For students
Finding Work Experience Opportunities
Finding work experience will involve mostly the same strategies as looking for a job. In that regard, it can provide you with valuable experience of the activities involved in seeking graduate employment; you will find that while many high profile graduate positions are advertised widely, many jobs are not found through newspapers or Internet job seeking sites. Work experience positions are often not advertised, and may be a part of the “hidden job market” You will have to explore, research and network in order to discover your own work experience opportunity.
A big advantage of finding your own work experience placement is that you are able to target specific employers and industry areas that are directly relevant to your course, your interests and your career goals.
Research strategies
Work Experience Expo
La Trobe University has a Work Experience Expo on campus each August when representatives from a wide variety of organisations are available to talk to students about work placement / work experience opportunities.
CareerHub
A useful feature of CareerHub is its ability to provide details of those employers who have contacted the University in the past with job vacancies and graduate recruitment opportunities. Start with these potential leads; they have already demonstrated their awareness of the benefits La Trobe University students could bring to their workplace. They’re also likely to be in an industry relevant to La Trobe University students, and undertake activities that could be directly related to La Trobe courses.
Family/friends/own networks
Don’t underestimate your own networks – ask around your family and friends for possible contacts to follow up. More information on networking is available on our website.
Professional Associations
There are many ways that professional and industry associations may assist you in your search. Their websites will usually provide useful general information on the industry or profession, including labour market trends, future directions, and links to other relevant sites.
Many associations also provide more specialised services for their members, including access to information seminars, networking events, job vacancies, conference proceedings, and other professional development activities.
Investigate the levels of membership available, the costs involved, and the benefits you may receive from membership of the association relevant to your field.
A comprehensive list of professional associations can be found on the Graduate opportunities Website at: http://www.graduateopportunities.com/header/professional_associations
Online Employer Profiles
Given the majority of work experience positions are not advertised research is imperative. Employer profiles can be a great place to start. A number of organisations have collected lists of employer profiles that offer a brief summary of what the organisation does and links to their websites; these websites are an excellent resource to find out specific information about the organisation which can assist you in finding the right place for you but also give you some excellent ammunition for when your writing your cover letter and resume.
Unimail:
http://www.unigrad.com.au/employerprofiles/
Graduate Opportunities:
http://www.graduateopportunities.com/employer/list/A
What information should I be looking for?
In terms of the specific industry you’re targeting, areas to research include its history and likely direction, major players in the industry and how they compare, high-demand or growth areas, industry or professional events and conferences, and career path options.
Once you’ve identified a likely organisation and are exploring their website, research their history, services or products, their structure in terms of parent companies and subsidiaries, the scope of their business, their niche and reputation within the industry, recent developments including new products or projects, their corporate values and the direction they see themselves moving towards in the future. This sort of information give you the opportunity to see if the organisation is right for you, but more importantly it will also equip you with ammunition to use in your cover letter, resume and interviews; employers always regard prior research and genuine interest in their organisation favourably.