

If you need to order any custom made job interview or work attire, we have a special offer for you from Joe Button.

Spend $200 & save $40 - enter JBCONNECTION40 at the checkout

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Special Guest Post from Development Beyond Learning's Managing Director and author of The Graduate Edge, Josh Mackenzie

This week at GradConnection we have a very special blog post from Development Beyond Learning's Managing Director, Josh Mackenzie, full of tips on how to make an awesome first impression on employers.  

At the age of just 31, Josh Mackenzie is Managing Director of Development Beyond Learning and author of The Graduate Edge.

A young, dynamic and passionate leader, speaker, author and graduate development expert (and former professional services graduate!) Josh is widely considered as one of Australia's foremost thought leaders in Australia's graduate development industry across the public and private sectors.

Josh is a regular presenter for the Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) Annual National Conference and provides monthly online advice and thought leadership to the leadership development industry. Josh's insight and experience is built upon more than a decade of leading, speaking, training and working directly with all generations of people aged 16 through 61, travelling to more than 25 countries and consulting to an A-list of public, private and multi-national clients. Read on for the invaluable information Josh has for you on how to make a great impression on employers, and like them on facebook here!

How to Make an Awesome First Impression on Employers

We've all heard the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover", and how that relates to meeting someone for the first time. Our parents teach us this from a young age; it gets reinforced when you're at school and then as a teenager you begin to learn yourself, sometimes the hard way.

Then there's reality. Unfortunately "judging a book by it's cover" is exactly what we do, especially when meeting someone for the first time. Everyone you will ever meet is programmed to make a judgment about you within the first 10-15 seconds. This stems from thousands of years of human evolution, and weighing up whether or not a new face is going to be a threat to us or not.

Thankfully it's not 10,000BC anymore, it's 2012 and instead of clashing with warring tribes, you're more likely to me out mingling with prospective new employers, colleagues, peers and other university graduates. It's incredibly important that when you meet someone for the first time, they walk away thinking, "that guy/girl really impressed me!" 

So here are some tips and ideas that I've learnt in my combined 12 years from being a graduate in a large firm, to building a million dollar training business and working in the graduate and leadership development industry. They're based on a model I like to call the 'First Impression Triad' which consists of 3 points:

• Focus
• Conversation
• Body Language 

Focus

Focus more on the other person, than on yourself. If you're nervous when meeting new people, you're too focused on yourself. If you're confident meeting new people and talk so much the other person barely gets a word in, you're also focused too focused on yourself. Stop thinking about you and start thinking about the other person. Focus on them.

So, when meeting someone for the first time, are you thinking about him or her; or thinking about yourself? Why is this important you ask? Think about it, how would you feel meeting someone for the first time and it's obvious that all they're interested in talking about is themselves...you wouldn't leave with an overly positive impression of him or her would you? Focus more on the other person than on yourself, and not only will you be more engaging, you will find yourself feeling more relaxed as well.

Conversations

Think more about asking good questions, than trying to think of good things to say.

For many, conversations with new people are often hard, but once mastered, can really have a massive impact. The reason it's hard is that because as people, we are all different; there are those of us that are naturally more confident and outgoing, and there are those of us that not as confident, and meeting/talking to new people takes us out of our comfort zone. By asking good questions, you can leave your new acquaintance with a fantastic first impression that they will remember, no matter if you are outgoing, or not! For all of you who are confident and outgoing, being able to control your natural tendency to just 'talk' will go a long way to building a lasting impression as well.

There are some easy to remember topics that are socially and professionally accepted when meeting new people. Depending on the specific situation, Family, Occupation and Recreation can all be good areas to ask questions around. Have conversations through asking good questions, and be genuinely interested in the other person.

Body Language

93% of the first impression you make has next to nothing to do with 'what' you say. Body language is one of those things that when done right has a make or break impact on the your impression. Research suggests that up to 55% of everything we communicate is through body language, with a further 38% determined by 'how' you say what you say, not 'what' you say.

Stand up straight with your shoulders back a little, chin level, give a genuine smile, make good eye contact and offer a firm handshake. And no, that doesn't mean try and squeeze the life out of whoever's hand you're shaking! The simple things in life are often the best when it comes to making an awesome first impression.

