Living, working and studying in the Geelong and Colac region offers great lifestyle options and career choices. Geelong is the second largest population centre in Victoria with over 13,000 businesses operating across the region, local business and industry operate in a dynamic environment across a diverse range of sectors.

Employers in Geelong demand a high level of skill from their workforce and are seeking highly qualified and experienced staff with good English language capacity. Students can prepare themselves to meet employer needs by taking a proactive approach to learning about industry and gaining work experience during their study period.

The following steps are a guide to obtaining professional experience while you undertake study. With effective management this may lead to graduate work and migration opportunities.


1: Get to know your Industry:
Research your industry sector, identify and learn about local and regional employers. Purchase the Wednesday & Saturday Geelong Advertiser and the Saturday AGE. Discover and learn about who are the key employers in your sector across the State.

2: Develop a relationship with industry through research:
Can you link your study to a local or regional project?
By conducting research into complementary or equivalent fields, you may build valuable industry links that could lead to future employment opportunities.

Extend your search outside the Geelong region. Major projects are being developed right across the State of Victoria.

3: Undertake voluntary work:
Building a relationship with local employers is critical. Volunteering can be a valuable introduction to a local employer and their professional network. It will give you local knowledge and provide you with work experience in the sector. Voluntary work can often lead to employment.

4: Identify a mentor within Industry:
Develop a professional relationship with a person in your industry. Mentors can offer valuable insight into industry and provide guidance through your study period.

5: Take on part-time work and build a professional network:
Take on part-time paid work within industry. You will be receiving work experience and an introduction to other employers in the sector. Voluntary and paid part-time work through a local employer can be added to your resume when you are seeking full-time work after you graduate. If the work is within your study area the experience will be valued by prospective employers.

Remember your visa may limit you to the number of hours per week you can offer an employer.

6: Become an Associate Member of a Professional Organisation:
Students can often become members of professional organisations at reduced rates. Membership will allow you to attend meetings, receive journals and get to know the important issues within your industry. By understanding your professional sector you will be able to engage confidently with future employers on relevant issues.

7: Attend Conferences
Students are sometimes offered places at professional conferences at reduced rates. Conferences may offer links to professional networks, mentors in special study areas and valuable research ideas.

8: Use the Internet:
Visit employment sites. Download job descriptions related to your industry area. Learn about the key criteria that employers are requesting from applicants. Begin with the following sites:
www.careerone.com.au
www.mycareer.com.au
www.seek.com.au
www.jobfind.com.au

9: Learn About Regional Victoria
Employment opportunities exist right across Regional Victoria. There are many great career opportunities for new graduates in remote or regional areas. Small communities offer different lifestyle choices and can be a valuable support to your future career path. Learn about smaller communities and what they offer by visiting them on weekends or during vacation breaks.

The mystery of that job offer in a regional area will more easily understood if you have researched or visited different regional areas of Victoria.

10: START NOW
Don't leave job seeking till the end of your study period. A recent Skills Survey conducted by the Federal and State Government in the Geelong Region identified that the most successful recruitment mechanism used by employers was through word of mouth or through their professional network.