We asked employers what they think of UNSW students (hint: they love us) and got their advice on how to secure a job with their organisation.
Here’s what they said.
Grad Australia
Grad Australia provides advice on careers and graduate employers on their website and in their book The Australian Top 100 Graduate Employers. After initially struggling to find graduate jobs when they left university, mates and co-founders Geoff, Jeff and Steven started Grad Australia to help students find great jobs.
Why they like UNSW students
UNSW students are overwhelmingly ambitious, dedicated and career-driven – they often start thinking about their careers well before graduation.
Tips for getting a job
Research your future employers before applying for a job and before attending an interview. Mention specific things you like about the company in your cover letter. One of the main questions interviewers ask is “Why do you want to work for us?”. Be prepared with a good reason that shows off your insider knowledge. Read about a project that the company has recently been involved in and mention it in your interview. That way, you’ll stand out from other applicants as genuinely being interested in the company.
Telstra
Telstra is Australia’s oldest and biggest telecommunications and technology company.
Why they like UNSW students
UNSW students are well-rounded and the quality of the candidates is consistently high. Also, they think the UNSW Women in Engineering program is great 🙂
Tips for getting a job at Telstra
If you get called into an assessment centre group interview: be assertive, contribute, but also be a team player. Personality is important – they are looking for confident employees who don’t take themselves too seriously and who aren’t afraid to speak up.
Resmed
ResMed is a medical technology company, renowned for award-winning medical devices and cutting-edge cloud-based software applications. Their technologies better diagnose, treat and manage sleep apnoea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other chronic diseases.
Why they like UNSW students
Resmed knows that Engineering is really strong at UNSW, and our graduates are sought-after because of the compulsory industry experience that is part of all engineering degrees at UNSW.
Tip for getting a job at Resmed
Be creative – it’s an important attribute for design work and innovation. Also, grit is good. Showing that you have grit can do wonders for your career.
MARS Australia
MARS is one of Australia’s leading consumer brand companies, producing high quality Food, Petcare, Chocolate, Gum & Confectionery products. In 2016 – for the fifth year in a row – MARS was recognised by Great Place to Work Australia as one of Australia’s best places to work.
Why they like UNSW students
MARS have had lots of success with UNSW students in the past, as our students tend to be a good cultural fit within their organisation. Go, you good things 🙂
Tips for getting a job at MARS
MARS cares more about who you are as a person than what you studied – so, show them who you are and what you are care about. Extra-curricular activities matter!
Hot tip: MARS Australia is a family owned business with 5 main principles, so make sure you read up on them and check if your values align with the MARS values.
Appliances Online
Appliances Online is “Australia’s most awesome appliance retailer”. An Australian family-run business, Appliances Online is Australia’s leading online retailer of appliances and white goods.
Why they like UNSW students
UNSW students are predominantly ideas-driven, which fits into the culture and values of the company.
Tips for getting a job at Appliances Online
Remember to be yourself when you’re applying because cultural fit is important to their business.
Opus Recruitment Solutions
Opus Recruitment provides hiring solutions across the IT, Engineering and Financial Services sectors. The youngest business to feature on the Sunday Times Best Companies list for two consecutive years, their innovative approach to recruitment has been recognised with many recruitment industry awards and accolades. As part of the Opus Professional Services Group, they have a global footprint with plans to expand further.
Why they like UNSW students
They don’t just like them – they hire them! Sasha (pictured, right) is a current UNSW Commerce/Media student, completing her degree while working for Opus.
Tips for getting a job through Opus
When you’re applying to a role, be yourself, be honest, and think about where you want to be in 5-10 years. Opus wants to recruit serious, talented and ambitious candidates – so they want to help foster your dreams and goals and your career progression, as well as help you land your first job.
Sydney Water
Sydney Water is a statutory State Owned Corporation, wholly owned by the New South Wales Government. Sydney Water provides safe drinking water to almost five million people across Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra. They also look after wastewater and stormwater services to help protect the health of rivers and beaches.
Why they like UNSW students
UNSW students tend to be really well-rounded graduates. Emily (pictured, far right) is a recent UNSW graduate who was hired by Sydney Water. She studied Chemical Engineering and Finance – a powerful combination.
Tips for applying to Sydney Water
Be genuinely interested and have a passion for the industry, water and the environment. Emily also recommends making use of the UNSW Careers Office – they have great advice, resources and services including resume reading, cover letter writing and interview practice.
Optiver
Optiver is a leading global electronic market maker, focused on pricing, execution and risk management. They provide liquidity to financial markets using their own capital, at their own risk, trading a wide range of products: listed derivatives, cash equities, ETFs, bonds and foreign currencies. Their independence allows them to objectively improve the markets and provide efficiencies for end investors.
Why they like UNSW students
Optiver has partnered with UNSW for a long time and our alumni have been very successful at Optiver. They are always looking for students with smarts, skills and passion – and UNSW students have that.
Tip for getting a job at Optiver
One main thing: show your passion and your drive to succeed.
John Holland
John Holland is one of Australia’s leading engineering, contracting and service providers to the infrastructure, energy, resources and transport services sectors. They are a fully integrated infrastructure and property group, offering a total-service solution across an entire project life cycle, and they have a reputation for skilfully delivering technically complex and challenging projects.
Why they like UNSW students
UNSW has one of the best construction management courses. They also like that our students tend to be practical and hands-on (read: skilled, enthusiastic, produce results) as well as academically talented.
Tips for getting a job at John Holland
Show initiative by contacting and following up with the organisation. Engineers: stand out. Show the organisation how you’re different as well as how interested you are in succeeding. For example, you may have worked as a builder for a year before applying to university, and now you want to work at John Holland while completing your degree.
Medallia
Medallia makes software with an aim to improve the customer experience and enables companies to stay close to their customers. Their cloud-based SaaS platform captures feedback from people no matter where they are – mobile, social, web, in-store – and provides everyone within an organisation access to critical data about the customer. They then give relevant employees the insight they need to solve issues, drive innovation and implement ideas that are customer-based.
Tip for getting a job at Medallia
While technological skills are important to their core business, they recommend obtaining experience and soft skills in areas like customer service, as communication skills are also key to their business.
Adivisian
Advisian is a unique global advisory firm that provides project and business solutions to clients who develop, operate and maintain infrastructure assets. Advisian consulting services are focused on asset-intensive businesses operating within the Hydrocarbons, Minerals and Metals, Chemicals and Infrastructure sectors.
Why they like UNSW students
All four representatives in this picture are UNSW graduates! They like our grads so much, they hire them. All four studied Civil Engineering although it’s important to note that two are now in management while the other two are more focused on the technical side of things. So, your degree will not dictate your career path at Advisian.
Tips for getting a job at Advisian
Advisian already recognises that the way UNSW courses are taught is reflective of the industry, which produces well-rounded graduates. They recommend telling recruiters your true interests and career goals, rather than what you think they want to hear, and don’t be afraid to be open about who you are.
Want more career tips and insights? Visit the UNSW Careers Portal
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