For further information on preparing yourself for your professional career and other tips and suggestions, head to The Graduate Edge Facebook and check it out. Good luck! 

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Are you prepared for an employer forum?

5 tips direct from an employer to get you prepared!

This month and next are the busiest on the GradConnection forums of the year - with over 30 forum sessions where you can chat directly to employers. Here are 5 tips direct from one of those employers (who wishes to remain anonymous, just to see whether you apply it to their forum session or not ;) ). Take 5 minutes to have a read and apply this valuable information to the future GradConnection sessions. Let us know how you went in the comments section below!

Employer forums are a great way to connect with organisations you are keen to work with and ask questions directly of those who are responsible for the graduate/summer vacation recruitment program.  It's an opportunity to get 'one up' on your competition and get some real insights into the organisation, the recruitment process and how to put your best foot forward!

So how can you prepare for an employer session?  Yes!  Prepare!  While employer forums are conducted online and you can be sitting on your couch at home in your track pants and hoody, it's still important to make a good impression and take advantage of the unique opportunity that forums offer.

Here is a top 5 list of the things you can do to make the most of an employer forum and ensure you are presenting yourself in the best light possible!

1.       Research the company - a lot of information is available on a company's website.  Use this as a tool to initially find out about an organisation and their graduate program before hopping onto a forum.  Asking questions that are readily answered on a company's website like 'how do I apply for your graduate program?' aren't a great use of yours or the employer's time.

2.       Create a list of questions - from your research, think of some questions to ask that are not already answered on the website.  This may include questions about the recruitment process, personal experiences, what the organisation particularly looks for in an application or further information about an area of the business you are interested in.  Asking questions that you have thought about will ensure you get the most value from the forum and will potentially give you a leg up on other applicants.

3.       Know who you are talking to - quite often, the forum host will post the full names of the organisational representatives.  You can use LinkedIn or the organisation's website to find out who these representatives are and their role with the organisation.  This information will assist you in creating a connection with the representative and allow you to ask questions that are most relevant.  Imagine asking the CEO of an organisation how to apply for their program when you could have used your question to seek more insightful information on the business - while this is unlikely, it demonstrates the importance of knowing who you are speaking with!

4.       'I' does not become 'i' - it's important to try and use the best grammar and spelling you can to indicate that you take pride in your communication and have strong attention to detail.  While academic quality text is not expected, it's best not to give employers any reason to question your future application.  You wouldn't use text speak, slang and all lower case letters in your formal application so probably best not to let your good habits slip in an online employer forum either.

5.       Get involved!  It's great to read the posts of other students, but why sit back and watch when you can have your own specific questions answered?  Employers want to hear from you and would much prefer to answer your burning questions than have you confused or worse still, not feeling confident to apply for their graduate/vacation program.

Happy posting!

Did this formula work for you? Tell us in the comments section below!

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5 Ways To Make the Best Impression on Employers This Peak Graduate Recruitment Season

You may have noticed a flood of "programs opening today" emails in your inbox lately as March marks the beginning of peak graduate recruitment season. What does this mean for you? That it's time to do everything you can to make the best impression on employers. Here's how:

1. Update your alerts

We don't believe in spamming - just providing you with the information on programs you want to hear about. When the programs open, when you can talk to graduate recruiters directly, and when programs are closing. Make sure these are up-to-date so we can keep you up to date with exactly whats going on in the industry (or industries) you want to know about! Update here.

2. Talk to graduate recruiters directly, on our forums

If you are signed up to alerts to the employer or industry you want to hear about, you will receive an email when the forums start, with a direct link so you can start asking questions right away. 

There are stacks of employers listed as this years GradConnection list of employers is huge! Keep in mind that the average successful candidate will apply to 8 employers - so start asking questions, and start applying - here's this seasons forum timetable.

3. Update your resume

This might seem obvious, but we have been in the same position ourselves - a summer of holidays and work, catapulted back into the stress of University life leaving things like updating our resume until "later", then all of a sudden program applications are closing and there is no time left for proof reading or updating your resume. This is your reminder: You promised you wouldn't procrastinate so much this year. 

