Many organisations offer graduate programs targeted to students straight from university. These are fantastic opportunities to get your first job, receive on-the-job training and support, and build networks and connections across the organisation.
There is a lot involved in landing a graduate job. The recruitment process can be lengthy, so it’s normal to feel a bit overwhelmed. Especially when there tends to be a lot of students competing for the same role.
But that shouldn’t stop you!
Leidos join us to share some of their incredible insights, tips and tricks for making landing your first graduate role a success.
7 Key Insights to Prepare for Finding Graduate Roles
1. Start Early!
Throughout your university degree, particularly during your penultimate (second last year), start looking for internships or opportunities for work over the winter or summer breaks.
These opportunities can help you explore what an organisation has to offer and often lead to job offers upon graduation!
2. Know Key Dates
Most organisations will have different submission dates, so do your research early so you don’t miss any key dates.
Generally, graduate program applications open in February/March, the year before the program commences. The best time to start applying is at the beginning of your final year of university.
3. Dedicate The Time
The whole recruitment process can take up to four to six months from the time you apply to the time you find out if you are successful.
When you apply for a graduate role, you will likely have to complete several assessments. These could include a video interview, a written assessment, a problem-solving challenge, an interview or an assessment centre.
Each stage may also take anywhere from 30 minutes to two to three hours to complete. You should balance these activities with your university studies and other extracurricular activities.
4. Have An Up-To-Date Resume
Make sure you have a resume that you can use for your applications. Remember to tailor the resume and cover letter to each job application and each organisation.
5. Don’t Limit Yourself
In a competitive job market, don’t restrict yourself to applying solely to the organisation you’re interested in.
Apply for many opportunities and choose the companies with values aligned with yours and a mission or vision that you agree with. Remember that you may be invited to complete several assessments for multiple organisations, which can take longer.
Make sure you set aside the time.
6. Be Prepared
Do research on the organisation that you are applying for to demonstrate your motivation for wanting to work there.
Prepare for an interview by practising common interview questions, researching the company, and preparing questions to ask the interviewer.
7. Don’t Leave Things To The Last Minute
Apply early and before the due date so you don’t miss out, as sometimes systems fail or technology doesn’t work.
If you are successful and invited to the next stage of the selection process, complete this well before the due date just in case you underestimate how long a task may take.
Where to Find Graduate Opportunities?
The other question we often hear is, where do you find opportunities?!
It’s really no different to finding any other job role. You should use a range of different methods and think outside the box. Don’t be afraid to reach out to professionals and ask the question!
Here are some key ways to find graduate roles to get you started:
1. Use Career Services
Use your university’s career services centre for guidance on resume building, interview skills, and job search strategies.
Sign up for newsletters as employers often email career advisors who forward these on. If your career services team know what you’re looking for, they’ll also know to keep you in the loop!
2. Take A Look At Job Boards
Explore job listings on dedicated job and graduate websites like Prosple, Grad Connection, Seek, LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and your university careers site.
3. Attend Career Days And Job Expos
In addition to job boards, there are several career days or job expos hosted by universities or external organisations.
By attending these, you can speak with representatives from many organisations. You can learn more about the recruitment process and the organisation.
There will generally be a current or past graduate attending as well, so it’s a perfect opportunity to ask questions and gain insights.
Find Out More
Leidos is Australia’s largest commercial supplier of services to the Australian Intelligence Community.
They also maintain legislative websites for governments, provide critical systems integration projects to the Department of Defence and support the IT environment for the Australian Taxation Office.
There’s so much to explore with these science and tech-based leaders, and you can find everything you need to get started here at Explore Careers and their dedicated careers page.
