Explore your options
Develop your employability skills while you study
It’s important to stay focussed on employment and develop your employability skillswhilst you study. After all, that’s why you chose to study in the first place
Your MIT courses have been designed to help you - with internships, Work Integrated Learning (WIL), active class presentations and group assignments, placements and the MIT Industry IMPACT Day.
Other avenues that you could pursue:
- Part-time or casual work
- Volunteering
- Extra-curricular activities (sport, hobbies etc.)
- Community involvement including clubs and societies
- MIT Peer Mentoring Program
Employability skills are the extra things employers look for that go beyond your academic ability. They are general skills relating to all industries and professions, and they’ll help you enter the job market and adapt and manage the constantly changing nature of your career.
There are nine identifiable employability skills:
- Communication
- Creativity and innovation
- Initiative and enterprise
- Professionalism
- Planning and organisation
- Problem identification and solution
- Teamwork
- Intercultural competence
- Use of tools and technology
Every stage of your career requires that you are able to identify, analyse, prioritise and convincingly articulate your skills.
You'll need to do this when you're:
- Career planning
- Applying for jobs using a resume, cover letter or response to selection criteria
- Being interviewed for a job
- Requesting new duties and responsibilities
- Selecting future professional development.
Remember to use the MIT's Careers Centre's Ribit platform to log and reflect on the skills you develop. You can use this evidence when you start job hunting. MIT's Careers Centre's Ribit is unique online Careers Platform that helps you build a bank of employability skill using the STAR method.
Once you identify your employability skills, your next step is to use a reflection tool to articulate these into meaningful examples. The most effective method is to present them through the STAR method.
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result and can be applied to help provide a succinct, well-structured reflection. This method is used by recruiters when analysing whether candidates possess the required skills.
Situation
This is the back story – the who, what, when and where.
Task
What it is that you had to do? What were the success criteria? What part did you play in the situation? What did you have to achieve?
Action
Paint a picture of the task and showcase your contributions. What did you do? Why did you do it? How did you do it? How do your actions demonstrate this skill? What were you thinking? Was there anything unique about your actions or your method worth mentioning?
Result
There is little point explaining the situation if the employer is still left wondering whether you made any difference. What happened as a result of the actions you took? What would you do differently or improve? What did you learn? Can you quantify your result?
MIT's Careers Centre's Ribit is an online tool that will help you build a bank of employability skill examples.
Employability attributes
Attributes are your approach to work and are usually related to your value system. Unlike skills, they are very difficult to teach someone. Employers will seek out particular attributes. You need to recognise your own and learn to communicate them to employers.
These include such things as:
- Adaptability
- loyalty and commitment
- Ability to deal with pressure
- Honesty and integrity
- Common sense
- Enthusiasm and motivation
- Reliability
Volunteering is a great way to prepare for your career and to make yourself more employable. As well as being a key part of the MIT ethos.
Benefits to your career
Volunteering can be a valuable part of career planning by helping you to:
- Strengthen your skills for work
- Get work-related experience
- Develop your professional network and make new friends
- Show initiative and motivation to employers
- Prepare for leadership roles.
Volunteer opportunities
For students seeking local or international volunteer opportunities outside of MIT there are many available through various organisations:
In Australia
International
Volunteer workshops and events
MIT Careers Centre conducts workshops, information sessions and events on how you can contribute to the community and develop work-related skills through volunteering.
International student volunteers
For overseas students, volunteering is a good opportunity to practice language skills as well as learn about Australian working culture. Though you usually don't need permanent residency to volunteer, you may be subject to visa restrictions limiting the number of hours you can volunteer and work.
Volunteer rights and responsibilities
Volunteering is unpaid work, usually for a not-for-profit organisation. This work benefits both the volunteer and the community and is based on roles that are not replacing paid workers. Most volunteer positions:
- Require you to work less than 16 hours a week
- Are covered by insurance
- Don't involve high risk activity.
It's important to know what's required of you when undertaking volunteer work. For more information and resources, see Volunteering Victoria and Volunteering Australia.
Whether you're a local or international student seeking employment, it's essential that you're aware of your rights, entitlements and obligations while engaged in work and that you comply with all Government taxation criteria as an employee.
For more information see below.
Before you apply for work
If you intend to work while in Australia, first you'll need to:
- find out what you need to work in Australia
- get a Tax File Number (TFN)
- work out your residency status for tax purposes.
International students
Check that you can work in Australia with the Department of Home Affairs:
Know your rights
Workers in Australia have the right to minimum standards set for working hours, safety, pay rates and more. It's important to understand your rights and responsibilities as a worker.
Some companies with graduate positions may advertise structured, professional development programs designed to broaden your industry experience and advance you to the senior levels of the organisation.
To learn more about graduate programs, see:
Pay rates and salaries
Minimum pay rates
Each industry has a minimum pay rate. You can find the right pay for your job by looking at the industry award (agreed pay and conditions) for your workplace.
- Pay guides list minimum pay rates for employees in an award (telephone 13 13 94).
- The national minimum wage applies where there is no award for your industry.
- Certain information should be on your payslip.
Salary and wages
For graduates
- The average full-time salary for bachelor degree graduates in 2018 was $65,691 (2019 AAGE Employer Survey).
- See the Hays salary guide for graduate salaries from your area of study.
For private household jobs
There are no regulations for private household job pay rates. Representatives from tertiary education institutions in Victoria have agreed to recommend minimum hourly rates of pay to help you decide if a private householder is paying you fairly.
Use the following steps to work out if the householder is paying you fairly:
- Find the closest related modern award provided by Fair Work Online.
- Find the casual rate for adults (18+ years)
- Consider how much experience you need to do the job.
Negotiating your salary
You may need to know how to negotiate a salary when:
- The job has a salary range or no salary information at all
- If you feel that your salary is below the industry standard
- If you always perform beyond the requirements for the job
- You have worked for a company for a number of years and feel you need a pay rise.
Research tips on where to start:
Superannuation
Superannuation (or 'Super') is money deducted from your salary and invested into a fund by your employer for when you retire or can no longer work.
From 1 July 2014, these super guarantee contributions must be at least 9.5% of your ordinary earnings, up to the ‘maximum contribution base’.
Generally, you are entitled to super guarantee contributions from an employer if you are:
- 18 years old or over
- paid $450 or more (before tax) per month.
Check your pay slips to make sure that your employer is paying the right amount of super.
In most cases, you can choose your super fund.
More information on superannuation is available below.
- Individuals Superannuation (Australian Taxation Office)
- Super Fund Lookup (funds regulated by the Tax Office)
- Super for Casual Workers (Australian Securities and Investments Commission)
- Chant West Super Fund Check (compare funds)
Resources
- Top tips to expand your job prospects (International Education Association of Australia)
Create the perfect resume, get feedback on applications and master the art of the job interview.
Ready to start looking for your ideal role? From helping you craft the perfect application to providing industry insights, MIT Careers Centre is here to support you every step of the way.