Here are some extra tips from Gavin at Red Star Resumes. If you would like some help from him, there is a special discount for GradConnection subscribers.

4. Find out what happens in the graduate recruitment process

Talk to employers via our forums, and read our free e-book written in conjunction with Development Beyond Learning to find out all about the graduate recruitment process - from how to decide what job you want to apply to, psychometric testing hints and tips, what will happen in the interview (with some practice scenarios too!) all the way through to deciding whether or not to accept a job offer. Download the book for free here.

5. Upload a video to your profile - show employers the reel you!

According to last years survey by the Australian Association of Graduate Employers, 79% of graduate recruiters list oral communication skills as "very important" in a candidate - topping the list above all other skills. 

We already have more than 130 of Australias top companies on our site, and more than 500 graduate recruiters we talk to directly - this is your chance to show them who you are, and why you should be hired!

Three winners from each industry, as judged by grad recruiters, will be presented directly to over 500 grad recruiters. So upload your video now! Be sure to read the full entry guidelines and tips here - there's an extra prize up for grabs for telling your friends! 

Good luck this season - looking forward to seeing your entries!

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Show Over 500 Graduate Recruiters the Real You Through GradConnection

Want to show prospective employers more than a peice of paper, or a spiel on a website?

Then upload a 60 second video of the real you!

GradConnection are very excited to announce the official launch of our Graduate Profiles with video capability. What does it mean for you? That you have the opportunity to show employers what they value most in a candidate: oral communication skills (AAGE Graduate Recruiter Survey, 2012).

We already have more than 130 of Australias top companies on our site, and more than 500 graduate recruiters we talk to directly - this is your chance to show them who you are, and why you should be hired!

How?

Employers are using the new "Invite to Apply" function, available only to employers registered on our site.  Employers have been searching through your GradConnection profiles and inviting the candidates they seek to apply to graduate and internship programs.

To mark the launch of the "Invite to Apply" function, we are holding a competition to get you in front of employers - fill out your profile to 100% including the 60second video about you, and you could be one of three candidates from each industry directly sent to graduate recruiters.

The competition will be judged by five of Australias top Graduate Recruiters, and three winners from each industry will be profiled in a feature to Graduate Employers who can then invite winners to apply.

Share this competition on your facebook, and you could win a "share" prize - one of three $100 Coles Myer vouchers, to help boost your uni food/clothing budget!

Awesome! How do I enter?

1 - Like the GradConnection facebook page.

2 - Fill out your profile.

3 - Make an awesome 60 second video about you, and upload it to your profile.

4 - Three winners from each industry, as judged by five of Australias top graduate recruiters, will be profiled and sent straight to graduate recruiters in peak graduate recruitment season- who are using the "Invite to Apply" function!

5. If you tell your friends via facebook, you go in the draw to win one of three $100 Coles Myer vouchers! Make sure you tag the GradConnection page so we can see if you have shared.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Dress well, but remain you
• State who you are, your career goals, and what you want from an employer  
• Say why you are right for the industry!

Competition closes March 20, winners announced March 27. Good luck!

Any questions please email info@gradconnection.com.au with "competition question" in the subject line. Good luck!

Just right click and save this image, then share it on your Facebook to go in the draw to win one of three Coles Group & Myer vouchers!

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

You can redeem your voucher at any of the following stores:

• Coles
• Myer
• Target
• Target Country and Baby Target
• Kmart and Kmart Tyre & Auto
• Liquorland
• Vintage Cellars
• 1st Choice Liquor
• Pick'n'Pay Hypermarket.

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Hop On To GradConnections Forums To Chat With Graduate Employers!

We are entering peak Graduate Recruitment season for 2013 Graduate programs meaning now is the time to do your research and decide where you want to apply for 2012 Graduate Programs.

When Are The Forums Happening?

From February to April Graduate Employers will be participating in GradConnection forum sessions to answer any questions you may have in relation to their Graduate Programs. 

What Does This Mean For You? 

As you may have read in our last newsletter, Employers were recently introduced to our new "Invite to Apply" functionality - meaning they can log in to their employer accounts on the GradConnection site, enter in some search criteria and view a list of students and graduates who fit that criteria.  

From there, the graduate employers will check out each profile and choose who they want to invite to apply. If your profile is 100% complete, it will show you at the top, or closer to the top, of the search results - so make sure you're profile is the best you can make it, and you could be personally invited to apply for a position!

Some Tips To Make The Most Of The Forums

• As employers can click on your profile from forums and have a look at your profile (depending on your privacy settings), be sure to ask good questions, and write with the proper spelling and etiquette.
• Ask anything you can think of to help you decide on whether this is the right employer and program for you. 
• Be sure to research the company well prior to quizzing the graduate employer
• Try to make your questions stand out if you want to be remembered by the employer - in depth questions about their program rather than information that is accessible on their profiles 

Forum Timetable

Check out this confirmed forum timetable and make a note of when you need to be on the site to start chatting - these forum sessions will be held from 2 to 4pm (EST)  on the date given below, and you can start posting questions a few hours before that.  

If you are signed up to alerts to the employer or industry you want to hear about, you will receive an email on the morning of the forum as a reminder, with a direct link.

As you can see there are stacks of employers listed as this years GradConnection list of employers is huge ! Keep in mind that the average successful candidate apply's to 8 employers - so start applying and good luck from the GradConnection team! 

February Confirmed 

OneSteel - Wednesday 15 February 2012

DFAT - Thursday February 23 2012

EY- Monday 27 Feb 2012

John Holland - Tuesday 28 Feb 2012

Mars - Wednesday 29 Feb 2012

March Confirmed

NAB - Thursday, 1 March 2012

Transfield and Contact Singapore - Friday, 2 March 2012

AMP - Monday, 5 March 2012

GE - Tuesday 6 March 2012

DSTO - Wednesday 7 March 2012

KPMG - Thursday 8 March 2012

ANZ - Friday 9 March 2012

Deloitte - Tuesday, 13 March 2012

CBA - Wednesday, 14 March 2012

ATO - Thursday, 15 March 2012

Westpac - Friday 16 March 2012

AECOM and Department of Human Services - Monday 19 March

Telstra - Tuesday, 20 March 2012

OneSteel- Wednesday, 21 March 2012

Unilever - Thursday 22 March 2012

Navitas (International Students: Getting Ahead)- Thursday 23 March 2012

BAT - Monday 26 March 2012

IBM - Tuesday 27 March 2012

Orica - Wednesday 28 March 2012

KBR - Thursday 29 March 2012

April Confirmed

Dept of Finance - Tuesday, 3 April 2012

Sydney Water - Wednesday 4 April 2012

Aurecon - Thursday 5 April 2012

Anglo Coal - Friday 6 April 2012

The Treasury - Wednesday 11 April 2012

FaHCSIA - Wednesday, 18 April 2012

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2012 will reveal a whole new way for employers to find you on GradConnection with the introduction of student profiles. Filling out your profile to 100% creates your own database of information that employers can use as search information.

The more information you give, the easier it is for employers to find you and invite you to apply for their internship or graduate program, depending on what you have told us you are looking for. 

Profile and Video Tips

The team here at GradConnection want you to be able to showcase the real you to employers - so we have added the capability to embed a YouTube video to your profile! We recommend you try to keep the video around one minute long - employers literally have thousands to search through - so make it sharp and powerful. The 2012 Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) shows that this is what employers value most in a candidate, in this order:

• Oral communication skills 
• Teamwork
• Interpersonal skills
• Problem solving
• Analytical skills
• Written communications
• University grades
• Planning and organising
• Time management
• Leadership
• Conceptual thinking
• Relevant work experience 

So be creative and think carefully about what information you will put "on paper" and what you will show in the video. You can even add your profile URL to any job application, and show employers you are tech savvy using the latest applications available! 

One last tip - the more of your profile you have filled out, the  higher you will rank in search results both in employer search results and google. Profiles with 100% completion will rate higher than those with 99%, 50% etc - so if you want to be found by employers, complete your profile now! 

If you want a guideline to work from, check out Dave from GradConnection's profile here. Video example coming this week!

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